In numbers: Mosul and the war against Islamic State Iraqi forces clashed with Islamic State militants holding out in Mosul's Old City on Wednesday, more than 36 hours after Baghdad declared victory over the jihadists in what they had declared the de facto Iraqi capital of their "caliphate". | The Hindu

The US military launched large-scale strikes against dozens of Islamic State targets in Syria on Friday in retaliation for an attack on US personnel, US officials said. A US-led coalition had already been carrying out airstrikes and ground operations in Syria targeting Islamic State suspects in recent months, often with the involvement of Syria’s security forces. US President Donald Trump had vowed to retaliate after a suspected ISIS attack killed US personnel last weekend in Syria. US Defence S

For years they've been a key Western ally in the fight against Islamic State. Now though, Kurdish control in north-east Syria appears to be collapsing after days of fierce fighting against government forces. A deal to integrate autonomous Kurdish territory and troops into Syria's post-Assad government had earlier broken down. While a four-day ceasefire is now underway, the fighting has left uncertain the fate of thousands of ISIS prisoners and their families held across the region. The US milita