Islamic State in Iraq and Syria

IS spokesman and head of external operations Abu Muhammad al-Adnani is pictured in this undated handout photo, courtesy the U.S. Department of State.

Who was Abu Muhammad al-Adnani and what does his death mean for ISIS?

Abu Muhammad al-Adnani was a high-ranking member of ISIS and he was reportedly killed this week in Aleppo, Syria. The US had a bounty of $5 million on his head.

Who was Abu Muhammad al-Adnani and what does his death mean for ISIS?
An antiquated warplane belonging to Libyan pro-government forces prepares to attack ISIS-linked rebels in Benghazi. Italy and Egypt are pushing for the US-led anti-ISIS coalition to join the fight in Libya.

Why the US doesn't want to call ISIS' offshoots parts of ISIS at all

Why the US doesn't want to call ISIS' offshoots parts of ISIS at all
A masked man speaking in what is believed to be a North American accent is pictured in a video that ISIS militants released in September 2014.

'The Islamic State needs doctors and engineers, too'

'The Islamic State needs doctors and engineers, too'
An Iraqi soldier carries a displaced child from Ramadi on the outskirts of Baghdad on May 19, 2015.

As ISIS seeks revenge in Ramadi, a US veteran fears for his Sunni allies there

As ISIS seeks revenge in Ramadi, a US veteran fears for his Sunni allies there
A Kenya Defense Force soldier runs for cover during al-Shabab's attack on a university compound in Garissa on April 2, 2015.

Al-Shabab are masters of terror — and masters of the media

Al-Shabab are masters of terror — and masters of the media
Major General Qassem Suleimani, who heads the Quds Brigade in Iran's Revolutionary Guards.

Meet the most powerful man in the Middle East you've probably never heard of

He confounded American commanders in Iraq and all but saved the regime of Bashar al-Assad. But until recently, few people outside of military circles knew the name of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani. He's a public and popular figure in his home country now — and just as powerful as ever.

Meet the most powerful man in the Middle East you've probably never heard of
Lawyers at a protest in Tunis against extremism on March 19, 2015, a day after gunmen killed more than 20 people in the Tunisian capital.

'Tunisians are in shock' after a massacre in Tunis

Two gunmen killed more than 20 people in Tunisia on Wednesday, shocking the country that many people have called the Arab Spring's only meaningful success story. And while most of the dead were tourists, a Tunisian journalist says locals are feeling the deaths strongly.

'Tunisians are in shock' after a massacre in Tunis
Militant Islamist fighters from the self-named Islamic State take part in a military parade along the streets of northern Raqqa province.

How ISIS uses the tools of activism for its own violent goals

"Today, ISIS is running probably the most effective propaganda machine out there," says one analyst. But while ISIS may have the tools of activism down pat, it's far different from real activist movement in important ways.

How ISIS uses the tools of activism for its own violent goals
Visitors to the city of Amman's website were able to vote on the new uniform color for their city sanitation workers.

Jordan's sanitation workers switch uniform color to avoid ISIS orange

The people of Amman have voted, and the city's sanitation workers will now don turquoise-colored jumpsuits rather than their old bright orange uniforms, which closely resemble the outfits ISIS hostages are forced to wear.

Jordan's sanitation workers switch uniform color to avoid ISIS orange
Shiite fighters fire a rocket during clashes with ISIS militants in Iraq's Salahuddin province on March 1, 2015. Thousands of Iraqi soldiers and Shiite militiamen sought to seal off ISIS in Tikrit and nearby towns.

The US is sitting out Iraq's big battle in Tikrit — but Iran isn't

A major offensive against ISIS forces is under way in Iraq, and the Iraqi army is getting plenty of support from Iran and its Iraqi Shiite allies. One country that isn't getting involved, however, is the United States.

The US is sitting out Iraq's big battle in Tikrit — but Iran isn't
A man looks at an ancient Assyrian statue of a winged bull with a human head at the Iraqi National Museum in Baghdad on February 28, 2015.

After more than a decade, Iraq's national treasures go back on display

Last week, a group of ISIS fighters destroyed ancient statues and artifacts in the museum of Mosul. Iraqi government responded on Sunday by re-opening the Baghdad Museum, giving people in Baghdad their first glimpse of national treasures in more than a decade.

After more than a decade, Iraq's national treasures go back on display
A refugee from the minority Yazidi sect carries a sign referring to the Kurdish People's Defence Units in Qamishli, northeastern Syria on August 17, 2014. Yazidis and Assyrians are two of the minority sects under assault from ISIS.

Syria's Assyrian Christians are now in the crosshairs of ISIS

As many as 90 Assyrian Christians have been kidnapped from villages in northeastern Syria by ISIS fighters, and may become fodder for a prisoner exchange between the militants and the Kurdish rebels who are holding some jihadis captive.

Syria's Assyrian Christians are now in the crosshairs of ISIS
A Turkish army vehicle takes position on the border between Turkey and ISIS-controlled territory. The border remains a preferred entry point for Western recruits to ISIS.

'Broken travel' keeps ISIS' Western recruits off the radar of intelligence agencies

Western recruits to ISIS are evolving new ways to reach the Syrian front lines, using "broken travel" to take circuitous roots to joining jihadi groups. Such tactics are making potential fighters even harder to spot for Europe's many intelligence agencies.

'Broken travel' keeps ISIS' Western recruits off the radar of intelligence agencies
Children in El-Mahalla El-Kubra role-playing as ISIS fightering and “slaughtering” other children. Faces in this screenshot were blurred by Global Voices Online.

Egyptian kids would rather play 'ISIS executioners' than 'cops and robbers'

Here's a stark lesson in why many people want ISIS execution videos and images to be ignored: A group of children in Egypt was recently filmed re-enacting an ISIS-style beheading, showing just how much propaganda value such images can have.

Egyptian kids would rather play 'ISIS executioners' than 'cops and robbers'
Veiled women sit as they chat in a garden in the ISIS-controlled province of Raqqa in northern Syria.

In ISIS-held territory, the Great Satan is the beauty shop

An all-female group called al-Khanssaa Brigade has published a guide for women living under the rule of ISIS in Iraq and Syria, mandating veils, isolation and early marriages.

In ISIS-held territory, the Great Satan is the beauty shop