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A woman rests near rubble in the Syrian town of Darat Izza in Aleppo Province on February 28.
A woman rests near rubble in the Syrian town of Darat Izza in Aleppo Province on February 28.

Live Blog: Tracking Islamic State

Follow all of the latest developments as they happen.

Latest News For February 29

-- The United States Army's elite Delta Force is on the verge of beginning operations to target, capture or kill top IS operatives in Iraq, after several weeks of covert preparation, an administration official with direct knowledge of the force's activities told CNN.

-- Syrian government forces have regained control of a road used by the army to access Aleppo, after making advances against Islamic State fighters, a monitoring group and state television reported.


-- Authorities in Iraq say the death toll from a double bombing at a market in Baghdad’s Shi’ite neighborhood of Sadr City rose to 73 on February 29 after several critically wounded victims died overnight.

-- Tajik media are reporting that a woman known to be the second wife of Gulmurod Halimov, the fugitive Tajik colonel who defected to the IS group, has left for Syria along with the couple's four young children.

-- The UN is poised to begin delivering aid to people living in besieged areas of Syria, making use of a truce brokered by the United States and Russia. The first deliveries are planned for Feb. 29, with aid due to reach about 150,000 Syrians in besieged areas over the next five days.

-- A truce negotiated between Syrian rebels and the government has caused a dramatic decrease in airstrikes around rebel-held territory, but there were few celebrations, with many residents suspecting a trick, CNN report.

* NOTE: Live blog posts are time-stamped according to Central European Time (CET).

12:30 14.1.2016

Turkish Tour Guide 'Prevented More Casualties' In Istanbul Bombing

Turkish tour guide Sibel Satiroglu prevented additional casualties during the suicide bombing in Istanbul after she witnessed the moment of the attack and shouted at the German tourists she was guiding to run away, Hurriyet reports.

Satiroglu was slightly wounded in her feet and suffered a loss of hearing after the blast, but continued to help at hospitals where the wounded were taken.

12:26 14.1.2016

Seven Detained In Connection With Istanbul Suicide Bombing

Seven people have been detained in connection with a suicide bombing at the heart of Istanbul's historic district that killed 10 German tourists, Turkish Interior Minister Efkan Ala has said.

Turkey has blamed the IS group for the bombing.

12:07 14.1.2016

As reports emerge that an IS-linked news agency has said IS were behind the attacks in Jakarta this morning, Linus Gustafsson of the Swedish Defense University has notes that the Indonesian Abu Sayyaf Group declared allegiance to IS back in 2014.

12:05 14.1.2016

Indonesian IS Militant 'Planning This For Awhile' -- Jakarta Police Chief

Indonesia's police chief Tito Karnavian has said that the IS group is "definitely" behind the attacks in Jakarta this morning and that Indonesian IS militant Bahrun Naim, who is thought to be in Syria, has been "planning this for awhile. He is behind this attack."

12:03 14.1.2016

IS-allied News Agency Says IS Behind Jakarta Attacks

The IS-aligned Aamaq news agency has said that the IS group carried out this morning's attacks in Jakarta.

"Islamic State fighters carried out an armed attack this morning targeting foreign nationals and the security forces charged with protecting them in the Indonesian capital," Aamaaq said on its Telegram channel.

11:41 14.1.2016

IS 'Definitely' Behind Attack -- Jakarta's Police Chief

Jakarta's police chief has now said that the IS group are "definitely" behind the attacks in the Indonesian capital this morning.

11:39 14.1.2016

Dutch UN Employee 'Critically Injured' In Jakarta Attacks

A United Nations employee from the Netherlands, Johan Kieft, was critically injured at a bomb blast near a Starbucks cafe in Jakarta this morning and was undergoing surgery, his wife has said in an interview.

11:34 14.1.2016

Timeline Of Jakarta Attacks

Reuters has created a timeline of the attacks in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta this morning in which seven people -- including five militants -- were killed.

The full timeline can be viewed here.

The first explosion occurred near a Starbucks cafe in central Jakarta at 10.49 a.m. local time (GMT +0700 hours).

A second explosion happened just eight minutes later at 10.57. A police officer was shot at 11.00 near the explosion site. Gunfire and several explosions -- six according to local TV -- were heard.

11:17 14.1.2016

Five policemen were shot after a clash with attackers in front of a Starbucks branch in Jakarta, Indonesian deputy police chief Budi Gunawan says.

11:05 14.1.2016

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