Alison Meuse

Kurds in Istanbul wave the flags of the outlawed PKK on Monday after Kurdish fighters backed by U.S.-led airstrikes pushed the Islamic State group out of Kobani, Syria.

Backed By U.S.-Led Coalition, Kurds Take Kobani From ISIS

Alison Meuse

The Syrian town was not seen as militarily important, but Islamic State propaganda bumped it up the list of targets.

Lebanese Hezbollah supporters carry the coffin of Jihad Mughniyeh during his funeral in Beirut on Monday. Mughniyeh was one of six ranking members of Hezbollah killed in a suspected Israeli strike Sunday. Iran says a general of its elite Revolutionary Guards was also killed.

Suspected Israeli Strike Kills Iranian General Advising Syrian Troops

Alice Fordham

When a general in Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard and several ranking members of Hezbollah were killed Sunday, they were within 10 miles of Israel's northeastern border.

"It's this year that's the worst," says Gamra al-Khalil, a refugee from Syria living outside Saida, Lebanon. "We're dying of cold." During the recent winter storm, a tree crushed half of the corrugated-metal shack that she and her family call home in Lebanon. They live in an informal settlement that has been badly affected by torrential rains and harsh winds this winter.

Syrian Refugees Suffer Double Threat Of Severe Winter, Less Aid

Alison Meuse

As the Syrian war nears its fifth year and a bitter storm hits, refugees say this is the worst winter yet. To make matters worse, cash constraints mean they're getting less help from aid groups.

Demonstrators chant in favor of the Islamic State and carry the group's flags in Mosul, Iraq, in June. With videos, Internet magazines and social media, the group has effectively recruited throughout the world.

How The Islamic State Wages Its Propaganda War

Alison Meuse

From videos to Internet magazines, the extremist group has successfully recruited around the world. One of its recent claims: Enslaving women as a prize of war is sanctioned by the Quran.

Abdul-Rahman Kassig, who was formerly known as Peter, is shown with a truck filled with aid supplies for Syrian refugees. The American aid worker was seized by the Islamic State in October 2013 and was killed by the group, which released a video Sunday of his beheading.

For U.S. Soldier Turned Aid Worker, The Goal Was To Help Syrians

Alison Meuse

Abdul-Rahman Kassig went to Iraq as a U.S. soldier and returned to the Middle East to establish an aid group. Here's a look at what motivated him to undertake a risky mission that cost him his life.

Syrians killed in a chemical weapons attack were taken to a field hospital in Eastern Ghouta, in the suburbs of Damascus, one year ago on Aug. 21, 2013. More than 1,400 people were killed in the attack blamed on the Syrian government, which continues to besiege the rebel-held area to this day.

A Year Later, Syria's Chemical Weapons Are Gone, But Siege Remains

Alison Meuse

The Damascus suburb hit by a deadly chemical weapons attack a year ago remains surrounded by Syrian government forces who are still trying to squeeze the rebels out.

Iraqis from the Yazidi religious sect were driven from their homes in the northern town of Sinjar by the radical Islamic State. These women found safety in the Kurdish city of Dohuk, but others are trapped in barren mountains and face extremely harsh conditions.

Iraq's Widening War Imperils A Religious Minority

Alison Meuse

The Yazidis are an ancient religious sect concentrated in a remote corner of Iraq. They've been thrust into the spotlight of Iraq's nasty conflict, with thousands taking refuge in barren mountains.

Civilians and emergency personnel inspect the site of a car bomb explosion in the Abbasiyah neighborhood of Syria's central city of Homs on April 29.

With Truce, Syrian Regime On The Verge Of An Important Gain

Alice Fordham

Rebels say they have agreed to retreat from some areas they control in Homs, a city once known as the capital of the revolution.