About: Islamic State
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.
Terrorist threat still looms over Europe, Europol expert warns
The threat of terrorism “has not diminished and still persists” in Europe, despite the loss of Islamic State territories in Syria and Iraq, according to the head of Europol’s Counter Terrorism Centre, Manuel Navarrete. EURACTIV’s partner Euroefe reports.
EU adds pressure on online platforms with plan for fast removal of terrorist content
Online platforms should remove posts promoting terrorism within one hour after receiving complaints, according to a draft European Commission document that leaked on Tuesday (13 February).
Spain sounds alarm over fighter influx from Sahel
Spain is worried about security on its southern border due to the possible influx of Islamist fighters to West Africa's Sahel region, Spain's foreign minister told AFP in an interview yesterday (8 February).
EU should be more careful its funding doesn’t spread online radicalisation
EU-funded videos used for an anti-radicalisation campaign could in fact be considered as recruitment tools such as Islamic State, warns Eli Hadzhieva.
EU expansion receives an unlikely boost
Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has a strong motivation for giving a boost to the largely stalled EU enlargement process, writes Sir Michael Leigh.
Pentagon looks at stepped-up Africa role to counter Islamic State
The United States is considering a stepped-up military presence in Africa to pursue Islamic State group jihadists looking for new havens after the fall of their "caliphate," American officials say.
Police reveal international dimensions of Barcelona attack
Spanish police searched on Sunday (20 August) for the man behind the wheel in the Barcelona van attack that killed 13 people, amid growing signs members of the militant group had connections elsewhere in Europe.
13 dead in Barcelona jihadist attack, suspected terrorists killed in another incident
A van ploughed into crowds of pedestrians on Barcelona's most popular street in broad daylight yesterday (17 August), killing 13 people in an attack claimed by the Islamic State jihadist group.
Trump heads to Paris but Russia scandal travels with him
US President Donald Trump was today (13 July) headed to Paris, hoping to find respite from the deepening scandal over alleged Russian efforts to secure his White House victory that has ensnared his eldest son.
EU hails liberation of Mosul from Islamic State
EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini on Sunday (9 July) hailed the liberation of Mosul, Iraq’s second city, as a decisive step in the campaign to eliminate terrorist control in parts of the country and to free its people.
Saudi and allies cut Qatar ties in diplomatic crisis
Saudi Arabia and several of its allies yesterday (5 June) cut relations with Qatar, accusing it of supporting extremism, in the biggest diplomatic crisis to have hit the region in years. Bahrain, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen and the...
Trump tells Middle East to ‘drive out’ Islamist extremists
President Donald Trump urged Arab and Islamic leaders yesterday (21 May) to unite and do their share to defeat Islamist extremists, making an impassioned plea to "drive out" terrorists while toning down his own harsh rhetoric about Muslims.