Syria’s Sharaa leaves Washington with warm assurances but no security agreements Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa departed Washington without clinching major security agreements or long-term economic relief. Syria
Syria's Sharaa says no direct talks with Israel, open to US military presence In an interview on Monday, President Ahmed al-Sharaa dismissed direct negotiations with Israel concerning the Abraham Accords, but left the door open to US-brokered diplomacy. Syria
Syrian President Sharaa arrives at White House in historic first Sharaa met with Trump as the administration weighs easing sanctions and expanding cooperation on Syria. Syria
Exclusive SDF commander Hemo: Syria’s Kurds prepare for threat of war as Damascus talks falter As US-brokered talks stall, Kurdish forces are preparing contingencies while continuing dialogue with Damascus to secure Syria’s future, SDF commander Sipan Hemo told Al-Monitor in an exclusive interview. By Amberin Zaman Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture
Iraq continues to kill, capture IS members as effectiveness questioned Iraqi security forces have captured and killed a number of key Islamic State facilitators and others in the past month amid a US mission transition and concerns over coordination. Iraq
Islamic State's spread beyond Syria, Iraq remains concern for US The State Department's annual report on terrorism said Islamic State branches outside of Iraq and Syria caused more fatalities in 2020 than any previous year. News Brief
Syria, Iraq discuss boosting trade The two countries also discussed cooperation on oil imports earlier this year. News Brief
Pentagon: Four Islamic State fighters killed in nighttime Syria raid Conflicting accounts of the raid emerged amid renewed scrutiny of the Pentagon's oversight of civilian casualties in Syria. Syria
Sinai tribes hunt Islamic State bomb makers Sinai tribes join the hunt for IS explosives engineers, potentially depriving the terrorist group of its last technique in its fight against the Egyptian army. Egypt
Jihadis from Syria blamed for multiple attacks on Iraqi Kurds An onslaught of attacks on Kurdish peshmerga forces and villages in northern Iraq has sparked concerns over the presence of Islamic State cells and whether they have been bulked up by jihadis arriving from Syria. Iraq
Iraqi prime minister visits site of Islamic State attack Mustafa al-Kadhimi met with Kurdistan Region security forces in disputed Makhmour. News Brief
Turkey strikes Yazidi militia in Iraq The Sinjar Resistance Units is a member of the Popular Mobilization Units, making it officially part of the Iraqi security forces. Iraq
Islamic State targets peshmerga in Iraq’s disputed Diyala and Makhmour A recent string of attacks on Iraq’s Kurdistan Region peshmerga forces have raised concern over how effective long-discussed coordination with the central government is in the country’s flashpoint disputed territories. Iraq
Islamic State down but not out in Syria and Iraq: Pentagon report Also, Al-Monitor’s on-the-ground reporting on the security situations in Syria and Iraq, including the impact of the Turkish lira crisis on Idlib. Syria
Iraq diversifies arms imports after US withdrawal from Afghanistan The US withdrawal may have spurred Iraq to consider purchases from Turkey and Pakistan, according to report by the Pentagon's Inspector General. News Brief
Intel: Pentagon chief briefed on 2019 Syria airstrike US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered the briefing after reading an investigation into the strike by The New York Times. Syria
