( Al-Monitor )- Forces battling the Islamic State (IS) in Syria seem to be putting a lot of effort into thwarting each other's strategies. Syrian government troops, backed by allied Iraqi and Iranian militias, are bolstering their control along parts of the Syrian-Iraqi borders. Leaders of...

A U.S.-led coalition airstrike on the eastern Syrian town of Mayadeen early Friday killed at least 80 relatives of ISIS fighters, activists told AFP. "The toll includes 33 children. They were families seeking refuge in the town's municipal building," said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the...

Gunmen attacked a bus carrying Egyptian Christians south of the capital Friday, killing at least 20 people, state media and officials said. "There are more than 20 dead and more than 20 wounded," a senior health ministry official told AFP. The attack in Minya province came after church...

To escape the nightmare of life in their besieged hometown near Syria's capital, 13 young girls sought refuge in a fairytale performance of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs". The all-girl cast spent months memorising lines from the classic Brothers Grimm fable before performing in front of a...