Voting began in northern Iraq on Monday in an independence referendum organized by Kurdish authorities, ignoring pressure from Baghdad, threats from neighboring Turkey and Iran, and international warnings it may ignite yet more regional conflict. The vote, expected to deliver a...

(HRW) – Two aerial attacks near Raqqa,  Syria  in March killed at least 84 civilians, including 30 children, and raise concerns that US-led coalition forces fighting the extremist armed group Islamic State (also known as ISIS) did not take adequate precautions to minimize...

A Russian general was fatally wounded while assisting Syrian troops in an operation to recapture the province of Deir el-Zour. Russian media blamed his death on mortar shelling by the "Islamic State" militant group. Russia's Defense Ministry confirmed the death of one of its generals on...

(Zaman Al Wasl)- Opposition figures ruled out holding of the Riyadh's second peace talks conference in October that seeks to unite opposition groups.   The Saudi-backed High Negotiation Committee assured that no role for Bashar al-Assad in the transitional period, such a condition...