At least 12 migrants died off the coast of Libya Wednesday after they put to sea in stormy weather, the Italian coastguard said, adding that many others might have died in the incident. Some 29 people were rescued when their rubber dinghy started to take in water 25 miles (40 km) north...

German Chancellor Angela Merkel Wednesday accused Syrian government troops of committing "crimes against humanity" that could not be overlooked. Human rights groups and Western countries have previously accused Syria's army, backed by Russia's air force, of targeting hospitals, bakeries and...

The Pentagon says a U.S. airstrike in Syria this month killed what the Defense Department describes as a senior al-Qaeda leader who once had ties to Osama bin Laden. A Pentagon spokesman, Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, identifies the target as Haydar Kirkan. The spokesman says Kirkan oversaw the...

 ISIS is forcibly gathering people in and around Mosul for possible use as human shields against advancing Iraqi forces, residents said Wednesday, confirming U.N. fears. ISIS overran large areas north and west of Baghdad in 2014, but Iraqi forces have since regained significant ground,...