Mass grave uncovered near Syrian capital; most victims women and children
Syrian civil defence teams have discovered a new mass grave east of Douma, near the capital Damascus, recovering the remains of 20 people — most of ...
The Pentagon recommitted itself in a statement on Tuesday to scaling back its military mission in Iraq, a process that a U.S. official said will see Baghdad command efforts to combat remnants of Islamic State inside its own country.
Under the plan, the U.S. and its coalition allies would instead focus on combating Islamic State remnants in Syria and shift most of their personnel to Iraq's Kurdistan region to carry out that mission, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The U.S. had approximately 2,500 troops in Iraq at the start of 2025 and more than 900 in neighbouring Syria as part of the coalition formed in 2014 to combat Islamic State as it rampaged through the two countries.
Once the transitions are completed, the total number of U.S. forces in Iraq will number fewer than 2,000, and the majority of them will be in Erbil, the official said. A final number has yet to be determined, the official added, without offering a timeline.
U.S. troops remaining in Baghdad will focus on normal bilateral security cooperation issues, not the counter-ISIS fight.
"ISIS is no longer posing a sustained threat to the government of Iraq or to the U.S. homeland from Iraqi territory. This is a major achievement that enables us to transition more responsibly to Iraq leading efforts for security in their own country," a senior defence official said.
The agreement is a boost for the government in Baghdad, which has long worried that U.S. troops can be a magnet for instability, frequently targeted by Iran-aligned groups.
The U.S. agreed last year with Iraq to depart the Ain al-Asad airbase in western Anbar province and hand it over to Iraq. The U.S. official said that transition was still "in progress," and declined to offer further information.
Although the Trump administration has outlined plans for a drawdown in Syria as well, the official said that was conditions-based and "we remain in kind of a status quo situation" at the moment.
The U.S. is concerned about the persistent presence of Islamic State fighters in Syria, and the risk that thousands being held in prisons could be freed.
Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former al Qaeda leader, led rebel forces that overthrew Bashar al-Assad's government last year. U.S. President Donald Trump met al-Sharaa in New York at the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly last week.
Middle East leaders and their Western allies have been warning that Islamic State could exploit the political instability in Syria to stage a comeback there.
At least 69 people have died and almost 150 injured following a powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Cebu City in the central Visayas region of the Philippines, officials said, making it one of the country’s deadliest disasters this year.
A tsunami threat was issued in Chile after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck the Drake Passage on Friday. The epicenter was located 135 miles south of Puerto Williams on the north coast of Navarino Island.
The war in Ukraine has reached a strategic impasse, and it seems that the conflict will not be solved by military means. This creates a path toward one of two alternatives: either a “frozen” phase that can last indefinitely or a quest for a durable political regulation.
A shooting in Nice, southeastern France, left two people dead and five injured on Friday, authorities said.
Snapchat will start charging users who store more than 5GB of photos and videos in its Memories feature, prompting backlash from long-time users.
European nations are reportedly collaborating with Ukraine on a 12-point plan aimed at ending Russia’s conflict along the existing front lines, according to Bloomberg News on Tuesday.
Syrian civil defence teams have discovered a new mass grave east of Douma, near the capital Damascus, recovering the remains of 20 people — most of them women and children.
China’s imports of Russian crude oil increased in September, highlighting Beijing’s continued energy cooperation with Moscow despite persistent pressure from the United States to desist.
Several countries and international organisations have welcomed the ceasefire agreement between Afghanistan and Pakistan, describing it as a vital step towards easing tensions and fostering regional stability.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance was holding talks in Israel on Tuesday as Washington tries to stabilise the first, shaky, phase of the Gaza ceasefire and push Israel and Hamas towards the harder concessions asked of each side in coming talks.
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