Islamic State

Alfons R. of Hamburg, Germany (shown in this undated photo), converted to Islam at age 17. Later, he went to Turkey, then Syria, to join ISIS. He was killed this past summer.

World News

From German Teen To ISIS Jihadist: A Father's Struggle To Understand

10:34am December 04, 2014

by Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson

Manfred Karg's 19-year-old son, a convert to Islam, is one of at least 60 Germans killed fighting alongside ISIS militants. Karg says efforts to stop the flow to Syria and Iraq are taking too long.

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Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul speaks to the Chase Federalist Society at Northern Kentucky University last month in Highland Heights, Ky.

Sen. Rand Paul Introduces Declaration Of War Against ISIS

8:05pm December 03, 2014

by Eyder Peralta

The Kentucky lawmaker introduced the measure because, he said, President Obama does not have the authority to wage a war against the so-called Islamic State.

Secretary of State John Kerry, left, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, center, and Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari prior to a round table meeting of the global coalition to counter the Islamic State.

World News

Kerry: Coalition Offensive Against ISIS Having 'Significant Impact'

1:00pm December 03, 2014

by Eyder Peralta

Meeting with envoys from other countries that joined the fight against the so-called Islamic State, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said their commitment will be measured in years.

World News

Wife, Son Of Islamic State Leader Reportedly Detained In Lebanon

1:52pm December 02, 2014

by Eyder Peralta

Lebanese authorities say they detained the wife and son of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi near the border with Syria. The two are being interrogated.

The Islamic Youth Council in Derna, in eastern Libya, is among the local militant groups from Egypt to Libya that have reportedly pledged allegiance to the self-proclaimed Islamic State.

World News

With Cash And Cachet, The Islamic State Expands Its Empire

8:14pm November 23, 2014

by Leila Fadel

Based in Iraq and Syria, the Islamic State is using its chameleon-like branding and financial incentives to attract extremist groups from Egypt's Sinai Peninsula to Libya's Mediterranean coast.

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Sunni tribesmen train on the outskirts of Ramadi, Iraq, on Nov. 16. Legislation authorizing a force of Sunni fighters drawn from Anbar province itself — modeled on the U.S. National Guard — has yet to be passed.

World News

Despite A Massacre By ISIS, An Iraqi Tribe Vows To Fight Back

9:12am November 20, 2014

by Alice Fordham

The Albu Nimr tribe recently had some 600 members slaughtered by ISIS in western Iraq. The Sunni tribesmen say they're regrouping but need help, which the U.S. has now pledged.

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The cover of the latest issue of Dabiq, the official Islamic State magazine. It includes a lengthy article on "The Revival of Slavery," which it endorses.

World News

How The Islamic State Wages Its Propaganda War

1:48pm November 19, 2014

by Alison Meuse

From videos to Internet magazines, the extremist group has successfully recruited around the world. One of its recent claims: Enslaving women as a prize of war is sanctioned by the Quran.

Abdul-Rahman Kassig, who was formerly known as Peter, is shown with a truck filled with aid supplies for Syrian refugees. The American aid worker was seized by the Islamic State in October 2013 and was killed by the group, which released a video Sunday of

For U.S. Soldier Turned Aid Worker, The Goal Was To Help Syrians

1:47pm November 19, 2014

by Alison Meuse

Abdul-Rahman Kassig went to Iraq as a U.S. soldier and returned to the Middle East to establish an aid group. Here's a look at what motivated him to undertake a risky mission that cost him his life.

World News

Once Tolerated, Westerners Are Now Targeted By Radical Islamists

2:43pm November 18, 2014

by Greg Myre

The kidnapping and killing of Westerners isn't a new phenomenon in the Middle East. But the last time around, it stopped after just a few years. This time there's no end in sight.

Journalist James Foley in 2011. He was killed by Islamic State militants in Syria in August.

National

Obama Orders Review Of U.S. Hostage Policy

12:09pm November 18, 2014

by Eyder Peralta

The administration revealed the review just after the Islamic State took responsibility for killing a third American citizen. It is not clear whether the U.S. will reconsider its no-ransom policy.