6 h. ago Mother of man jailed in Syria for Islamic State links calls for his repatriation to UK or Canada

Sally Lane fears son Jack Letts, who left UK aged 18, may face death penalty if airlifted to Iraq under US operationThe mother of a British-born man detained for nearly nine years without trial in Syria has called for his repatriation to the UK or Canada as the US plans to airlift 7,000 Islamic State-linked prisoners from Syria to Iraq.Sally Lane, the mother of Jack Letts, 30, said she was “frantically trying to find out as much as possible” and that it was unclear if he would face the death penalty in Iraq or remain in Syria – or be sent to Canada or the UK in line with US demands. Continue reading...

Events

17 h. ago Sky Sports star Hayley McQueen calls for action after Man Utd ace dad’s death linked to heading ball

SKY sports presenter Hayley McQueen has urged football bosses to act after a coroner ruled heading the ball was a factor in her dad’s death. Centre-half Gordon made the manoeuvre thousands of times in his 15-year career for Man United and Leeds United. Ten years before his death, at 70, in Hutton Rudby, North Yorks,...

Politics

18 h. ago Wife of captain of oil tanker captured by US forces starts legal action to free him

Judicial review request made in Edinburgh says Avtandil Kalandadze of Russian-flagged Marinera is being detained unlawfullyLawyers acting for the wife of the captain of a Venezuela-linked oil tanker captured by US forces in UK waters are calling for a judicial review of his situation, claiming he is being detained unlawfully.The Marinera, a Russian-flagged vessel previously known as Bella 1, has been in the Moray Firth in recent days. Continue reading...

Events

18 h. ago Wife of oil tanker captain captured by US in North Sea starts legal action to free him

Judicial review request made in Edinburgh says Avtandil Kalandadze of Russian-flagged Marinera is being detained unlawfullyLawyers acting for the wife of the captain of a Venezuela-linked oil tanker captured by US forces in UK waters are calling for a judicial review of his situation, claiming he is being detained unlawfully.The Marinera, a Russian-flagged vessel previously known as Bella 1, has been in the Moray Firth in recent days. Continue reading...

Events

53 h. ago Baghdad says it will prosecute Islamic State militants being moved from Syria to Iraq

Baghdad says it will prosecute and try militants from the Islamic State group who are being transferred from prisons and detention camps in neighboring Syria to Iraq under a U.S.-brokered deal

Politics

3 d. ago Syrian and Kurdish forces agree to extend ceasefire as threat of war looms

Ceasefire to be extended for one month to allow transfer of suspected Islamic State members from Syria to IraqThe Syrian government and Kurdish forces agreed to extend a ceasefire on Saturday, according to Syrian diplomatic sources, temporarily staving off a looming war between the two sides in Syria’s northeast.Diplomatic sources told Agence France-Presse the ceasefire would be extended for “a period of up to one month at most,” citing the need to facilitate the transfer of suspected members of Islamic State from Syria to Iraq. Continue reading...

Events

3 d. ago The Guardian view on Syria’s crisis: Islamic State fighters are not the only concern | Editorial

As a lightning government offensive leaves the Kurdish-dominated SDF reeling, the political horizon needs attention as well as securityIn little more than a fortnight, a dramatic Syrian government offensive appears to have undone over a decade of Kurdish self-rule in the north-east and extended President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s control. The Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) held around a quarter of the country and many critical resources – but were forced out of much of it within days. Though the SDF has effectively agreed to dissolution in principle, it has not shown it will do so in practice: a worrying sign for a fragile truce. A peaceful resolution is in everyone’s interests. Forcible integration by Damascus would risk breeding insurgency.The US relied upon the SDF in the battle against Islamic State. But Donald Trump has embraced “attractive, tough” Mr Sharaa – a former jihadist who had a $10m US bounty on his head until late 2024. The US administration became increasi...

