Islamic State tightens noose around Iraq, Syria - Al-Monitor: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

Ali Mamouri

Ali Mamouri

Nov 5, 2014

A fighter of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) stands guard with his weapon by the side of a street in the city of Mosul, June 23, 2014. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry held crisis talks with leaders of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region on Tuesday urging them to stand with Baghdad in the face of a Sunni insurgent onslaught that threatens to dismember the country. Picture taken June 23, 2014. REUTERS/Stringer (IRAQ - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS) - RTR3VIH0 — A fighter of the Islamic State (IS) stands guard with his weapon on the side of a street in the city of Mosul, June 23, 2014. — REUTERS

عربي

Members loyal to the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) wave ISIL flags as they drive around Raqqa June 29, 2014. The offshoot of al Qaeda which has captured swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria has declared itself an Islamic "Caliphate" and called on factions worldwide to pledge their allegiance, a statement posted on jihadist websites said on Sunday. The group, previously known as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), also known as ISIS, has renamed itself "Islamic State" and proclai

IS uses intelligence to purge opponents

Ali Mamouri

Shi'ite fighters pose with a black flag belonging to the Islamic State, which they pulled down after capturing the town of Jurf al-Sakhar from the Islamic State militants, south of Baghdad October 26, 2014. Picture taken October 26, 2014. REUTERS/Stringer (IRAQ - Tags: MILITARY POLITICS CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT) - RTR4BQ6H

Iraqi battle seen as key victory in Iran

Arash Karami

Tribal fighters and members of Iraqi security forces take part in an intensive security deployment on the outskirts of Diyala province June 14, 2014. The insurgent offensive that has threatened to dismember Iraq spread to the northwest of the country on Sunday, when Sunni militants launched a dawn raid on a town close to the Syrian border, clashing with police and government forces. Picture taken June 14, 2014. REUTERS/Stringer (IRAQ - Tags - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTR3TVVI

IS withdrawal strategy calls for creation of local defense forces

Mushreq Abbas

Iraqi defence minister Khaled al-Obeidi (L) talks with Mosul governor Atheel al-Nujaifi during a visit at a training camp for Kurdish Peshmerga troops in Arbil, November 3, 2014. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari (IRAQ - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS MILITARY) - RTR4COAN

Who will liberate Mosul?

Mushreq Abbas