Bloomberg US-backed forces in Syria have begun the long-anticipated push to remove IS from their self-declared capital of Raqqa. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces and its partners launched their offensive on Tuesday, the US Central Command said in an emailed statement. Raqqa was among the first cities captured by IS, also known as IS, and has been a base for …

Bloomberg IS claimed responsibility for a hostage-taking in the Australian city of Melbourne that left a gunman and another person dead and three police officers injured. Following a standoff at an apartment building, officers shot dead 29-year-old Yacqub Khayre on Monday evening after he came out and fired a sawn-off shotgun at police. He captured a woman he’d arranged to …

Bloomberg Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said neighboring Pakistan has instigated an “undeclared war of aggression” against his nation after repeated bombings in Kabul in the past week, including the deadliest attack on the capital in 16 years. Ghani’s accusation signals the difficulty NATO and Afghan forces have in defeating the Taliban and other insurgent groups, which have long been said …