Analysis Is Syria’s Sharaa poised to outdo Turkey in formalizing gains for Kurds? Damascus is making limited but tangible progress in its engagement with Syrian Kurds, even as Ankara seeks to shape the terms of any settlement. By Amberin Zaman Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture
US troops depart Syria, ending decade of presence in fight against ISIS The last major American bases in Syria have been turned over to the government in Damascus, US military officials confirmed to Al-Monitor. Syria
Turkey detains 11 over ISIS-linked attack on Israeli Consulate: What to know The attack was likely designed to portray Turkey as protecting Israel by targeting the local police guarding the consulate, one observer notes. Turkey
Desperate to sell its oil, Iraq turns to Turkey amid standoff with Kurds As Iraq looks to reroute oil to Turkey, Baghdad is also using the plan to push the Iraqi Kurds to greenlight exports through their territory. Iraq
Exclusive Syrian Kurdish officials say 66 Turkish ISIS fighters transferred for relocation to Iraq 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 By Amberin Zaman Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture
US troop drawdown in Syria on hold over regime stability concerns While American troops in Iraq hand over operations against the Islamic State to Baghdad's forces, the parallel drawdown in neighboring Syria has been halted amid concerns about the abilities of the new Islamist-led government in Damascus. By Jared Szuba In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military
US troops in Iraq shift to Erbil to focus on ISIS in Syria The US mission against the Islamic State is relocating its headquarters and most of its troops from Baghdad to Erbil as the prime minister's coalition faces reelection in November. Iraq
Pentagon pushes to accelerate ISIS detainee repatriations from Syria Uncertainty about Syria’s long-term stability and the the US military’s future presence in the country have increased urgency among some Pentagon officials to further reduce the population of nearly 30,000 suspected ISIS-associated detainees in the camps. Syria
Iraq announces ISIS network busted in West Africa: What to know Activity by the Islamic State’s West Africa branch is increasing, according to some observers, and Iraq is looking to strengthen counterterrorism coordination with other states. Iraq
12 international, local firms bid to operate Iraq's Mosul airport destroyed by ISIS Iraq seeks to develop its air sector now that security conditions have improved in the country, hoping to play a bigger role in regional transit corridors. Iraq
US raid kills senior ISIS official near Syria's border with Turkey The US raid killed a senior ISIS official believed to be next in line for the group’s top leadership role, a US official said. Syria
Iraq begins exhuming ISIS mass grave at Al-Khasfa thought to hold 3,000+ victims In 2024, Human Rights Watch said that hundreds of thousands of victims remain buried in mass graves across Iraq, including those killed under former President Saddam Hussein. Iraq
Syrian forces dismantle ISIS cell near Turkish border: What to know Syria says it has thwarted a number of ISIS plots in 2025 as the group seeks to exploit sectarian tensions in the country. Syria
Senate defense spending bill would restrict US troop drawdown from Syria Washington plans to zero out stipends for Iraqi Kurdistan’s peshmerga forces but will continue funding Iraq’s Counter-Terrorism Service and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces via its counter-ISIS authorities at least through 2026. By Jared Szuba In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military
‘We will intervene’: Turkey’s Fidan warns against dividing Syria Ankara threatens action against the Kurdish-led SDF as the US pushes for the group’s integration into a post-regime Damascus. Turkey
Over 10 years after ISIS takeover, Iraq's Mosul Airport reopens: What to know The airport has been out of operation since the fall of the northern Iraqi city to the Islamic State in 2014. Iraq
Analysis Who is Saraya Ansar al-Sunna, radical group behind deadly Syria church attack? An obscure new radical group in Syria may prove weak physically and financially, but can provide an ideological continuity that allows ISIS-like groups to continue to emerge in the future. By Cagatay Cebe In Istanbul, reporting on security and counterterrorism
