The United States is stepping up its military campaign against Islamic State by sending hundreds more troops to assist Iraqi forces in an expected push on the city of Mosul, the militants' largest stronghold, later this year.

• July 11, 2016

Turkey has not been able to confirm reports that a senior Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) commander had been killed in Syria, Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said on Monday, in what would be a major blow to Kurdish militants.

• July 11, 2016

Egypt's foreign minister paid a rare visit to Israel on Sunday, offering Cairo's help to revive peace talks with the Palestinians, in a sign of strengthened ties between two countries sharing deep concern over regional unrest.

• July 10, 2016

President Barack Obama, at his last NATO summit before stepping down next January, pledged the United States' long-term military commitment to ensuring security in Europe and defending all its allies.

• July 9, 2016

Officially the talk at this week's NATO summit in Warsaw was all about deterring a resurgent Russia, supporting Ukraine and Afghanistan, and protecting Baltic NATO members. But in the corridors, there was only one dominant anxiety - Brexit.

• July 9, 2016

Ex-Soviet Georgia could start a gradual drift back into the orbit of its former overlord Russia if it does not see tangible signs soon that it will be invited to join NATO.

• July 7, 2016

France said on Thursday that a three-day nationwide ceasefire announced by the Syrian army was not good enough and it was unrealistic to expect a revival of peace talks without a long-term truce.

• July 7, 2016

NATO envoys will hold a further formal meeting with Russia on July 13, days after the alliance's summit in Warsaw, in a sign Washington and Moscow want to defuse tensions in Europe.

• July 6, 2016