US military completes evacuation of ISIS prisoners from Syria to Iraq The detainee transfer opens the door for US troops to further withdraw from Syria ahead of a potential military confrontation with Iran. Syria
Exclusive Syrian Kurdish officials say 66 Turkish ISIS fighters transferred for relocation to Iraq The detainees were handed over from SDF custody to the US-led coalition for transfer to Iraqi prisons. By Amberin Zaman Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture
Feature Syrian Kurds say US ignored pleas for help as ISIS detainees turned on them in al-Hol Chaos at al-Hol during clashes between Kurdish forces and Damascus underscored the widening security vacuum amid Kurdish claims of US abandonment. By Amberin Zaman Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture
US launches 5 airstrikes in Syria on suspected ISIS sites: What to know A series of five airstrikes over the past week in Syria comes as the US military increasingly relies on Damascus' forces to contain Islamic State remnants. Syria
Analysis Syria’s Kurdish pullback hands Damascus a win — and new ISIS risks By Cagatay Cebe In Istanbul, reporting on security and counterterrorism
Feature ISIS brides face uncertain future as Damascus clashes with Syria’s Kurds By Amberin Zaman Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture
Analysis Could US shift on Syria’s Kurds unlock progress with Turkey? By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
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
Attack on Syrian prison holding Iraqi Islamic State captives raises concerns Local forces backed by coalition air support reportedly prevented an attack on a prison housing thousands of Islamic State operatives in northeastern Syria under Kurdish-led administration. Iraq
Islamic State attack sparks sectarian bloodletting in Iraq’s Diyala An Islamic State attack has triggered a crescendo of acts of violence against and displacement of Sunnis in Iraq’s Diyala province, which borders Iran and has long suffered the presence of cells operating in its dense orchards and parts of the Hamrin Mountains. Iraq
Iraq arrests alleged Islamic State fighters after deadly attack The Islamic State killed two Kurdistan Region soldiers and 12 civilians in recent attacks in northern Iraq. News Brief
Germany sentences Islamic State woman to jail over Yazidi child's death The Munich court found Jennifer Wenisch, a German national, guilty of “two crimes against humanity in the form of enslavement." Iraq
Iraq captures ‘Most Wanted’ Islamic State finance chief Iraqi intelligence have captured a top-level IS leader in a special operation that involved coordination with foreign countries. The US had offered $5 million for information that “brings him to justice”. Iraq
Syrian opposition chief: US sanctions a deterrent for Turkish proxy fighters During an interview with Al-Monitor, Syrian National Coalition President Salem al-Meslet discussed recent US sanctions on Ahrar al-Sharqiya, the human rights situation in northern Syria and the US military presence in the war-torn country. Syria
Germany, Denmark repatriate Islamic State-linked women, children Eleven women and 37 children were flown to Germany and Denmark from Roj camp in northeast Syria, which holds thousands of family members of Islamic State fighters. Syria
Iraqi intel service, tribal fighters kill Islamic State commanders Iraqi national security forces working closely with local tribal fighters say they have managed to kill two key Islamic State figures involved in planning suicide attacks. Iraq
