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Iraq
US wins Arab support for Syria/Iraq military campaign
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Islamic State
Russia warns US against strikes on Islamic State in Syria
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Islamic State
Prospect of US Attacks Electrifies Syrians
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Al Nusrah Front
Al Nusrah Front releases UN peacekeepers in Golan
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US strategy against Islamic State to mirror counterterrorism efforts in Yemen, Somalia
Obama described the counterterrorism strategy in Yemen and Somalia as “one that we have successfully pursued … for years.” However, several years of cooperation with willing partners have yielded questionable results.
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Syria
The Ahrar al Sham said that Hashem al-Sheikh a.k.a. Abu Jaber will take over as leader, and Abu Saleh Tahan will become the group’s military commander following the killing of 47 commanders in an explosion in Idlib. A number of the commanders were said to have died of asphyxiation while trapped in an underground bunker following the blast. The Al Nusrah Front released a eulogy for the slain Ahrar al Sham leaders. The Fijian military backtracked from its earlier assurance that Al Nusrah would soon release the 45 kidnapped Fijian peacekeepers; Al Nusrah released a video of the captives. The…
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Al Nusrah Front
Syrian rebels break uneasy peace in Golan Heights
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France
France ‘ready’ for military action in Iraq and Syria
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Syria
A suicide bombing in Idlib killed Hassan Abboud, who is the head of Ahar al Sham and the Islamic Front’s political leader, along with more than a dozen other leaders among some 50 said to be attending a meeting. Influential al Qaeda leaders mourned the deaths; one said Abboud had been in direct contact with al Qaeda emir Ayman al Zawahiri. A military emir for the Al Nusrah Front was killed by regime forces during a clash in Hama. Al Nusrah and the Islamic Front continued to fight regime forces in Quneitra, and took over the al Mal hill as…
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Al Qaeda members mourn Ahrar al Sham, Islamic Front leaders on Twitter
Several influential al Qaeda members have used their Twitter feeds to mourn the slain leaders of Ahrar al Sham and the Islamic Front. The jihadists were killed in an explosion earlier today. One well-connected jihadist, who appears to be an al Qaeda media operative, claimed that the head of the Islamic Front had been in communication with Ayman al Zawahiri.
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Al Qaeda
Blast kills leader of Syrian Islamist group, other top figures
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Head of Islamic Front, other senior leaders killed in explosion
The Islamic Front announced today that more than one dozen of its senior leaders were killed in a car bombing in Idlib. Among the slain leaders is Hassan Abboud, who was the leader of Ahrar al Sham and the head of the Islamic Front’s political office. Abboud was especially close to Ayman al Zawahiri’s representative in Syria.
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Iraq
UN Security Council to set out plan to stop foreign fighters joining extremist groups in Syria, Iraq and elsewhere
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Islamic State
Predator drones being flown over ISIS’ Syrian ‘capital’
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Iraq
A President Whose Assurances Have Come Back to Haunt Him
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Syria
Reconnaissance aircraft at high altitudes were spotted in Hasakah and Raqqah where the Islamic State is operating. At least 10 fighters from the Al Nusrah Front and the Islamic Front were killed in clashes with regime forces in Reef Dimashq, where Al Nusrah executed a man accused of spying for the regime. In Hama, an Al Nusrah commander was killed by militiamen in an area controlled by the Islamic State, and Al Nusrah and the Islamic Front continued their assault on the Christian town of Mharde. Al Nusrah and the Islamic Front also clashed with regime forces in Quneitra.
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Iraq
Israel provides intelligence on ISIS
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Iraq
West widens contacts with Syria’s Kurds
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Christians
Eastern churches renew calls to prohibit attacks on Christians
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Al Nusrah Front releases English-language summary of monthly operations
The Al Nusrah Front, al Qaeda’s official branch in Syria, has released an English-language pamphlet highlighting its activities throughout the month of August. The publication focuses on the group’s military operations, including targeting Assad’s forces and Hezbollah fighters, as well as its social work.
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Iraq
The Islamic State and the politics of official narratives
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Caucasus Emirate
One Year After Leader’s Death, North Caucasus Insurgency Soldiers On
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Iraq
Destroying ISIS May Take Years, US Officials Say
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Iraq
Obama to set out plan to go on offensive against Islamic State
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US airstrikes target Islamic State at the Haditha Dam
The US air campaign against the Islamic State has expanded into Anbar province.
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Syria
Regime aircraft carried out airstrikes for a second day on an Islamic State training camp in Raqqah, killing at least six fighters; 31 people, including at least eight civilians, were killed by a strike on a bakery in Raqqah. The Islamic State captured and then released an Al Nusrah Front commander in Deir Izzour. Regime officials and representatives from Daraya in East Ghouta held reconciliation talks in Reef Dimashq. Regime forces continued to clash with the Al Nusrah Front and the Islamic Front in Quneitra. Veteran al Qaeda jihadist Abu Firas al Suri said that Al Nusrah’s capture of 45…
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Al Qaeda veteran takes on a more prominent role as spokesman in Syria
Abu Firas al Suri long served as a clandestine figure in al Qaeda’s international terrorist network. Today he serves as the Al Nusrah Front’s spokesman. He is tasked with defending Al Nusrah’s capture of more than 40 UN peacekeepers.
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Iran
US: ‘No plans’ for military coordination with Iran over IS
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Iraq
US Fears Syrian Chemical Weapons Falling to Extremists
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Syria
In Raqqah, airstrikes hit the al Takae camp, the Islamic State’s largest camp in the province, causing massive explosions. IS fighters targeted an “unknown reconnaissance aircraft” over Raqqah city without hitting it; activists claimed it was a US drone. In Deir Izzour, regime aircraft killed 18 IS fighters and commanders; among them was an American jihadist. The IS is requiring women to adopt Islamic dressing in Deir Izzour. Regime forces continued to clash with the Islamic Front and the Al Nusrah Front in Quneitra.
