Iraq and Syria take last major towns from ‘Islamic State’

German jihadist Nils D. has been found guilty of torturing a man to death while serving as guard at an "Islamic State" prison.

'We don't think Syria is in any way a safe place,' says UNHCR spokesman After a Syrian journalist was arrested in Jordan this month some media freedom advocates linked the case to a recent thaw in Jordan-Syria relations, suggesting Syria had asked Jordan to silence opposition voices.

It's a job normally reserved for men, but one group of women in Iraq has taken on the dangerous task of clearing mines in the northern region of Mosul. The area is littered with hidden explosives left behind by the Islamic State group. We take a closer look at these women risking their lives and shattering stereotypes along the way.

Iraq's top court has ratified the results of its October election, rejecting a case brought by an ex-paramilitary alliance.

Iraq is at a crossroads as the losers of the country's recent elections are using violence in an attempt to overturn the results of the vote. At the same time, a genuine opposition is emerging for the first time.

The US said the leader of the so-called "Islamic State" was "taken off the battlefield" in a raid in northwestern Syria. Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi blew himself up during the raid, President Joe Biden said.

Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has emerged as the biggest winner in Iraq's election. But early results showed a voter turnout of just 41%, which is the lowest since the US-led invasion that removed Saddam Hussein from power.

The Taliban promised to bring peace – but now that they are the government of Afghanistan, the war against the 'Islamic State' group is just beginning. There has been a series of attacks by 'IS' and bloody reprisals by the Taliban.

Rights groups have said the suspected Russian bombing of chicken farms and water stations in Idlib, one of Syria's last rebel-held areas, is meant to push out displaced locals. It may have been a war crime.

With several million pieces of mines and explosives lying under the rubble and soil across Iraq, many internally displaced people prefer living in camps to returning home.

Decades of conflict has made Iraq a hotbed for trafficking. From weapons to drugs, Iraq has dominated headlines. However, less attention has been focused on the trafficking of wild animals. In fact, the Middle East is considered one of the hubs of animal trafficking. Our correspondent in Iraq, Lucile Wassermann, went to meet the players in the trading of wildlife to understand the drivers behind it.

The US said it is working with the Iraqi and the regional Kurdish governments to get missile defense capabilities after Iran attacked Erbil.