Violence in Iraq surged in 2013 to its worst level in five years, fuelled by widespread discontent among the Sunni Arab minority and Syria's civil war, figures released Wednesday showed. Bombs tore through markets, cafes, football fields and mosques, militants assaulted prisons, police...

Sunni Muslim fighters clashed on Thursday with Iraqi troops trying to regain control of two western cities, in a serious escalation of their confrontation with the Shi'ite-led government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. Tension has been running high in the Sunni-dominated province of...
The Local Coordination Committees claim that 112 people died across Syria on Wednesday. In Aleppo Province, which has endured an escalated campaign of regime bombing since December 14, there were 44 deaths. In Damascus and its suburbs, 32 people were killed, while 17...