Mosul

If Mosul and the battle for Raqqa are dominating the headlines, the Syrian army has its eye on another battlefield. The key to that is the desert east of Homs that stretches all the way to the Iraqi border. The Syrian army has been focusing its efforts with tank units who are making some astonishing…

Defeated in Mosul, driven back in Syria, the last few days have brought fresh hope that the Islamic State forces are now finally on the back foot.

Five women and two children are suffering from what could be exposure to toxic chemical agents in the Iraqi city of Mosul, says the International Red Cross, during a battle between Iraqi forces and fighters from the extremist Islamic State group.

French cameraman Olivier Sarbil spent six weeks with an elite unit of the Iraqi special forces as they fought to recapture the city that fell to IS, also known as Daesh, two and a half years ago.

Isis has been accused of committing war crimes as it tries to resist the assault on Mosul which started a month ago. The Chief Executive of Oxfam, Mark Goldring, has just come back from visiting camps housing those who have managed to flee the city and its surrounding villages.