Events

4 d. ago Syrian forces take control of prison housing IS members after Kurdish fighters evacuate

Syria's government forces have taken control of a prison housing Islamic State group members in the country's north

Events

4 d. ago The decision to move Islamic State prisons from Syria was an Iraqi request

This significant relocation effort is unfolding amidst growing instability in northeast Syria

Events

4 d. ago ‘Open the gates’: riots, fires and escape attempts as Syrian army takes over IS camp

Director of al-Hawl camp describes chaotic scenes as Kurdish guards fled and government fighters arrived. Will Christou reports from al-HawlThe children crowded the wire fence, waiting for the guard to turn his back, and made a break for it. They pumped their little legs furiously but did not make it far in the squelching mud, and were quickly chased back inside, grinning and joking to their friends in Bosnian as another guard scolded them, his rifle swinging by his side while he wagged his finger.Their mothers, foreigners who travelled to Syria to allegedly join Islamic State (IS) and its blood-soaked caliphate, stood silently behind them. Each had their belongings packed in a bag beside them, ready to leave at a moment’s notice. Continue reading...

Events

5 d. ago The decision to move IS prisoners from Syria to Iraq came at the request of Baghdad, officials say

Iraq has asked to move Islamic State group prisoners from northeast Syria to its detention centers

Events

5 d. ago Heartbroken mum's plea after This Morning star teen took own life

The heartbroken parents of Matthew Lock, whose ADHD went undiagnosed for years, have called for better screening and warned of the link between the condition and suicide and addiction

Politics

5 d. ago First 150 Islamic State detainees transferred from Syria to Iraq by US military

The volatile situation has been underscored by recent incidents, including a drone attack on Wednesday that killed seven soldiers and wounded 20 in Yaaroubiyeh

Events

6 d. ago Syrian government takes control of camp housing thousands linked to the Islamic State group

Syrian government forces have taken full control of camp in northeast Syria housing thousands of people linked to the Islamic State group

Politics

6 d. ago Syrian army reportedly enters detention camp holding relatives of IS suspects

Apparent move follows withdrawal of Kurdish forces from al-Hawl, where about 24,000 people are detainedSyria’s army has reportedly entered the country’s vast al-Hawl detention camp that houses relatives of suspected Islamic State jihadists, after Kurdish forces withdrew.A large group of soldiers opened the camp’s metal gate and entered while others guarded the entrance, according to an Agence France-Presse journalist at the scene. Continue reading...

Politics

6 d. ago Syrian army takes control of detention camp for Islamic State suspects

Move follows withdrawal of Kurdish forces from al-Hawl, where 24,000 people are being held over alleged IS linksSyria’s army has reportedly entered the country’s vast al-Hawl detention camp that houses relatives of suspected Islamic State jihadists, after Kurdish forces withdrew.A large group of soldiers opened the camp’s metal gate and entered while others guarded the entrance, according to an Agence France-Presse journalist at the scene. Continue reading...

Politics

6 d. ago Detention facilities in Syria under spotlight after clashes between Kurdish fighters, Syrian forces

Recent fighting between Syrian government forces and Kurdish fighters in northeast Syria has highlighted the detention facilities holding Islamic State group members

Politics

7 d. ago Manhunt after 120 Islamic State members escape from Syrian prison amid clashes

Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces control more than a dozen prisons where some 9,000 IS members are held

Events

7 d. ago Syrian interior ministry: 120 Islamic State group members escape from prison amid clashes

Syria's interior ministry says 120 Islamic State group members have escaped from a prison in northeast Syria

Events

7 d. ago Dozens of IS prisoners freed in Syria amid clashes between army and Kurdish

It remains unclear who freed prisoners, with both sides blaming the other, as Syria’s president looks to gain control of north-east and consolidate his ruleDozens of inmates from a jail holding Islamic State prisoners have been freed in Syria amid clashes between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces and government-affiliated forces in the north-east of the country.Videos released by the SDF showed what it said were IS members being broken out from a jail in Shaddadi by figures in black balaclavas. It said it had lost control of the building after an attack by government-affiliated fighters that killed or wounded dozens. Continue reading...

Events