U.S.-backed Iraqi forces were moving to surround Mosul's Old City on Thursday, a week after launching a fresh push to drive ISIS militants from areas they still hold, according to an Iraqi officer overseeing the operation. Iraqi special forces Lt. Gen. Sami al-Arathi said battle plans had...

 The United Nations said Thursday it was in talks with Iran, Russia and Turkey over who should control proposed safe zones in Syria, a key question after Damascus rejected any international monitors. The U.N. Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura and humanitarian pointman Jan Egeland both said...

The United Nations still has "a million questions" about a Syria deal struck last week by Russia, Turkey and Iran, with a reported reduction in the fighting but aid convoys remain almost totally stalled, a U.N. aid official said Thursday. "Now Russia and Turkey and Iran explained to us today...

The Kremlin feels cautious optimism about the prospects for an improvement in U.S.-Russian relations after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington, a Kremlin spokesman said Thursday. "The conversation itself is extremely positive," Kremlin...