Turkey to repatriate its ISIS fighters from Iraq as jihadis escalate Syria attacks Ankara will repatriate its nationals from among thousands of fighters transferred from Syria, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said. Turkey
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
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
Pentagon stops budgeting for peshmerga salaries The Pentagon’s fiscal year 2019 budget doesn’t specifically dedicate payments for Iraq’s Kurdish fighting force after it stepped back from the front lines of the fight against the Islamic State. Iraq
Iranian film on Tehran's role in Syria war creates controversy The first Iranian film depicting Tehran’s fight against Islamic State terrorists divides observers into two camps: those who think it is a great film by a great director and those who think it is just a cliche. Iran
Egypt steps up military operations in Sinai ahead of elections The timing of an anti-terror military operation launched in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula has raised questions about President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s motives ahead of the presidential elections scheduled for March. Egypt
Hamas enters new phase of confrontation with Islamic State Hamas in the Gaza Strip broadcast a video where two Islamic State members confessed to working for IS, which reveals a new phase in the relationship between the two groups. Palestine
Pentagon seeks massive boost in bomb budget for Iraq, Syria The Defense Department wants $1.8 billion for precision-guided munitions to finish wiping out the Islamic State. Iraq
Pentagon budget retains same troop levels in Iraq, Syria The Donald Trump administration’s new budget for the Pentagon leaves in place nearly 6,000 US troops in Iraq and Syria. Iraq
Despite defeat of IS, Syria war risks major power conflict The United States and Russia should abandon "proxy wars" and back a new UN Security Council resolution for a regional peace conference. Israel
Tillerson travels to Middle East to talk post-IS stability Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will travel to Egypt, Kuwait, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey next week. But veteran diplomats warn that US goals for Syria need to be scaled back. Egypt
Islamic State desert bases still headache for Iraq As Iraqi forces continue cleansing the western desert to keep the Syrian-Iraqi border region calm, Islamic State counterattacks in Syria are posing a new risk across the border. Iraq
Turkey upends US Syria strategy with attack on YPG Ankara seeks green light from Moscow, not Washington, in attack on US partner; UN warns of consequences of continued fighting in Eastern Ghouta and Idlib; local council in Aleppo confiscates land of Islamic State families. Syria
IS families lose their homes in Syria’s Akhtarin The local council of Akhtarin, in the Aleppo countryside, is confiscating the properties of former IS and regime fighters to benefit victims of the war. Syria
Iraq backs off plans to double number of US-trained counterterrorism forces With all of Iraq now liberated from the Islamic State, the elite Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service is shifting its focus away from large-scale battles. Iraq
