ISTANBUL ( McClatchyDC )- They arrived in Toyota Hilux pickup trucks, the favored vehicle of Islamist fighters in the Middle East and South Asia. But these men, the first graduates in the faltering U.S. train-and-equip program, were traveling into Syria to fight against an extremist...

Islamic State fighters on Thursday have pressed more advances in the eastern countryside of Homs, taking control of a military base and two villages near T-4 air base, activists and supporters of the hardline group said. Conflicting reports said ISIS stormed the fences of the strategic...

Fatah Army on Wednesday announced a major offensive on two Shiite-dominated villages in the northern province of Idlib after two years of siege, according to statement posted online by the rebel group. The powerful alliance of Islamist groups said the new battle is in support and solidarity...

The Syrian army backed by Lebanese ally Hezbollah has advanced deeper into the besieged Syrian city of Zabadani two weeks into a campaign to capture it from insurgents, Reuters said. The control of the city, about 45 km (30 miles) northwest of the capital Damascus, is seen as crucial to...