Alice Fordham

Iraqi forces have begun the offensive to retake the large city of Mosul from ISIS. The battle, which has help from U.S. advisers and airstrikes, could take weeks or months.

A U.S.-backed effort by Iraqi forces to retake the city of Mosul from ISIS has begun. It was in Mosul that the leader of the Islamic State officially declared a caliphate.

Iraq is readying for an assault on ISIS in the city of Mosul. Former residents say the extremists are tackling resistance with extra brutality. This report includes graphic descriptions of violence.

The U.S.-backed Iraqi offensive to try to force ISIS from Mosul may be just days away. Hundreds of thousands could be displaced in the fighting but the nearest camp can accommodate only 50,000 people.

With diplomacy at a standstill, what is the military strategy for the Syrian regime and rebels? Residents fear regime forces will massacre civilians — or the current siege will force surrender.

The Syrian government and Russian air force are pounding Aleppo's rebel areas, while rebel fighters battle back. Hundreds of thousands of civilians are in the middle of an intensifying humanitarian disaster.

The aerial bombardment of eastern Aleppo by Syrian regime and Russian warplanes has reached a new level of ferocity. The attacks killed hundreds, overwhelmed hospitals and destroyed neighborhoods.

Syria is unleashing its air power on rebel-held Aleppo, saying it will reclaim all of the embattled city. A target of the air assault appears to be the White Helmets — the volunteer rescue group that works in the opposition area and has been talked about as a contender for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Syria's government resumed air attacks, particularly on areas held by the opposition around Aleppo. Airstrikes hit an aid convoy. The government had given permission for the convoy to move.

A ceasefire that began Monday in Syria is seeing only partial success. The guns have calmed in some areas but not much in others and badly needed humanitarian aid still hasn't arrived.

A cease-fire between rebels and the Assad regime is slated to begin Monday night at dusk in Syria.

A Russian-U.S. plan for a reduction in hostilities in Syria is due to go into effect on Monday, but violence flared over the weekend. Russia supports the Assad regime while the U.S. supports rebels.

The United States and Russia have struck a deal to join military targeting of ISIS in Syria, starting with a ceasefire that goes into effect on Monday. But previous efforts have fallen apart.

The last U.S.-Russia deal on a Syrian truce collapsed quickly, but they're trying again. Here's what will have to happen if it's going to work this time.

The bombs were dropped on a rebel-held neighborhood of Aleppo. It is the second chlorine attack in the past month. Weaponized chlorine is banned under international treaties.

Two U.S. allies in the fight against ISIS are fighting each other in Syria — Turks and Kurds. It's one of the rivalries that occurs when ISIS is forced from areas that multiple sides covet.

A small suburb of Damascus that was a symbol of resistance is no more. Daraya is all but a ghost town. After years of opposition to the Syrian regime, fighters and civilians were allowed to leave.

After years of opposition to the Syrian regime and a brutal siege, fighters and civilians are allowed to leave a town near Damascus — in essence to surrender.

In Syria, the U.S. is backing a Turkish offensive to kick ISIS out of towns in the north. But this comes as a nasty surprise to another U.S. ally in Syria — ethnic Kurds — who have a long enmity with Turkey.

Rebels have controlled Daraya, outside Damascus, since 2012. The Syrian government has responded by barring aid from reaching the increasingly desperate town. Some accuse it of using aid as a weapon.