The western Syrian town of Qusair has become a fiercely contested battleground between the forces of President Bashar al-Assad and rebel fighters. On 19 May, following weeks of skirmishes and bombardment by artillery and aircraft, government troops backed by Hezbollah militants launched a...

Russia says Damascus has agreed "in principle" to attend an international conference on the Syria crisis set to be held in Geneva in June. Its foreign ministry said the Syrian government would participate "in order for Syrians themselves to find a political path to a solution". It...

There has been a large explosion in the centre of the Afghan capital, Kabul, followed by heavy gunfire. Afghan Channel One TV quoted police as saying a group of assailants had entered the Directorate of the Afghan Public Protection Force (APPF). A guesthouse used by staff of the...

  Here we are again.  An attack . A metropolis. A sensational depiction of violence. A Western victim. These are the thematic artifacts of our current (British) understanding of the “War on Terror.” Regardless of the venue, the perpetrator, or the modus...