2014 Us Airstrikes In Iraq

UK close to identifying English-accented militant who killed James Foley

British newspapers reported Sunday that investigators were looking at several British jihadis thought to be in the Raqqa area of Syria.

All you need to know about the terror group behind James Foley's killing

ISIL emerged in Iraq in 2006, three years after the US-led invasion, spurred by global terror network Al-Qaeda. Initially known as the Islamic State in Iraq.

Amid US air strikes against ISIL, Iraq struggles to build own air force

Iraq had only a fledgling air force when the United States withdrew in 2011. Washington has agreed to bolster Iraqi air power by selling Baghdad 36 sophisticated F-16 multi-role jet fighters and 24 Apache helicopters.

ISIL demanded $132 million as ransom for James Foley's release

The US government opposes paying such ransoms, arguing that it only encourages more hostage-taking.

Perils of conflict journalism back in focus after Foley's execution

Since 1992 more than 1,000 journalists have been killed covering various conflicts, according to CPJ. But despite that jarring statistic and the Foley execution, news organizations including GlobalPost, Vice and BuzzFeed, are still sending reporters into warzones and other dangerous areas.

What are Obama'a options amid ISIL's expansion in Iraq, Syria?

The President may continue helping Iraqi forces try to reverse ISIL's land grabs in northern Iraq but Obama has been leery of getting drawn into the Syrian civil war.

Well-funded ISIL 'beyond anything we've seen': US

ISIL is an imminent threat to every interest we have, whether it's in Iraq or anywhere else, US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told reporters at the Pentagon.

US opens criminal probe into journalist James Foley's killing

Foley was beheaded by the Islamist militant group ISIL, an act shown in a video released in which the group called for the US to end its air strikes in Iraq.

Iraq: James Foley's killing spurs fresh US airstrikes against ISIL

And looking forward, the State Department refused to rule out future US military operations in Syria, where Obama has long resisted intervening in a three-year civil war.

#ISISMediaBlackout trends as US journo's killing sparks social media boycott

The ISIL group, an al-Qaida offshoot, has been a determined user of social media, broadcasting high-definition video of horrific forms of punishment including crucifixions, beheadings, stonings and mass slaughter.