Over 1,000 Islamist militants killed in US strikes in Syria- monitor
Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says only 52 were civilians
A Free Syrian Army fighter inside a damaged room in Jobar, Syria
A rebel fighter from the Free Syrian Army's Al Rahman legion stands inside a damaged room in Jobar, a suburb of Damascus December 22, 2014. REUTERS/Bassam Khabieh
Iraqi Kurds, Yazidis fight Islamic State for strategic town of Sinjar
Seizing the town of Sinjar would restore the majority of territory Iraq's Kurds lost in August
A rebel fighter carries his weapon after clashes with forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in Ramouseh, an area located beside Aleppo Artillery school
A rebel fighter carries his weapon after clashes with forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in Ramouseh, an area located beside Aleppo Artillery school December 21, 2014. REUTERS/Sultan Kitaz (SYRIA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT)
Lebanon says it needs French helicopters quickly to fight jihadis
Lebanon has few resources to deal with the instability on its border
Yazidis cheer Kurds on Iraqi mountain for breaking Islamic State siege
Iraqi Kurdish fighters have freed hundreds of Yazidis trapped for months by Islamic State
Obama signs nearly $578 billion defense bill for fiscal 2015
The bill includes about $64 billion for wars abroad
One million people wounded, diseases spreading in Syria - WHO
Plunge in vaccination rates from 90 pct before the war to 52 pct this year and contaminated water have added to the woes
Despite billions in aid, U.S. unable to get Pakistan to confront militants
Since 2001 the US has tried virtually every strategy available to persuade Pakistan to take the threat of militancy more seriously, including $28 bln in aid