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Islamic State of Iraq and Syria

Israeli self-propelled artillery ready for action, near the border with Syria in the Golan Heights. Picture taken Jan 27th 2015.

Hezbollah’s gains in Syria have triggered concerns in Israel

Conflict

The Lebanese Shiite group, Hezbollah, is the spearhead in Syria’s fight against ISIS. The group is making gains, which seems like it would be a welcome development, from a Western perspective. But it is worrying Israel, as Hezbollah is closing in on the strategically vital Golan Heights. And that’s leading some to fear a broader regional war.

A man in Tokyo's Ginza district reads an extra edition of a newspaper, which reported ISIS' claim to have beheaded Japanese journalist Kenji Goto on February 1, 2015.

The ‘ultra-violent death cult’ at the heart of ISIS

Conflict
Maya and Nancy Yamout, sisters who have spent the last two years interviewing accused militants in Roumieh prison.

These two sisters are trying to understand why people join groups like ISIS — by meeting militants in prison

Justice
A masked man speaking in what is believed to be a North American accent in a video that Islamic State militants released in September 2014.

ISIS taunts the West in its latest beheading video

Conflict
A student-led protest marches to Istanbul University’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences with a banner that reads, “Through the imagination to the Power” and “From Campus to Kobane”.

Conflicts over ISIS turn physical and violent on Turkey’s college campuses

Conflict
The main atrium of this would-be mall is now home to hundreds of Iraqis from villages outside Mosul. Here the concrete floors and walls give families more protection than the displaced families living in tents in a public park just across the street.

Erbil’s abandoned construction sites are a ‘saving grace’ for refugees

Conflict

Just a few months ago, Erbil — the de-facto capital of Iraq’s northern Kurdish region — was riding high on an economic oil and gas boom. That all came to a halt when ISIS militants took over nearby Mosul. Now those half-finished buildings are home to displaced Iraqi families.

Turkish soldiers stand at a position on the Turkish-Syrian border near the southeastern town of Suruc on September 24, 2014.

Turkey prepares to shift course and take military action against ISIS

Conflict

After stray shells from an ISIS attack landed in a Turkish village, Turkey deployed tanks to secure its border. The country looks set to approve further military action against ISIS, but public opinion is divided over the conflict.

“Long live the Iraqi army,” tattooed on Sirgon Horomes’ arm. He says now he’s disappointed the army did not protect him and other Christians.

Thousands of young Christian Iraqis have joined the fight against ISIS — but few have faith it will help

Conflict

In recent months, Iraqi Christians have been displaced by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. Christian leaders in northern Iraq are calling upon young Christian men fight alongside the Peshmerga and Iraqi army against ISIS. While thousands are heeding the call, most remain skeptical.

A billboard displays a verse from the Koran that urges women to wear a hijab in the northern province of Raqqa in March. ISIS has imposed sweeping restrictions like this in areas where it has gained control.

A shy 19-year-old woman disappeared in Minnesota — and resurfaced in Syria

Belief

At least one young man from Minnesota has died fighting with ISIS militants in Syria. But who would expect a shy, 19-year-old woman with no job and no passport to attempt the journey there? But that’s exactly what happened to one Minneapolis family.

American journalist Steven Sotloff in Libya.

A friend remembers American journalist Steven Sotloff

Conflict

A video has been released purportedly showing the beheading of US journalist, Steven Sotloff, at the hands of militants from the terrorist organization that refers to itself as the Islamic State. Janine di Giovanni, Middle East editor at Newsweek, a friend and colleague of Sotloff’s, remembers him from better times.