ISIS
Afghan Election Season Begins With a Deadly Attack and a U.N. Report That Civilian Casualties Are Down
As peace talks between the U.S. and Taliban proceed, the U.N. notes that more civilians have been killed by airstrikes than insurgent attacks this year.
As the U.S. Declares ISIS Defeated, Here's a Look Back at When the Taliban Was 'Defeated' in 2001
Experts have already warned that the territorial defeat of the self-declared caliphate does not mean that the war is won. Afghanistan offers a warning of how ISIS could resurge.
Is the American Justice System Equipped to Deal With an Ex-ISIS Member?
Hoda Muthana, a 23-year-old American from Alabama who joined ISIS in 2015, wants to come home and face justice—is that possible?
Taliban Fighters Attacked an Afghan Army Base Manned by Some U.S. Military Personnel Today
The attack is the largest on a U.S.-manned based in Afghanistan in years, and occurred as U.S. and Taliban representatives are negotiating a full U.S. troop withdrawal from the country.
2018 Was the Deadliest Year for Afghan Civilians in Recent Record
On the heels of peace talks between the Taliban and U.S. government, a new U.N. report finds increased violence at the hands of ISIS.
Viewfinder: Syrian Democratic Forces Battle ISIS
The Syrian Democratic Forces are waging a campaign to expel ISIS from the last village the extremist group holds in Syria.
Deadly Demonstrations Rock Basra as Protesters Decry Government Failures (in Photos)
Protests swelled in Iraq's second-largest city this week as residents experienced power shortages and went without clean water.
The Lede, Issue #27: A Dispatch From Border Country, Finding Climate Change Clues in Ancient Ice, the Next Generation of ISIS, and More
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'The Government Is Constructing a New Generation of ISIS'
A year after the liberation of Mosul, Iraq's boys find themselves in a series of dead ends.
Trump's Impossible Choice in Syria
Should the U.S. retaliate after the latest deadly airstrike in Syria?
The Week in Photos: From Protests of Nuclear Energy in Taiwan to Animal Rights Graffiti in Thailand
A round-up of images from Viewfinder, Pacific Standard's daily photo feature.
Viewfinder: Walking Through Mosul After the Liberation
An Iraqi man walks past a prosthetic leg in a residential area in the Old City of Mosul, Iraq, on March 13th, 2018.
Field Notes: Inside a Ravaged Building in Northern Iraq
Haji Ali, Iraq: A view of the village—which has been ravaged by battles against ISIS—through one of its destroyed buildings.
What Will 2018 Hold for the Middle East?
An expert on the region makes five predictions about what's in store for the area in the next year.
Has ISIS Really Been Defeated?
A series of attacks against U.S. and Russian backed forces in recent days suggests that ISIS is still very much a threat.
What's Behind Chechnya's Increasing Interventionism in Syria?
Chechen military involvement in the fight against ISIS is unprecedented.
Why Are Extremist Groups Targeting Sufi Muslims?
The terrorist attack on a mosque in Egypt was potentially motivated by extremist groups viewing Sufi religious practices as a threat to their intolerant worldview.
Is the Trump Administration More Interested in Combatting Tehran Than ISIS?
First Washington went after the nuclear deal, now it wants Iran-backed defenses against ISIS out of Iraq.
Viewfinder: An Anti-Islamic State Protest in London
Protesters hold placards during the annual Ashura march in Marble Arch on October 1st, 2017, in London, England.
The War on Terror Is Even Deadlier With Trump in Office
How many civilian casualties is the U.S. willing to face in order to accomplish its goal of defeating ISIS?
For Terrorists, Morality Has a Different Meaning
A new study shows that terrorists judge morality based solely on outcomes.
Department of Defense Will Arm Kurdish Fighters With 'Heavier Weapons'
President Trump approved the plan, designed to reclaim a Syrian city from ISIS.
How to Radicalize a Young American Muslim
Discrimination and isolation can send troubled immigrants on a search for personal significance, which can lead them to radical groups.
Belgium's Deadly Circles of Terror
Coordinated bombings in Brussels may have been in the works for some time, aided by an underworld where crime and extremism blur together.