U.S. airstrikes help push ISIS back in Kobani
The increased number of U.S. airstrikes against ISIS in the Syrian city of Kobani reflects more targets of opportunity, not a change in the campaign against the vicious Islamist group, a Pentagon spokesman said Thursday.
The strikes are helping Kurdish fighters on the ground push back ISIS militants in the Syrian town, according to sources there.
"There's been no strategic shift here, as far as I know, at least from the military perspective, about Kobani or any other town," Rear Adm. John Kirby said, making a unique appearance at the State Department's daily briefing.
In recent weeks, administration and U.S. defense officials have said it wasn't essential to keep the city, not far from the border with Turkey, from becoming the latest in Syria to fall into ISIS hands.
Putin warns EU on winter gas flow before Ukraine crisis talks
Germany says Russia must bolster shaky ceasefire
Russian president Vladimir Putin has warned the European Union that the Ukraineconflict could put winter gas supplies at risk, ahead of top-level talks on the crisis today.
Before flying to Milan, where he is expected to meet Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko and several EU leaders, Mr Putin said Russia would cut gas flow to Ukraine if it siphoned off fuel moving through its pipelines en-route to EU states.
Nine Days in the Caliphate: A Yazidi Woman's Ordeal as an Islamic State Captive
When Islamic State fighters conquered the border region between Iraq and Syria, the Yazidi village of Kocho also fell into their hands. Twenty-year-old Nadia was among dozens of young women who were abducted and abused. This is the story of her ordeal.
During the ninth night of her captivity, Nadia seized an unexpected opportunity to flee.
Back on the first day, the men who kidnapped Nadia and the other young women as hostages and sex slaves had away taken their shoes. Escaping barefoot was out of the question. As the women could see from the windows, the surrounding terrain was rough and rocky, and they would end up with bleeding cuts and gashes all over their feet.
The house in which they were held captive had many rooms and the young women were frequently moved from one to another. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason for the frequent moves; they were apparently dependent on the whims of their captors.
In Ebola-crippled Liberia, six US ambulances become critical
Kevin Sieff
In a country where public services have virtually collapsed, where about a dozen ambulances are normally available for four million people, saving an Ebola patient often comes down to phoning a barrel-chested politician with a taste for Hummers.
Saah Joseph didn't intend to become the lifeline for victims of the worst Ebola outbreak in history. In February, weeks before the disease hit, the lawmaker imported six shiny ambulances from central California. His goal was modest: to serve his constituents suffering everyday ailments and to burnish his reputation in the process.
What would an actual battle for Baghdad look like? (+video)
Islamic State militants and supporters are close at hand, but so too are Shiite fighters defending their homes and family.
There's been a lot of hand-wringing and armchair quarterbacking lately over whether Baghdad is in imminent danger from the forces of the so-called Islamic State. The short answer? The city appears mostly safe for now. But that doesn't mean circumstances won't change. And if they do, the tactical situation could evolve with lightning speed.
As it stands, Baghdad is far from a safe place. On Thursday IS fighters carried out at least four car-bombings and a mortar attack across the city that claimed at least 36 lives.
The car-bombings of Shiite neighborhoods of Baghdad obviously have value to IS in instilling fear and fueling the impression that the central government can't keep civilians safe.
Korea
Oct 17, '14
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North Korea in grip of leadership tension
By Joseph R DeTrani
By Joseph R DeTrani
North Korean leader Kim Jong-eun's extended absence from public view opened a flood gate of rumors. It went from a military coup to broken ankles, with gout, diabetes and obesity also mentioned. International concern with Kim's absence was justified, given the immense power this 31-year-old leader inherited from his father, Kim Jong-il, who passed away in December 2011.
An objective assessment of Kim's dismal performance during the past two-and-one-half years is compelling: North Korea has become a more isolated and despised nation. The missile
An objective assessment of Kim's dismal performance during the past two-and-one-half years is compelling: North Korea has become a more isolated and despised nation. The missile
launches, nuclear test, threats of a pre-emptive nuclear attack, the brutal execution of his uncle, Jang Song-thaek, and the routine vitriol coming out of Pyongyang all contributed to North Korea's pariah status.
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