(Reuters) - Iraq's prime minister said on Wednesday that the Islamic State remains a fierce adversary as he outlined plans during a trip to Washington to prioritize battles in the refinery city of Baiji and Anbar province, where the militants are striking back. Haidar al-Abadi, speaking...

(Reuters) - Islamic State militants gained ground in western  Iraq  on Wednesday, overrunning several villages on the edge of the capital of Anbar province, police sources and local officials said. Iraqi police came under attack from the insurgents at dawn in Albu Ghanim and...

 Three weeks of Saudi-led airstrikes in  Yemen  have led to defections of army units loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, military sources said, dealing a blow to his efforts to stage a comeback. Saleh has teamed up with his old foes, the Iranian-allied Houthis,...

Dozens of inmates have escaped from jail in Sudan's western Darfur region following clashes with prison guards, police said Wednesday. One inmate was killed and four policemen injured in clashes that erupted on Tuesday in the main prison in Zalingei, capital of Central Darfur State,...