Afghan Taliban leaders said on Thursday that their new political chief will not be attending peace talks with U.S. envoys due to take place in Qatar next week. U.S. officials had been keen to negotiate with Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, hoping the Taliban's co-founder and military...

The Palestinian finance minister on Thursday announced salary cuts for civil servants, days after Israel said it would withhold tens of millions of dollars in tax transfers to the Palestinian Authority. Israel's security cabinet on Sunday approved the freezing of $138 million (122 million...

Iraq’s intelligence apparatus has dismantled a clandestine group that had helped finance Daesh terrorist operations around the world, according to Iraq’s National Intelligence Service (NIS). In a Thursday statement, the NIS described the group as “the largest Daesh financing operation...

- The last civilians are expected to be evacuated from Islamic State’s final enclave in eastern Syria on Thursday, clearing the way for U.S.-backed forces to attack jihadists still holed up inside, the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces said. The village of Baghouz at the Iraqi border...