About: Islamic State
Far-right terrorism has more than tripled over last four years, report warns
Although terrorism-related deaths saw a downward trend for the fourth consecutive year in 2018, widespread activity among right-wing terrorist groups has become a particular cause of concern, according to the Global Terrorism Index (GTI) of 2019 published on Wednesday (20...
Turkey says it will send most IS detainees to their home countries by year-end
Turkey will have repatriated most of its Islamic State detainees to their home countries by the end of the year, Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu said on Tuesday (19 November), a week after Turkish authorities began the repatriation programme.
US urges Europe to take back Islamic State fighters
The United States on Monday (18 November) stepped up its push for European countries to repatriate and put on trial their citizens who fought for the Islamic State, launching talks with officials in Brussels.
Despite ‘wonderful’ meeting, Trump and Erdogan fail to resolve conflicts
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday (13 November) pushed Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan to walk away from the purchase of a Russian missile defence system, calling it a “very serious challenge” to bilateral ties, even though he described a meeting between the two leaders as “wonderful.”
Turkey starts ‘sending home’ detained foreign fighters
Turkey said on Monday (11 November) it had deported two captives from Islamic State, a German and an American, starting a programme to repatriate detainees that has caused friction with its NATO allies since it launched an offensive in northern Syria.
Fresh victims in Iraq’s largest anti-government protests
Iraqi security forces killed at least five people when they opened fire on protesters in Baghdad on Monday (4 November), a Reuters witness said, as thousands took part in the largest wave of anti-government protests for decades.
Trump hails death of ‘depraved’ Islamic State leader Baghdadi in US raid
Fugitive Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi died “whimpering and crying” in a raid by US special forces in northwest Syria, President Donald Trump announced on Sunday (27 October), fulfilling what he called his top national security goal.
Trump leaves Turkey, Russia, Syria ‘to argue it out’
US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday (16 October) he did not mind Russia helping Syria in a conflict with NATO ally Turkey and rejected criticism of his withdrawal of US troops from Syria that exposed Kurdish allies, calling it "strategically brilliant."
Denmark to strip foreign fighters of Danish citizenship
Denmark will fast-track legislation allowing people with dual citizenship who have gone abroad to fight for militant groups like Islamic State to be stripped of their Danish nationality, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said on Monday (13 October).
Trump reconsiders Syria withdrawal, strongly warns Turkey against military adventures
US President Donald Trump warned Turkey Monday (6 October) against going too far in Syria, one day after giving Ankara a green light to invade its southern neighbor, sparking panic among Washington's Kurdish allies.
US to withdraw 5,000 troops from Afghanistan, close 5 bases
The United States would withdraw almost 5,000 troops from Afghanistan and close five bases within 135 days under a draft peace accord agreed with the Taliban, the chief US negotiator, Zalmay Khalilzad, said on Monday (2 September).
Fuelling the Fire: Weaponizing Islam in Europe
“Fuelling the Fire: Weaponizing Islam in Europe” was the title of a panel at this year’s excellent GLOBSEC conference.
IS ‘caliphate’ on brink of defeat as Trump urges Europe to take foreign fighters home
US-backed fighters in Syria are poised to capture Islamic State’s last, tiny enclave on the Euphrates, the battle commander said on Saturday (16 February), bringing its self-declared caliphate to the brink of total defeat as US President Donald Trump spoke of “100 percent victory”.
US spy chiefs break with Trump on threat assessment
China and Russia pose the biggest risks to the United States, and are more aligned than they have been in decades as they target the 2020 presidential election and American institutions to expand their global reach, US intelligence officials told...
Erdogan, Trump consider creating security zone in Syria
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and US counterpart Donald Trump mooted Monday (14 January) the creation of a "security zone" in northern Syria as tensions rose over the fate of Kurdish fighters in the war-torn country.
Trump threatens Turkey with economic devastation if it attacks Syrian Kurd militia
President Donald Trump threatened Turkey with economic devastation if it attacks a US-allied Kurdish militia in Syria, weakening Turkey's currency and prompting sharp criticism from Ankara on Monday (13 January).
Allies stunned, Russia delighted at Trump’s decision to withdraw from Syria
US President Donald Trump overrode his top national security aides, blindsided US ground commanders, and stunned lawmakers and allies with his order for US troops to leave Syria, a decision that upends American policy in the Middle East.
Pentagon warns Turkey against unilateral military action in Syria
The Pentagon said on Wednesday (12 December) that unilateral military action into northeast Syria by any party would be "unacceptable," after Turkey said it would launch a new military operation in the region within days to target Kurdish militia fighters.
EU counter-terrorism chief: Europe ‘may see something like Daesh 2.0’
The level of terrorist threat remains "pretty serious" in several EU countries, Gilles de Kerchove, the EU's counter-terrorism coordinator, told EURACTIV.com in an interview hours before the latest attack in Strasbourg on Tuesday night (12 December).
Brussels ministerial paves the way to launching EU Central Asia strategy
The European Union is expected to define its strategy for Central Asia in early 2019. A preparatory meeting between the EU and the foreign ministers of the five Central Asian countries (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan) took place in Brussels on Friday (23 November).
Macron, Trump confer ahead of Istanbul Syria summit with Putin
French President Emmanuel Macron spoke by phone Thursday (25 October) with US counterpart Donald Trump about strategy ahead of a four-way summit on Syria in Istanbul this weekend, the Élysée palace said.
Tajikistan attack reminds of Islamist terror threat in Central Asia
Islamic State sought to bolster its claim of responsibility for an attack which killed four Western tourists in Tajikistan, releasing a video on Tuesday (31 August) purportedly showing attackers pledging allegiance to the militant group.
British spymaster pleads for EU intelligence cooperation
Britain and the European Union must build a close security partnership after Brexit to foil Islamic State militant attacks and counter Russia's malign attempts to subvert Western democracies, the head of Britain's domestic spy agency said.