Accessibility links

Breaking News
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).

18:46 6.1.2016

20:51 6.1.2016

This concludes our live blogging on the Islamic State group for January 6. Check back here tomorrow for more of our continuing coverage.

10:09 8.1.2016

The IS group has claimed responsibility for a suicide car bombing yesterday (Janauary 7) in Ras Lanuf, an oil port in Libya's oil crescent. AFP is reporting this morning.

IS's Libyan affiliate released a statement saying that the attack east of the IS-held coastal town of Sirte, was carried out by a foreign fighter using an explosives-packed car.

No group has yet taken responsibility for a second suicide bombing on January 7 in Zliten, west of Tripoli, which killed over 50 people including a baby.

10:09 8.1.2016

Special-forces raids on an Islamic State stronghold in northern Iraq are under way before a planned offensive to retake Mosul, Iraq's parliamentary speaker Salim al-Jabouri told Reuters on January 7.

10:19 8.1.2016

No group has yet claimed responsibility for yesterday's suicide attack on Zliten that killed over 50 people.

10:22 8.1.2016

AFP have shared this graphic showing the locations and casualty figures from the two suicide bombings yesterday in Libya that killed more than 56 people.

IS has claimed responsibility for the attack at Ras Lanuf in Libya's oil crescent -- which the militant group has attacked several times this week -- but it is still unknown who was behind the deadlier attack at Zliten.

10:26 8.1.2016

This is the announcement by the IS group this morning claiming responsibility for the Ras Lanuf suicide bombing. The bomber is named as Abu al-Abbas al-Muhajir ("the foreign fighter"), indicating that the perpetrator was not Libyan.

10:41 8.1.2016

AFP has breaking news relating to the ongoing investigations into the November 13 attacks in Paris.

A fingerprint belonging to a fugitive wanted in connection with the attack has been found in a apartment in Brussels in Belgium.

Suicide vests and explosives traces have also been found in a Brussels apartment, though it is not clear yet whether this is the same apartment where the fingerprint was found.

10:48 8.1.2016

Reuters has more on the breaking news that Belgian prosecutors have found suicide belts and a fingerprint of a Paris attacks fugitive in a Brussels apartment.

These are not new finds but relate to a police raid on December 10.

Reuters reports that Belgian federal prosecutors have confirmed a report in a Belgian newspaper that said police had found traces of explosives, handmade belts and the fingerprint of a "key Paris attacks fugitive" during a December 10 raid on an apartment in the Schaerbeek area of Brussels.

Reuters does not name the fugitive but other reports say the individual in question is Saleh Abdeslam.

The apartment had been rented in a false name that might be linked to a person in custody in connection with the Paris attacks.

10:52 8.1.2016

The Independent has published quotes from a statement this morning by the Belgian federal prosecutor that give more details about the items found in a police raid on a Brussels apartment in connection with the November 13 Paris attacks.

The statement confirms that the "key Paris attacks fugitive" whose fingerprint was found in the apartment is Saleh Abdeslam, who is still on the run.

“Material that can be used to fabricate explosives as well as traces of TATP (acetone peroxide) were found,” a statement from the Belgian federal prosecutor said.

“This apartment was rented under a false identity that might have been used by a person already in custody in this case.

“Three handmade belts that might be used to transport explosives as well as a fingerprint of Salah Abdeslam were also discovered.”

Load more

XS
SM
MD
LG