As we have entered the last month of 2019, here's a rewind of the top moments in November.
Militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant claimed that they had executed 1,700 Iraqi Shia air force recruits in Tikrit, posting some gruesome photos online to support their claim.
Algeria won the Africa Cup of Nations for the second time on Friday when a freak second-minute goal by Baghdad Bounedjah gave them a 1-0 win over gallant Senegal in the final.
Rediff.com lists a few other dramatic and frightful hostage situations that sent governments and security agencies into a tizzy.
Forty Indian in the in violence-hit Iraqi city of Mosul could not be contacted, the external affairs ministry said on Wednesday amid reports of abduction.
The United States has increased security at all its major airports and railway stations, and has taken a number of measures, that include temporary closure of its 22 diplomatic missions, following a "very specific" Al Qaeda threat emanating from the Arabian Peninsula.
About 2,200 Indians in non-conflict zone in southern Iraq have expressed their desire to leave the for home and they will be in India in the next 36 to 48 hours even as 200 others reached in New Delhi early on Sunday morning.
Secret documents obtained from freedom of information requests have revealed that the United States army predicted the rise of the Islamic State militant group even before it started making headlines around the globe.
Rajiv Chandrasekaran wrote Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Baghdad's Green Zone, based on his days as the Washington Post's correspondent in Baghdad. It was made into a movie, starring Matt Damon.
Sandhu, a 1988-batch Indian Foreign Service officer, is currently posted as high commissioner of India in Sri Lanka.
Pakistan has the second-largest stockpile of anti-personnel landmines in the world, a report said.
The external affairs minister said that the dreaded terror outfit Islamic State had killed all the Indian nationals.
The United States is deploying up to 275 military personnel in Iraq to protect its citizens and property as the war-torn country battles a dramatic sweep by insurgents there.
The journalist, who shot to fame for hurling a shoe at the then US president, calling him a dog, wants to fight corruption and rebuild Iraq. Muntadhar al-Zaidi speaks to Subhash K Jha.
"We have intelligence from multiple sources including our alliance and our own intelligence and the evidence indicate that the plane was shot down by an Iranian surface to air missile. This may have been unintentional," Trudeau said during a conference. The Boeing 737 jet with 176 people on board including 63 Canadians crashed minutes after taking off from Tehran on Wednesday morning.
The Iraqi leadership assured full cooperation and support in the matter.
United States President Barack Obama has authorised "targeted air strikes" against Islamic militants to protect American military personnel and airdrops of meals and water to thousands of religious minorities trapped on a mountaintop in northwest Iraq.
She said no government can declare anyone dead without proof and her government does not believe in the theory of 'missing, believed to be killed'.
India has evacuated 17 more of its nationals from the conflict zone of Iraq with the help of local authorities taking the total number of those rescued so far to 34 and also advised its citizens to leave on voluntary basis by commercial means in view of the "fragile" security situation.
Pakistan is making efforts at multiple levels for the Taliban government to have a soft landing, observes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
Remember the US withdrawal agreement was signed in February 2020. In the intervening period, a proper evacuation plan ought to have been in place. It was not. Consequently, tens of thousands of Afghans who had worked as interpreters, drivers, suppliers of goods and services, etc, face brutal retribution from the Taliban, Virendra Kapoor points out.
United States President Donald Trump has warned Iran of "major retaliation" if Tehran carries out any attack against America to avenge the killing of top military commander Qasem Soleimani and hinted at striking its cultural sites. His statement came hours after Iran announced it will no longer abide by the limits contained in the 2015 landmark nuclear deal.
The Islamic State has also seen a decline in its primary revenue sources
One of the two photojournalists killed in a 2007 attack by a US helicopter gunship in Iraq was being rescued when the gunship's crew fired on the van to which he was being carried, according to a CNN footage posted online on Monday.
The government on Wednesday denied receiving any threat from Iraqi insurgent group Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.
Thinking of migrating to a more agreeable locale? Then perhaps you should consider moving to Vienna, which has been named the best city to live in for the tenth year in a row. However, the news isn't that great for Indians, with the list released by global consulting firm Mercer showing that Indian cities fared badly in the quality of living survey. The comprehensive survey is done with many factors being considered like housing, crime, political stability, leisure, air pollution, infrastructure, health system, education and economy.
Iranian state television on Wednesday claimed that at least 80 "American terrorists" were killed after Teheran launched 15 missiles on US targets in Iraq.
Forty Indian workers have been kidnapped in strife-torn Iraq, prompting the government to launch all-out efforts to trace them. The workers, most of whom may be from Punjab and other parts of north India, were workers of a construction company in Mosul town of Iraq, said External Affairs Ministry spokesman Syed Akbaruddid.
The Saudi Arabian Football Federation has apologised after its national team did not properly observe a minute's silence for the victims of the London attacks before the start of a World Cup qualifier in Australia.
But why should India be talking to the Taliban in the first place? There is no love lost there. India will never forget or forgive the humiliation to which the Taliban subjected it in the IC-814 hijack, notes Shekhar Gupta.
Sardar Udham sets a great standard which, Utkarsh Mishra believes, would be emulated by other film-makers who want to make movies of this genre.
US army private Lynndie England who was photographed abusing and humiliating prisoners at Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison, appeared before a military court Tuesday. \n\n
On Tuesday, devout Shiite Muslims commemorated the martyrdom of the Prophet Muhammad's grandson with mass flagellation ceremonies.
The United States has ordered the aircraft carrier USS George H W Bush to move into the Arabian Gulf to provide President Barack Obama with options for possible military action against militants in Iraq.
Images and summary of all the World Cup 2022 qualifiers played across continents on Tuesday.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi welcomed a decision from soccer's world governing body FIFA to lift a ban on hosting competitive international soccer matches at stadiums in three Iraqi cities.
United States President-elect Donald Trump has formally nominated James Mattis, a retired 4-star Marine Corps general who has long voiced concerns about the threat posed by Iran, as the Defence Secretary to replace Ashton Carter.
Elections will be held in January for a transitional national assembly.
The government on Tuesday said it was in touch with the Indian nurses stranded in violence-hit Tikrit town in Iraq and assured "every possible help" to Indian citizens in the trouble-torn country.
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