John Cantlie has been producing video content and aricles under duress.
Futurenet1977 - Photograph taken by a friend Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
On February 9, Islamic State propagandists uploaded the latest video to feature captured British journalist John Cantlie. In the film, From inside Halab (Aleppo), an expectedly unkempt and slightly dishevelled…
The US’s refusal to track civilian casualties in the conflict against Islamic State represents a radical departure from established military protocol.
EPA/Sedat Suna
Tom Gregory, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau e Alex Edney-Browne, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
Lieutenant-General James L. Terry, commander of US forces in Iraq and Syria, recently admitted he had no idea how many civilians have died as a result of coalition airstrikes in the region. In a briefing…
Civilians in Aleppo: not in the news.
EPA/Ali Mustafa
February 2015 has already seen some major developments in Syria’s four-year conflict. At the start of February, rebels launched more than 100 rockets into Damascus and the Assad regime fired mortars on…
There is division over whether immolation is permissible under Islamic law.
EPA
The killing of Jordanian pilot Moaz al-Kasasbeh by Islamic State has been explained as an act of retaliation for the air campaign against it. But there have been many questions about whether immolation…
Safi al-Kassasbeh, father of Muath al-Kassasbeh, temporarily distracts a fickle media.
EPA
The latest atrocity committed by Islamic State – the burning to death of a captured Jordanian pilot – has dutifully been relayed to us in gory detail, with part of the media coming across as little more…
What makes someone want to travel to some of the most dangerous places on earth to fight alongside terrorists? It’s a question we’ve been asking about young people for more than a decade. But the rise…
Jordanian students rally in support of Muath al-Kassasbeh.
EPA/STR
The execution of the Jordanian pilot Moaz al-Kasasbeh by Islamic State was both horrific and barbarous – and part of a well-calculated strategy. By killing this young man in this manner, and with maximum…
The aftermath of the attack on the Corinthia Hotel, Tripoli.
EPA/STR
The apparent murders of Jordanian pilot Muadh al-Kasasbeh and Japanese journalist Kenji Goto have once again drawn attention to the brutality of Islamic State fighters operating in northern Syria and Iraq…
When a coalition of the willing was formed in September 2014 and bombing began against Daesh in Iraq and Syria, things appeared to be moving in the right direction. Daesh is more commonly known as Islamic…
The US plans to arm and train ‘moderate’ rebels in Syria in addition to air strikes to defeat Islamic State forces.
EPA/US Air Force
The United States’ reluctance to become decisively committed to the complex quagmire in Syria is understandable. However, its plan to insert a US-trained-and-equipped “moderate rebel” force into the mix…
‘Yemen is safe’ – for how long?
Wadia Mohammed/EPA
Events in Yemen are moving fast: the US-backed president, Abd Rabbuh Manṣūr Hadi, has been deposed by Shia rebels, after a “slow coup” that saw the Iran-backed Houthi militia take effective control of…
Members of the Syrian Kurdish People’s Defence Units (YPG) declare victory in Kobane.
EPA/Stringer
On the evening of January 27, Kurds celebrated the liberation of Kobanê from the Islamic State (IS) siege. The celebrations started after the Kurdish fighters of the People’s Defence Units (YPG) and Women’s…
Ministers from 21 countries gathered in London on January 22 to discuss the fight against Islamic State (IS). They had their photo opportunity and issued their statements. US secretary of state, John Kerry…
The first thing that I noticed in the gruesome pictures of two gunmen fleeing the scene of their attack on Charlie Hebdo was that the men were dressed from head to toe in black. It might sound strange…
Nasr al-Ansi, AQAP Commander, claims the Paris attacks.
EPA/Al-Malahem Media
Al-Qaeda’s most active and notorious branch – the Yemen-based al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) – has claimed responsibility for the attack on Charlie Hebdo in Paris. While some questions remain…
Disillusioned young people are being conned into fighting for a global army.
EPA
After killing 12 people at the offices of Charlie Hebdo, brothers Chérif and Saïd Kouachi were heard proclaiming, “we have avenged the Prophet Muhammad”. Amateur footage also revealed the killers invoking…
Yemen faces an ongoing insurgency by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) – one of al-Qaeda’s most active and dangerous branches.
EPA/Abdul-Rahman Hwais
As the dust settles on a series of terrorist attacks in France, people will now look to understand the broader players of this grim drama. From their own statements and from external sources, it appears…
French police storm the Jewish supermarket where hostages were held.
Ian Langsdon/EPA
The hunt for the two killers who attacked the offices of Charlie Hebdo is over, after a three-day chase and a standoff at a warehouse outside Paris. The two suspects were killed, and the hostage they took…
A French soldier on the ground in Mali.
EPA/Nic Bothma
The brutal attack on the staff of Charlie Hebdo has rightly led to powerful calls to protect freedom of expression, with large demonstrations of support in Paris and other French cities, complemented by…
See no evil, speak no evil is next year’s Keep Calm and Carry On.
Julian Tysoe
India’s government has displeased many internet users by blocking access to some major websites at the start of the new year. A total of 32 sites were blocked, although sanctions have been lifted from…