U.S. blacklists prominent IS ideologue, oil 'officials'
The United States on Feb. 11 blacklisted three IS militants including the group's prominent ideology and a senior oil "official."
Turki al-Bin'ali, 31, was sanctioned for helping the IS group recruit foreign fighters, the U.S. Treasury said in a statement.
Bin'ali, who comes from a wealthy Bahraini family, was an early supporter of IS and wrote a frequently cited biography of the group's leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
World powers agree Syria ceasefire plan
World powers have agreed to seek a "cessation of hostilities" across Syria that will start in a week's time, after talks in Munich.
The ceasefire will not apply to the fight against militant groups IS and the Al-Nusra Front, Al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate.
The move appears to be a compromise between the United States, which had sought an immediate ceasefire, and Russia, which had proposed a ceasefire starting March 1.
The move also comes as the Syrian army backed by Russian air strikes has carried out an offensive in Aleppo province where it threatens to encircle the city.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said the ceasefire plan was "ambitious" and that the real test would be whether the various parties honored the commitments.
One question is whether Russia, which has carried out air strikes against various opposition groups saying that all were either IS or the Al-Nusra Front, will continue to strike these groups -- especially since the Syrian army, aided by Iranian-backed militias, is gaining ground against rebels.
That concludes our live-blogging of the crisis surrounding Islamic State for Thursday, February 11. Check back here tomorrow for more of our continuing coverage.
Aleppo's water supply cut off by fighting: Red Cross
Syrian opposition: Russian bombings endangering int'l security
The Saudi-backed main Syrian opposition High Negotiations Committee has issued a statement saying that Russian bombings in Syria are endangering the international community.
"What Putin is doing today is not only harming Syria and its people, but also endangering peace and security," HNC coordinator Riad Hijab said after bilateral meetings with the United States, Saudi Arabia and Germany in Munich.
"Stopping aerial strikes is not a precondition for peace negotiations but the right of the Syrian people."
John Kerry wants 'all or nothing' Syria truce
A Western diplomat told Reuters that U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry wants an immediate ceasefire in Syria -- "All or nothing" -- although the Russians have proposed a truce from the beginning of next month.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at the start of talks between major powers today in Munich that Moscow had submitted a proposal for a ceasefire and was waiting for a response.
IS militants head south in Libya, threatening Sahel
IS militants are leaving their bases in Libya fearing Western air strikes and are heading south towards Africa's Sahel region, posing a threat to countries like Niger and Chad, officials and intelligence sources say according to Reuters.
"ISIS (the IS group) are moving towards southern Libya to avoid the likely air strikes from the European coalition," said Colonel Mahamane Laminou Sani, director of documentation and military intelligence for Niger's armed forces.
"If something like that happens, the whole Sahel is (affected)," he added on the sidelines of the annual U.S.-led 'Flintlock' counter-terrorism exercises in Senegal.
Situation in Syria's Aleppo 'grotesque': UN Human Rights chief
The UN Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein has described the situation around Aleppo as "grotesque."
"The warring parties in Syria are constantly sinking to new depths, without apparently caring in the slightest about the death and destruction they are wreaking across the country," Zeid said according to AP.