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The article states that leaders of the terrorist organization Islamic State, also known as ISIL, in Syria have sent fighters, military trainers, and funds to Libya in an effort to broaden its reach and influence. The article discusses the growth of Islamic State as an anti-Western force outside of the Middle East, and the reluctance of the U.S. military to expand its air campaign against Islamic State to North Africa. The article also discusses Islamic State's use of money transfers known as hawalas into Libya.

The article discusses heightened U.S. involvement in Yemen's civil war. Concerned about civilian casualties arising from Saudi Arabia's airstrikes against Iran-backed Houthi rebels, the U.S. has begun consulting with Saudi Arabia on military targets in Yemen. In at least one instance the U.S. Navy has boarded and inspected a ship suspected of carrying weapons from Iran to the rebels.

The article discusses the flow of jihadist fighters from Europe to the battlefields of Syria's civil war. By one estimate at least 3,400 combatants in Syria hail from Europe. Of particular concern is the movement of fighters across relatively insecure borders such as that between Bulgaria and Turkey that has prompted greater cooperation within the European Union on sharing intelligence.

The article reports that the Islamic State terrorist organization burned to death First Lt. Muath al-Kasasbeh, a Jordanian military pilot the group had captured in Syria. U.S. President Barack Obama expressed outrage and Jordan's King Abdullah II called for unity among Jordanians in fighting the Islamic State. It is noted al-Kasasbeh's death could put Abdullah in the position of seeking to lower Jordan's profile in the battle against Islamic State without appearing to be backing down from it.

The article discusses political upheaval in Yemen. The Houthis militia group seized the presidential palace following the breakdown of talks over a power-sharing agreement. Militia leader Abdel Malek al-Houthi said his group wanted greater input into a new constitution for the country. The whereabouts of Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi were not known. Additional detail is presented about how Hadi has aided the U.S. in fighting the al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula terrorist group.

The article reports that al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), a splinter group from the al Qaeda terrorist organization, claimed responsibility for the January 2015 attack on the Paris, France offices of the periodical "Charlie Hebdo" that killed 12 people. AQAP official Nasser bin Ali al-Ansi said AQAP planned the attack and provided financing for it. AQAP claimed no responsibility for a separate terrorist attack in January by Amedy Coulibaly, who was later killed by police.

The article discusses how the terrorist organization Islamic State, which operates in Iraq and Syria, recruits and trains children and teenagers to fight as soldiers in the Syrian civil war, and the possible long-term impact this could have on Syrian society. Topics include the stories of boys who have defected from Islamic State, how Islamic State has taken over schools and is using them to train radical Islamic militants, and Islamic State's actions in the city of Deir Ezzour.

The article discusses how the terrorist group Islamic State (ISIS) took U.S. aid worker and army veteran Peter Kassig hostage and then killed him. Topics include how this act has led to debate within the U.S. government about whether to send troops to fight ISIS, how ISIS is taking foreign aid for Syrian refugees and distributing it among ISIS followers, and Kassig's work in Syria with the aid organization he founded Special Emergency Relief and Assistance.

The article discusses improved relations between Iran and the U.S. Both countries perceive a common goal in defeating the Islamic State (ISIS) terrorist group in Syria and Iraq. Some U.S. allies in the region including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates consider Iran to be at least as much of a threat as ISIS, though. It is noted that U.S. President Barack Obama's administration has also become less confrontational toward the militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah.

The article discusses anger among anti-government rebels in Syria over U.S. air strikes against the Khorasan group, militants with ties to the Al Qaeda terrorist organization. Rebels aligned with the U.S. say the Khorasan fighters, along with those from the Nusra Front militant group, have been helping them battle both the regime of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad and the Islamic State (ISIS) militant group.

The article discusses reaction among European and Arab allies to U.S. President Barack Obama's strategy of militarily confronting the radical Islamic State (ISIS) organization. Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal said his county would work to stem the promotion of ISIS' radical ideology. Turkey refused to sign a statement of support for the U.S. plan. Great Britain said it might provide military forces for the campaign, which Russia and Syria said they would oppose.

The article discusses the funding of the terrorist organization Islamic State (ISIS), focusing on its use of oil revenues and extortion. Topics include the stability of the ISIS economy; the possibility of creating a humanitarian crisis through efforts to stop the funding; and other income sources including the ransoming of hostages, private donations, and the sale of wheat and antiquities.

The article discusses the role of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in aiding the growth of the Islamic State (ISIS) radical group. Assad's forces fighting an insurgency in Syria refrained from attacking the Islamic State, preferring instead to focus their fire on the more moderate Free Syrian Army (FSA). Once the FSA was defeated, Assad reportedly believed countries would have a preference for his regime prevailing over the Islamic State radicals.

The article reports that government forces in Syria have almost completely surrounded the city of Aleppo occupied by members of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) rebel group. The FSA is stockpiling supplies in anticipation of a siege, and warns that the loss of Aleppo could effectively end its opposition in Syria, leaving only the radical Islamic group Islamic State (ISIS) as a viable anti-government force.

The article discusses Ibrahim bin Shakran, Ahmed Mizouz, and Mohammed Alami, three Moroccans detained in the Afghan war and held at the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. By 2006 all three had been repatriated to Morocco. They eventually wound up fighting on behalf of the Harakat Sham al Islam militant group in Syria, where Alami and Shakran died in 2013 and 2014, respectively.

The article discusses doubts about a plan reached by the U.S. and Russia to destroy all of Syria's chemical weapons by June 30, 2014. Weapons inspectors say Syria has been resistant to yielding the final 7.5% of its chemical weapons. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius has accused Syria of violating the accord by using chemical agents including chlorine on anti-government rebels.

The article reports that the U.S. and Saudi Arabia have supplied moderate rebels in Syria with a small number of TOW anti-tank missile systems. Recipients include Harakat Hazm, a newly-formed rebel group fighting to overthrow the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency is said to be looking for ways to increase its support for the rebels as well.