Eyewitness accounts of the battles for Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Libya and beyond with an explanation of what these conflicts have in common – and how they were reported or misreported at the tim

Local elites which hide their stolen wealth in offshore financial centers destroy their own credibility and power

The speed with which Isis responded to the arrival of the 15th Iraqi Division and the US Marines at Makhmour shows that they are by no means a spent force

The war in Syria and Iraq has produced two new de facto states in the last five years and enabled a third quasi-state greatly to expand its territory and power

Kurdish forces, close to sealing the border, must beware – President Erdogan is unpredictable

The war in Syria and Iraq is far from over but, as winners and losers emerge, the chances of local ceasefires and, ultimately, some sort of peace will become more feasible

The armed opposition groups which are doing most of the shooting will not be present at the Vienna negotiations

Patrick Cockburn was invited by Jeremy Corbyn to brief MPs on the facts about today’s Common’s vote on air strikes in Syria. This is his briefing

David Cameron’s plan for joining the war in Syria is a worrying document, full of wishful thinking about the political and military situation on the ground

The main purpose of these killings and tales of derring-do is to add substance to the pretence that something effective is being done