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A woman rests near rubble in the Syrian town of Darat Izza in Aleppo Province on February 28.
A woman rests near rubble in the Syrian town of Darat Izza in Aleppo Province on February 28.

Live Blog: Tracking Islamic State

Follow all of the latest developments as they happen.

Latest News For February 29

-- The United States Army's elite Delta Force is on the verge of beginning operations to target, capture or kill top IS operatives in Iraq, after several weeks of covert preparation, an administration official with direct knowledge of the force's activities told CNN.

-- Syrian government forces have regained control of a road used by the army to access Aleppo, after making advances against Islamic State fighters, a monitoring group and state television reported.


-- Authorities in Iraq say the death toll from a double bombing at a market in Baghdad’s Shi’ite neighborhood of Sadr City rose to 73 on February 29 after several critically wounded victims died overnight.

-- Tajik media are reporting that a woman known to be the second wife of Gulmurod Halimov, the fugitive Tajik colonel who defected to the IS group, has left for Syria along with the couple's four young children.

-- The UN is poised to begin delivering aid to people living in besieged areas of Syria, making use of a truce brokered by the United States and Russia. The first deliveries are planned for Feb. 29, with aid due to reach about 150,000 Syrians in besieged areas over the next five days.

-- A truce negotiated between Syrian rebels and the government has caused a dramatic decrease in airstrikes around rebel-held territory, but there were few celebrations, with many residents suspecting a trick, CNN report.

* NOTE: Live blog posts are time-stamped according to Central European Time (CET).

09:19 27.11.2015

Terror suspects arrested in Berlin, our news desk reports:

Police in Berlin have arrested two people suspected of preparing to carry out "a serious act of violence representing a danger for the state."

The two individuals had been allegedly influenced by the extremist group Islamic State (IS), German news agency dpa reported.

One of them was a Syrian and the other Tunisian, German media said.

The arrests were made following two raids, including one on an Islamic cultural center.

Police officials said there was no indication that "an act of violence was planned for Berlin."

Reports suggested that the police were acting on a tip about a possible attack in the northwestern city of Dortmund.

Chancellor Angela Merkel said on November 25 that the security-threat level in Germany remained high following the November 13 attacks in Paris by IS militants that killed 130 people. (dpa, Reuters, AFP)

22:24 26.11.2015

We are now closing the live blog for today. Until we resume again, you can catch up with some of our other Islamic State coverage here.

22:23 26.11.2015

22:04 26.11.2015

Kremlin to work with U.S.-led coalition, our news desk reports:

Russian President Vladimir Putin says Russia is still committed to cooperating with the U.S.-led coalition fighting the Islamic State (IS) militant group in Syria.

Speaking at a news conference in the Kremlin after talks with French President Francois Hollande, Putin said the two countries had agreed to enhance their bilateral cooperation over Syria.

At the same time, Putin said the shooting down by Turkey of a Russian jet was an act of betrayal by a country Russia considered to be its friend.

Hollande said the two countries had agreed to target only IS militants and other hard-line groups.

The West has accused Moscow of targeting mainly Western-backed rebel groups fighting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Russia's ally.

Hollande said France will also increase its support to rebel groups battling IS militants on the ground in Syria. (AP, Reuters)

19:51 26.11.2015

French President Francois Hollande told Russia's Vladimir Putin on Thursday world powers must create a "grand coalition" to combat Islamic State militants who control swathes of territory in Syria and Iraq.

Hollande is on a diplomatic offensive to build a common front against the militant Islamist group that has claimed responsibility for the attacks in Paris on Nov. 13 that killed 130 people.

Islamic State has also said it downed a Russian plane on Oct. 31 over the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt, killing all 224 people on board.

"Our enemy is Daesh, Islamic State, it has territory, an army and resources, so we must create this large coalition to hit these terrorists," Hollande said in televised remarks at the start of bilateral talks with the Russian leader in the Kremlin.

"I'm in Moscow with you to see how we can act together and coordinate so that we can strike this terrorist group, but also reach a solution for peace," Hollande said.

Putin said Moscow was ready to unite with Paris against a "mutual enemy" following the downing of the Russian airliner and the attacks in Paris.

19:25 26.11.2015

Turkey summons Russian envoy over protests, our news desk reports:

Turkey's Foreign Ministry says it has summoned the Russian ambassador in Ankara to complain about protests against Turkish missions and businesses in Russia following Turkey's downing of a Russian jet.

The ministry said in a statement on November 26 that it wanted to express Turkey's discontent over the "unacceptable" incident as well as over a series of incidents against Turkish companies in Russia.<

The statement said Turkish offices had come under what it called physical attacks disguised as protests, and warned Russian authorities to urgently increase protection for the embassy and other Turkish interests.

Protesters in Moscow hurled eggs and stones at the Turkish Embassy on November 25, breaking windows in the compound.

Police cleared the area and made some arrests shortly after the protest began. (AFP, AP)

18:09 26.11.2015

French President Francois Hollande told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin that world powers must build a "grand coalition" to combat IS, Reuters reports.

"Our enemy is Daesh, Islamic State, it has territory, an army and resources, so we must create this large coalition to hit these terrorists," Hollande said in televised remarks at the start of bilateral talks with Putin in Moscow this evening.

18:07 26.11.2015

Russia's Defense Ministry tweets that the General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces has told Russia's military attache that it cannot hand over "any materials relating to the attack on the Su-24 by the Turkish F-16."

18:00 26.11.2015

This from the BBC about French President Hollande's meeting with his Russian counterpart Putin in Moscow this evening.

17:54 26.11.2015

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