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Center for International Relations
and Sustainable Development

Islamic State’s Child Soldiers: First Come the Sweets, Then the Beheadings

In a tent in a refugee camp in Dohuk, at the base of ochre-colored mountains, Amir and Ahmed, 15 and 16, unroll their mats on the floor to forget the terrible memories. It’s a cool autumn evening, and they prop themselves up with cushions and turn on the TV. The two brothers fled from their captivit…

Al-Qaeda affiliate’s desperate ‘switch’ validates US Syria policy

The announcement by Jabhat al-Nusra on July 28 that it was severing ties with al-Qaeda may be a sign of the terrorist organization’s increasing desperation. Russian and Iranian-backed Syrian forces have now encircled east Aleppo, where Jabhat al-Nusra and its Aleppo Conquest coalition&nbsp…