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Hounded by war planes, Syrians dig graves in advance

Omar Haj Kadour, Agence France-Presse
Posted at Jun 13 10:08 PM

"We could be digging one for me, my brother, my father, my friend -- God only knows," said the 25-year-old father of five. Read more »

Islamic State leader surfaces in video, vows fight until 'Judgment Day'

The New York Times
Posted at Apr 30 09:54 AM

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi sought to rally his followers after the loss of the group’s territory in Iraq and Syria and its execution of one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in years, on Easter in Sri Lanka. Read more »

Where Ferrero gets its hazelnuts, Syrian refugees eke out a living

The New York Times
Updated as of Apr 29 05:46 PM

Few consumers know that behind each chocolate treat is a crop that has long been notorious for its hazards and hardships, as well as the prevalence of child labor, a scourge the government has been trying to combat for years. Read more »

After 'caliphate' defeat, Islamic State is down but not out

Reuters
Updated as of Apr 25 07:18 AM

Driven from its self-styled caliphate in Iraq and Syria, Islamic State is down but not out.   Read more »

A month after IS 'caliphate' defeated, challenges aplenty

Tony Gamal-Gabriel, Agence France-Presse
Posted at Apr 21 02:59 PM

Sleeper cells, prisons teeming with jihadists, camps crammed with their wives and children -- perils abound in Syria, nearly a month after the Islamic State group's "caliphate" was declared defeated. Read more »

Snipers, starvation and death: IS 'caliphate' ended in bloodbath

John Davison, Reuters
Updated as of Apr 12 12:58 AM

Snipers in areas controlled by Syria's government near the village of Baghouz picked off women and children fetching water from the river or climbing the small hill to seek medical help in Kurdish-controlled territory, survivors said.   Read more »

A world court on IS crimes: Needed but unlikely

Isabelle Wesselingh, Agence France-Presse
Posted at Mar 27 07:44 PM

BEIRUT, Lebanon - A world court would offer a much-needed mechanism to address the Islamic State group's horrendous crimes but the path to its creation is fraught with obstacles, experts said.   Read more »

IS 'caliphate' now gone, what's next for war-torn Syria?

Alice Hackman, Agence France-Presse
Posted at Mar 25 07:46 AM

The elimination of the Islamic State group's physical "caliphate" closes a long chapter in the Syrian conflict but the country's eight-year war is far from over.   Read more »

Governments welcome 'milestone' fall of IS bastion

Agence France-Presse
Posted at Mar 24 08:19 AM

Governments greeted the fall of the Islamic State group's last bastion, marking the end of its self-declared "caliphate", as a "milestone" Saturday, but warned of remaining dangers, as Syrian Kurds announced a "new phase" in the conflict.   Read more »

ISIS 'caliphate' totally eliminated: Syria force

Agence France-Presse
Updated as of Mar 23 03:50 PM

Kurdish-led forces pronounced the death of the Islamic State group's nearly 5-year-old "caliphate" Saturday after flushing out diehard jihadists from their very last bastion in eastern Syria. Read more »

The scent of soap making returns to Aleppo

Maher Al-Mounes, Agence France-Presse
Posted at Mar 23 04:20 AM

After years of war, the scent of laurel oil once again wafts from a small soap workshop in Aleppo, signalling the revival of a landmark trade in the battered northern city.   Read more »

Battle for last Islamic State enclave edges towards its end

Reuters
Posted at Mar 21 04:52 AM

BAGHOUZ, Syria - The operation to take Islamic State's last enclave in eastern Syria looked close to an end on Wednesday, with no sign of clashes as US-backed fighters said they were combing the area for hidden jihadists. Read more »

Hundreds surrender as Islamic State nears defeat in last enclave

Rodi Said, Reuters
Posted at Mar 13 07:58 AM

BAGHOUZ, Syria - Islamic State faced imminent defeat in its final enclave on Tuesday as hundreds of jihadist fighters and their families surrendered and the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces said the battle was as good as over. Read more »

Syria force evacuates 'human shields' in push to crush IS remnant

Agence France-Presse
Posted at Mar 04 11:45 PM

Kurdish-led forces supported by air strikes from an international coalition evacuated civilians held as "human shields" Monday after smashing their way into the jihadists' last scrap of territory in eastern Syria. Read more »

Islamic State deploys car bombs in defense of last enclave

Ellen Francis and Issam Abdallah, Reuters
Posted at Mar 04 07:09 AM

Islamic State unleashed car bombs against the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) assaulting Baghouz, in a last-ditch effort to stave off defeat in its final patch of territory, fighters from the US-backed force said on Sunday. Read more »

Wounded and alone, children emerge from last Islamic State enclave

Ellen Francis, Reuters
Posted at Mar 02 10:36 PM

DEIR AL-ZOR PROVINCE - Hareth Najem fled Islamic State's last enclave in eastern Syria wounded and alone. The Iraqi orphan's family had died two years earlier in air strikes across the border in al-Qaim region. Read more »

Islamic State faces final territorial defeat in eastern Syria battle

Reuters
Posted at Mar 02 04:21 PM

DEIR AL-ZOR PROVINCE, Syria, March 2 (Reuters) - Islamic State faced final territorial defeat on Saturday as the U.S.-backed Syrian force battling the jihadists said it was closing in on their last bastion near the Iraqi border, capping four years of efforts to roll back the group. Read more »

FACT CHECK: No, these are not organ harvest victims in Marikina

Agence France-Presse
Posted at Mar 01 07:47 PM

The claim is false; the pictures show young victims of a 2013 chemical attack in Syria. Read more »

No regrets for woman who stuck by Islamic State through defeats

Rodi Said, Reuters
Posted at Feb 24 12:02 AM

NEAR BAGHOUZ - Heading to a camp for displaced people as Islamic State's territorial "caliphate" in Iraq and Syria faces final defeat, Ghalia Ali shows no regret about abandoning her life as a student in Tunisia to join the militants in 2014. Read more »

US to leave 200 American peacekeepers in Syria after pullout

Steve Holland and Idrees Ali, Reuters
Posted at Feb 22 08:25 AM

WASHINGTON - The United States will leave "a small peacekeeping group" of 200 American troops in Syria for a period of time after a U.S. pullout, the White House said on Thursday, as President Donald Trump pulled back from a complete withdrawal. Read more »