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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).

16:40 29.1.2016

16:36 29.1.2016

16:35 29.1.2016

The BBC's Lina Sinjab has shared this image from Geneva, showing journalists waiting for the arrival of delegations to the Syria peace talks.

16:27 29.1.2016

16:25 29.1.2016

Message to the Syrian people by the UN Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura

16:12 29.1.2016

16:12 29.1.2016

Judge halts Belgian Syria fighter trial over security concerns

A Belgian judge has adjourned indefinitely a high profile appeal hearing with links to the November 13 Paris attacks because police had not met his demands for more security, Expatica.com reports.

The judge, Pierre Saint-Remy, had suspended the hearing yesterday, calling for increased security measures.

16:09 29.1.2016

Teen suicide bomber kills 8 in Nigeria

A teenage boy has blown himself up at a market in Gombi town in northeastern Nigeria, killing at least eight people and wounding 25, according to a local Red Cross official, AP reports.

15:57 29.1.2016

From our news desk:

Mechanic Suspected In Downing Of Russian Passenger Plane Over Egypt

Reuters is reporting that an EgyptAir mechanic whose cousin joined the Islamic State militant group in Syria is suspected of planting a bomb on a Russian passenger plane that was blown out of Egypt's skies in late October.

So far, Egypt has publicly said it has found no evidence that the MetroJet flight, which crashed in the Sinai Peninsula after takeoff from Sharm el-Sheikh airport, killing all 224 people on board, was brought down by terrorism.

A senior security official at the airline denied that any of its employees had been arrested or were under suspicion, and an Interior Ministry official also said there had been no arrests.

But sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on January 29 that the mechanic had been detained, along with two airport policemen and a baggage handler suspected of helping him put the bomb on board.

Based on reporting by Reuters

15:54 29.1.2016

Dutch to bomb IS targets in Syria

The Dutch government has agreed to extend its role in the U.S.-led coalition against the IS group to include the bombing of targets in Syria, broadcaster RTL reported, according to Reuters.

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