Islamic State

Jihadist corpses poison life in Iraq's Mosul

Mosul - Muslimchronicle

For three years, jihadists made life in Iraq's Mosul impossible. Now, six months after their defeat, even their corpses are polluting everyone's existence as no one wants to move them. The rare few who dare to venture into Mosul's historic centre do so with their nose and mouth firmly covered with masks or scarves to keep out the stench. Amid the rubble-strewnRead more

500 new trainees join US-backed Syria border force

Hasakeh - Muslimchronicle

Around 500 Syrian fighters graduated on Saturday from a US-led training course aimed at establishing a controversial "border security force" in the country's north. Last week, the US-led coalition battling the Islamic State group announced it had begun forming a 30,000-strong security force to patrol territory captured from IS. About half its fighters would hail from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), theRead more

500 new trainees join US-backed Syria border force

Hasakeh - Muslimchronicle

Macron sees IS military defeat in Syria, Iraq

Toulon - Muslimchronicle

French President Emmanuel Macron said Friday that the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq would be defeated militarily "in the coming weeks," as he laid out plans for bolstering France's defence capabilities. "Today, thanks to the efforts of all the nations involved, the Daesh military organisation in the Levant is almost completely defeated," Macron said in a speech aboard a helicopterRead more

To develop oil fields retaken from Kurds

Kirkuk - Muslimchronicle

Iraq signed a contract Thursday with British energy giant BP aimed at more than doubling production from oil fields in the northern province of Kirkuk that were retaken from the Kurds last year. The agreement was signed by Iraqi Oil Minister Jabbar al-Luaybi in Kirkuk, north of Baghdad, where the North Oil Company has its headquarters, AFP reporters said. Iraqi forcesRead more

IS poses threat to Iraq one month after 'liberation'

Mosul - Muslimchronicle

Barely a month after Baghdad declared victory over the Islamic State group, the jihadists could still recapture areas of Iraq, especially near the border with Syria, experts and officials say. Ali al-Bayati, a commander of the Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitary units which fought alongside Iraqi security forces in a gruelling battle against the group, said the Nimrud area of northern Iraq could "fall at anyRead more

Minorities in north Iraq look to post-jihadist future

Bartalla - Muslimchronicle

A Christmas tree stands on a roundabout in Bartalla in northern Iraq, its base adorned by posters of Shabak martyrs killed in the fight against the Islamic State group. Now that victory has been declared against the jihadists, Iraq's ethnic and religious minorities are taking the future into their own hands. In Baz Gerkan village, where fighting damaged or destroyed most ofRead more

Islamic State retreats online to 'virtual caliphate'

Paris - Muslimchronicle

On the brink of defeat in Iraq and Syria, the Islamic State group has been taking refuge in its "virtual caliphate" -- but even online, experts say it is in decline. Back in 2015, when the jihadists held territory the size of Italy, they also commanded a huge digital presence, flooding the web with slick propaganda lionising their fighters andRead more