Euphrates River

"Islamic State - Euphrates Province" reads an abandoned sign covered by dust and sand in the Iraqi town of Rawa. A day after government forces ousted the ISIS group from the last town it held in the country, the banner is now just a reminder of the vast "caliphate" the terrorists once ruled

Syria's Raqa once thrived on the banks of the gushing Euphrates River, but dire shortages in the ISIS group stronghold are forcing desperate civilians to risk their lives for water.

Russia said today it would treat U.S.-led coalition aircraft flying west of the River Euphrates in Syria as potential targets and track them with missile systems and military aircraft, but stopped short of saying it would shoot them down.

Iraq's army said on Sunday it had defeated ISIS fighters in a provincial capital west of Baghdad, the first major victory for the US-trained force since it collapsed in the face of an assault by the militants 18 months ago.

Iraq's Defence Minister predicted today that security forces backed by US-led coalition air strikes would retake full control of the city of Ramadi by the end of the year.

Before the Islamic State captured Faten Humayda's town in northern Syria nearly two years ago, a tank of propane gas for her stove cost the equivalent of 50 cents. But as the militants settled in, the cost shot up to $32, forcing Humayda, a 70-year-old grandmother, to cook over an open fire in the backyard.

Islamic State militants have closed gates of a dam on the Euphrates River in western Iraq, reducing the water and giving them greater freedom of movement to attack government forces downstream on the southern bank, local officials said.

Islamic State (IS) jihadists advanced today on Syria's ancient Palmyra after executing dozens of civilians on the city's outskirts, as Iraq dispatched reinforcements to prevent Ramadi from falling into extremist hands.

The death toll from an air strike by US-led forces on the northern Syrian province of Aleppo on Friday has risen to 52 including seven children, a group monitoring the conflict said today.

Iraqi government forces and allied tribal militia have retaken the town of Al-Baghdadi, from where jihadists had threatened to attack an air-base housing US troops, the US military said on Friday.

Almost 600 Turkish troops pushed deep into Syria in an unprecedented incursion on Sunday, relocating a historic tomb and evacuating the soldiers guarding the monument after it was surrounded by Islamic State (IS) jihadists.

Iraqi government forces battling an Al Qaeda offensive near the Syrian border launched an air strike on Ramadi city on Sunday killing 25 Islamist militants.

"Islamic State - Euphrates Province" reads an abandoned sign covered by dust and sand in the Iraqi town of Rawa. A day after government forces ousted the ISIS group from the last town it held in the country, the banner is now just a reminder of the vast "caliphate" the terrorists once ruled

Syria's Raqa once thrived on the banks of the gushing Euphrates River, but dire shortages in the ISIS group stronghold are forcing desperate civilians to risk their lives for water.

Russia said today it would treat U.S.-led coalition aircraft flying west of the River Euphrates in Syria as potential targets and track them with missile systems and military aircraft, but stopped short of saying it would shoot them down.

Iraq's army said on Sunday it had defeated ISIS fighters in a provincial capital west of Baghdad, the first major victory for the US-trained force since it collapsed in the face of an assault by the militants 18 months ago.

Iraq's Defence Minister predicted today that security forces backed by US-led coalition air strikes would retake full control of the city of Ramadi by the end of the year.

Before the Islamic State captured Faten Humayda's town in northern Syria nearly two years ago, a tank of propane gas for her stove cost the equivalent of 50 cents. But as the militants settled in, the cost shot up to $32, forcing Humayda, a 70-year-old grandmother, to cook over an open fire in the backyard.

Islamic State militants have closed gates of a dam on the Euphrates River in western Iraq, reducing the water and giving them greater freedom of movement to attack government forces downstream on the southern bank, local officials said.

Islamic State (IS) jihadists advanced today on Syria's ancient Palmyra after executing dozens of civilians on the city's outskirts, as Iraq dispatched reinforcements to prevent Ramadi from falling into extremist hands.

The death toll from an air strike by US-led forces on the northern Syrian province of Aleppo on Friday has risen to 52 including seven children, a group monitoring the conflict said today.

Iraqi government forces and allied tribal militia have retaken the town of Al-Baghdadi, from where jihadists had threatened to attack an air-base housing US troops, the US military said on Friday.

Almost 600 Turkish troops pushed deep into Syria in an unprecedented incursion on Sunday, relocating a historic tomb and evacuating the soldiers guarding the monument after it was surrounded by Islamic State (IS) jihadists.

Iraqi government forces battling an Al Qaeda offensive near the Syrian border launched an air strike on Ramadi city on Sunday killing 25 Islamist militants.