AFP, BAGHDAD: The Islamic State group strung up four Iraqi Shiite fighters with chains and burned them alive, according to footage posted online, the latest gruesome execution video from the jihadists. The victims—identified as fighters in the pro-government Popular Mobilisation forces from southern…

AFP, RÖSZKE, Hungary: European Union leaders yesterday called for action to defend the “dignity” of migrants ahead of fresh emergency…

AFP, KABUL: The Taliban yesterday admitted covering up longtime leader Mullah Omar’s death for two years, saying they had wanted to keep it secret until foreign forces ended their fight against the militants. The group confirmed in July that Omar had died without saying when, deepening internal…

AFP, BEIRUT: The Islamic State group battled Syrian rebel forces in a Damascus neighbourhood yesterday, bringing the jihadists closer than ever to the centre of the capital, a monitoring group said. IS militants fought street battles against Islamist rebels in Asali, part of the capital’s southern…

AFP, BEIRUT: A powerful blast in the ruins of Syria’s ancient Palmyra raised fears yesterday that the Islamic State group has damaged another of the Middle East’s most treasured heritage sites. Both Syria’s antiquities chief and a monitor reported the Sunday blast in the UNESCO World…