French, Russian and German leaders will meet in Berlin for talks on Syria Wednesday ahead of a brief truce in Aleppo backed by Moscow in the face of mounting criticism for its part in a brutal regime offensive. The meeting comes a day after the Kremlin announced that Russian and Syrian air...

(The Daily Star)- International aid groups including the Red Cross said Tuesday they were preparing for the possible use of chemical weapons in the battle for the Iraq city of Mosul. Iraqi forces backed by an international coalition are making gains in their advance on the city, the last...

Iraqi and Kurdish forces closing in on Mosul said on Tuesday they had secured some 20 villages on the outskirts of the city in the first day of an operation to retake what is Islamic State's last major stronghold in Iraq. With around 1.5 million people still living in Mosul, the...

(The Washington Post)- Russia’s completion this month of an integrated air defense system in Syria has made an Obama administration decision to strike Syrian government installations from the air even less likely than it has been for years, and has created a substantial obstacle to the Syrian...