Violence against LGBT people

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) executed 20 people who wanted to fight against them in the northern Iraqi province of Kirkuk, officials said on March 9.
      

President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an criticized the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) during a recent speech in Istanbul. He prefers to use another abbreviation, but that does not matter.  

ISIS fighters are in control of many strongholds in the -mainly Sunni- Salahuddin (Saladin) area north of Baghdad, as well as other cities along the river Tiger. At the same time, many Shiite guardsmen have gathered to fight against ISIS.

An Iraqi and Kurdish military force of some 20,000 to 25,000 troops is being prepared to recapture the city of Mosul from fighters of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), probably in the April-May time frame, an official at the U.S. Central Command said on Feb. 19.
   

The European Union has pledged one billion euros in funding for the crises in Syria and Iraq and the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the bloc's foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini has said.

Balkans combat human trafficking, source of ISIL funding

Balkan countries expect greater assistance and support from the EU and NATO to counter human trafficking.

Police monitor a border crossing in Kosovo. Balkan countries are co-operating to fight human trafficking more effectively. [AFP]

A US man was arrested Jan. 14 for allegedly plotting an attack on Congress inspired by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) jihadists, according to the Justice Department and the FBI.
      

Haider Ali Motar was convicted of terrorism charges about a month ago for helping to carry out a string of Baghdad car bombings on behalf of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Now, the 21-year old is a reluctant cast member in a popular reality TV show.

The Taliban and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) are to blame for paving the way for Islamophobia in the world, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said.

Drawing attention to the recent Taliban attack in Peshawar that killed 130 children, ISIL violence in Iraq and Syria, Erdoğan said there could be "no such Islam."

Iraqi government forces retook four villages on Oct. 26 near a mountain ridge overlooking supply lines, security officials said, in a campaign which has struggled to make advances against the Sunni Islamist insurgents.