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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).

15:48 22.12.2015

Photographs of the IS group's Syrian stronghold of Raqqa today from the activist group Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently.

16:01 22.12.2015

Army Colonel Steve Warren, the spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR), the U.S.-led military operation against IS in Syria and Iraq, is about to give a press briefing.

16:18 22.12.2015

Army Colonel Steve Warren, the spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR), the U.S.-led military operation against IS in Syria and Iraq, is giving a press briefing from Baghdad.

Here are some of the main points:

Today's assault by Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) on Ramadi, Iraq:

-- today ISF forces bridged the Euphrates river, the Tharthar canal using an improved ribbon bridge, moving forces north into central Ramadi.

16:19 22.12.2015

Army Colonel Steve Warren, the spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR), the U.S.-led military operation against IS in Syria and Iraq, is giving a press briefing from Baghdad.

Here are some of the main points:

Today's assault by Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) on Ramadi, Iraq:

-- Tough fighting ahead in Ramadi's dense urban terrain.

-- Buildings in this terrain can be booby trapped

-- Still a long way to go before we can declare Ramadi is clear

16:20 22.12.2015

Army Colonel Steve Warren, the spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR), the U.S.-led military operation against IS in Syria and Iraq, is giving a press briefing from Baghdad.

Here are some of the main points:

-- Coalition strikes supported ISF north of Baiji in Iraq at the Makhoul mountains

16:23 22.12.2015

Army Colonel Steve Warren, the spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR), the U.S.-led military operation against IS in Syria and Iraq, is giving a press briefing from Baghdad.

Here are some of the main points:

-- In eastern Syrian deserts, continuing with Operation Tidal Wave 2, tackling IS's illicit oil revenue network.

-- Serves as a good reminder that we are continuing to apply pressure to IS across their so-called caliphate

16:25 22.12.2015

Army Colonel Steve Warren, the spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR), the U.S.-led military operation against IS in Syria and Iraq, is giving a press briefing.

Here are some of the main points:

-- Warren showed a document that comprises IS instructions to militants on withdrawal from Fallujah, including dressing as ISF fighters and blowing up mosques, killing and torturing civilians.

-- A second document was an IS ban on people living inside IS territory from watching TV or buying or repairing satellites. This illustrates where IS is right now, we are starting to see a change in behavior which could be sign of weakness.

16:28 22.12.2015

Army Colonel Steve Warren, the spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR), the U.S.-led military operation against IS in Syria and Iraq, is giving a press briefing.

Here are some of the main answers to questions:

Warren was asked how many IS troops are inside Ramadi.

-- Most important point is that this is a continuation of the progress we have seen over past couple of weeks.

-- What they are finding now is what they found over past several weeks -- booby trapped, IEDs, enemy fighters who are fighting fairly hard

-- Numbers are not particularly hard but in restricted terrain it's hard to maneuver

-- Dropped leaflets to help civilians including with routes out of city

-- No reports of ISF casualties

16:29 22.12.2015

Army Colonel Steve Warren, the spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR), the U.S.-led military operation against IS in Syria and Iraq, is giving a press briefing.

Here are some of the main answers to questions:

Question about leaflet found regarding how IS should behave if they have to retreat from Fallujah.

-- Easy to believe that this is a legitimate document.

-- No examples of IS posing as ISF and committing atrocities yet.

16:30 22.12.2015

Army Colonel Steve Warren, the spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR), the U.S.-led military operation against IS in Syria and Iraq, is giving a press briefing.

Here are some of the main answers to questions:

Among ISF forces in Ramadi, are there any Shi'ite militias? Did that come after a request from U.S. government not to include them?

-- There are not any Shi'ite forces participating but this is decision that Iraqi government makes.

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