It appeared to be a huge step forward for the scattered rebel groups fighting to topple President Bashar al-Assad of Syria: the creation of a central body of top insurgent commanders who would coordinate military campaigns, direct foreign support and serve as a unifying force...

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak has said a Cossack who horsewhipped members of Pussy Riot at a protest in Sochi has been held accountable for the attack. The Cossacks have been used since last year as an auxiliary police force to patrol the streets in the Krasnodar...

A Syrian rebel commander, who fought alongside al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden and was close to its current chief Ayman al-Zawahiri, was killed by a suicide attack in Aleppo, intensifying in-fighting between rival armed groups. The killing of Abu Khaled al-Suri on Sunday in a suicide...

The Syrian army on Friday intensified its aerial bombardment of southern Syria as opposition fighters were preparing to launch a wide offensive in a province bordering Jordan, activists said. The Local Coordination Committees opposition network and an anti-government activist in the area...