Syria says IS abducted 300 workers near Damascus
GENEVA (AP) – Syrian state TV says Islamic State militants have kidnapped 300 cement workers and contractors in an area northeast of the capital, Damascus. The TV says the workers from the al-Badia Cement Company were abducted on Thursday from Dumeir, an area where militants launched a surprise attack against government forces earlier this week.…
US steps up attacks on Islamic State oil trucks in Syria
WASHINGTON (AP) – The U.S. military is accelerating its attacks on tanker trucks used by the Islamic State to haul oil for its lucrative smuggling operations. A U.S. spokesman in Baghdad said Monday that the U.S. hit 283 oil tanker trucks in eastern Syria on Saturday as part of a concerted campaign to cripple the…
Paris attacks cast pall as Obama, world leaders head to G20
WASHINGTON (AP) — The global anxiety sparked by a series of deadly attacks in Paris by the Islamic State group has given new urgency to President Barack Obama’s upcoming talks with world leaders. The Islamic State group has taken root in Syria. The crisis in that country was already high on the agenda for the…