Islamic State

Explosion reported near Coalition base in Ayn Issa, Syria

An explosion was reported near a military base near Ayn Issa in Syria's Raqqa governorate, where U.S. and French troops fighting ISIS are believed to be posted

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Iraq court sentences French woman to life in prison for joining ISIS

An Iraqi court sentenced a French woman to life in jail for membership in ISIS despite her claims that her husband tricked her into traveling to the region

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ISIS claims deadly attack on Afghanistan interior ministry headquarters in Kabul

Militants launched a gun and bomb attack on the interior ministry in Kabul on Wednesday, killing a policeman in the latest chilling demonstration of their ability to strike at the heart of the Afghan capital. Five people were injured in the attack, which took place during the holy month of Ramadan and was claimed by Islamic State. The Taliban are also stepping up their assaults on the capital, making the heavily fortified city the deadliest place in the country for civilians. Special forces rushed to the scene after the attackers detonated what police said was a car bomb at the first checkpoint leading to the ministry, then tried to battle their way inside. “The fighting is over, the attackers have all been killed by security forces between the first and second security perimeter,” said Kabul police chief Daud Amin. A security source told AFP a clearing operation was continuing. “The attackers used two vehicles to reach near interior ministry compound. There were eight attackers involved, one detonated his explosives, seven others were killed,” interior ministry spokesperson Najib Danish told reporters. He said the attackers used vehicles disguised as those used by foreign military forces, the New York Times reported. Danish …

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SDF captures prominent French ISIS member Adrien Guihal in Syria

Another French jihadist allegedly involved in attacks in France, Adrien Guihal, was arrested by a special unit of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in northern Syria

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Syrian army says Damascus ‘completely secure’ after taking Yarmouk camp from ISIS

Syria’s army said it was in full control of the capital Damascus and its outskirts after ousting Islamic State, marking a major milestone in the seven-year war. “The Syrian army announces today that Damascus, its outskirts and surrounding towns are completely secure,” it said in a statement carried by state media network SANA on Monday, May 21. The development came after troops had captured a key southern portion of Damascus from IS, the statement said, including the Palestinian refugee camp of Yarmouk and the adjacent district of Hajar al-Aswad. “The wheel of our progress on the battlefield will not stop until all Syrian land is purified,” it added. Russian-langauge Russkaya Vesna posted video of Syrian Arab Army troops raising the national flag in the Yarmouk camp, which had been under siege for years. Syria’s war erupted in 2011 with protests against President Bashar al-Assad, including in the capital. The following year, the government began losing control of parts of Damascus and placed a crippling siege around Yarmouk, which lies in the capital’s south. The army’s announcement came hours after a tenuous evacuation deal saw hundreds of ISIS fighters and their relatives quit Yarmouk, according to reports. Videos posted on social media on Sunday …

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High-value target captured by SDF isn’t ISIS spokesperson Abu Hasan al-Muhajir

Reports that the Syrian Democratic Forces backed by the U.S.-led Coalition against Islamic State captured the group's spokesperson Abu Hasan al-Muhajir in a raid in Eastern Syria are untrue, a spokesperson for the Coalition said

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Denmark to withdraw special forces from Iraq, but capacity-building contingent will stay

Denmark said that special forces assigned to the U.S.-led Coalition will be withdrawn because they have completed their mission, but other troops in capacity building, and radar operation roles will remain

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Indonesia police shoot dead 4 men after sword attack on Pekanbaru HQ

Indonesian police said they shot and killed four men who used swords in an attack on a police station in Pekanbaru, on Sumatra island, in which one officer was killed and two others were injured

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Indonesia: Suicide bombings by a single family strike Surabaya churches, killing at least 13

A series of coordinated suicide bomb attacks perpetrated by a single family struck churches in Surabaya, Indonesia, killing at least 13 people and wounding dozens, the deadliest attack for years in the Muslim-majority country

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Death toll in Libya election commission bombing rises to 14

Libya's health ministry said the death toll from the suicide attack against the headquarters of the electoral commission in Tripoli had risen to 14.

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