American describes his time with ISIL: ‘I wasn’t thinking straight’

American describes his time with ISIL: ‘I wasn’t thinking straight’

Special to WorldTribune.com An American Muslim who is said to have defected from Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) claims he changed his point of view after opting to follow a young woman to Mosul, Iraq. Leaving a lot of questions unanswered, he apparently had problems with the lifestyle, noting that there was “no […]

ISIL fighter from Virginia asks Kurdish captors to stop filming

ISIL fighter from Virginia asks Kurdish captors to stop filming

Special to WorldTribune.com Kurdish peshmerga forces posted video of a camera-shy American fighter for Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) who was captured near the Iraqi town of Sinjar. Upon his capture, the man identified as 27-year-old Muhammad Jamal Amin, originally from Virginia, is said to have voluntarily defected from ISIL. He claimed to have […]

New U.S. ISIL strategy: bomb the ‘Daesh cash’

New U.S. ISIL strategy: bomb the ‘Daesh cash’

Special to WorldTribune.com The United States has unleashed a new strategy against Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL): bomb the “Daesh cash.” According to Col. Steve Warren, a Baghdad-based spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition, nine air strikes in Iraq and Syria in the past few months have destroyed “tens of millions” of dollars of […]

ISIL levels Iraq’s oldest Christian monastery

ISIL levels Iraq’s oldest Christian monastery

Special to WorldTribune.com Iraq’s oldest Christian monastery, built in 590, has been destroyed by Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL). Satellite photos confirm that St. Elijah’s monastery in Mosul was reduced to rubble in 2014 as ISIL jihadists seized the city. St Elijah’s joins a growing list of more than 100 religious and historic […]

UN report: ISIL holding 3,500 Iraqis as slaves

UN report: ISIL holding 3,500 Iraqis as slaves

Special to WorldTribune.com Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) has forced some 3,500 Iraqis into slavery, most of them minority Yazidi women and children, according to a UN report. Most of the Yazidis were forced into sexual slavery, the report, released on Jan. 19, said. The report said some 800 to 900 children were […]

Carter details plan to take ISIL strongholds but not ‘Americanize’ conflict

Carter details plan to take ISIL strongholds but not ‘Americanize’ conflict

Special to WorldTribune.com Defense Secretary Ashton Carter on Jan. 13 said the U.S.-led coalition has a plan in place to drive Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) out of its strongholds in Iraq and Syria. “The specialized expeditionary targeting force I announced in December is now in place and is preparing to work with […]