ISLAMIC STATE

The prison also holds fighters from Kurdish-led forces.

A spokesman for IS said Hashimi, an Iraqi, was killed "in combat with enemies of God", without elaborating on the date or circumstances of his death.

The host nation is on high alert after it was revealed that members of the terrorist organisation are planning attacks targeting the event.

A British man accused of being part of an Islamic State (IS) kidnap-and-murder cell known as the "Beatles" appeared in court in London.

The security official believes that "financial motives" are the main reason Tripoli's youth are joining IS ranks.

US forces took incoming fire from unknown local gunmen during the raid

Relatives of jihadists, including children, are kept in Kurdish-controlled camps in Syria's northeast

Although both IS and the Taliban are hardline Sunni Islamist militants, they differ on details of religion and strategy.

The second day of hearings after an 18-month break due to the Covid-19 pandemic focused on a review of the judge's own potential biases.

The trial will last until May 2022, with 145 days for hearings involving about 330 lawyers, 300 victims and former president Francois Hollande

The Taliban face a daunting challenge to transform from an insurgent group into a governing power, in a war-ravaged nation dependent on foreign aid.

After a 20-year war, the foes were within clear sight of each other, separated by just 30 metres.

The French leader was also due to meet the family of a Peshmerga fighter killed by IS

In recent years, the Islamic State's Afghanistan-Pakistan chapter has been responsible for some of the deadliest attacks in those countries.

Blinken said the United States will also let in more Afghans who served as interpreters or in other support roles to forces of the US-led coalition

Afghan civilians, who have long taken the brunt of the fighting, are also watching the Taliban advance in fear.

In January, the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for a rare twin suicide bombing that killed 32 people -- also at a crowded market in Baghdad.

President Ashraf Ghani blamed the Taliban for all the "bloodshed and destruction," adding that his government will not "surrender" to the militants.

Since Iraq declared victory over the Islamic State group in late 2017, the coalition presence has been reduced to fewer than 3,500 troops, of whom 2,500 are American.

The battle took place near Niaki, 180 kilometres (110 miles) east of central town Mopti, the armed forces said in a statement.

The Islamic State group on Thursday claimed responsibility for the bombing, saying it was to protest the cartoons printed by the satirical French magazine Charlie Hebdo.