In Washington, President Barack Obama is requesting formal authorization from Congress to use military force against ISIS. In Arizona, the family of Kayla Mueller confirmed that the young aid worker, who had been kidnapped by ISIS, was dead. New details about her captivity continue to emerge.
Also in Washington, the head of the National Counterterrorism Center told lawmakers about an alarming number of foreign fighters joining the terror group.
Here’s a rundown of the latest developments regarding ISIS:
Foreign fighters flocking to join ISIS
A top U.S. counterterrorism official is warning that the number of foreign fighters joining ISIS’ ranks is growing at an alarming rate.
Nicholas Rasmussen, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, said more than 20,000 fighters from more than 90 countries have traveled to the ISIS battlefield, according to testimony CNN obtained in advance of a House Homeland Security Committee hearing scheduled for Wednesday.
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The Americans do not provide him with information, but al-Assad told the BBC that he gets some details from third parties such as Iraq.
“Sometimes, they convey a message, a general message, but there’s nothing tactical,” he told the BBC. “There is no dialogue. There’s, let’s say, information, but not dialogue.”
Several Western countries have clamored for al-Assad to step down since 2011, when peaceful protests against his regime led to a violent government crackdown and, subsequently, a full-on civil war.
But now, U.S. allies and the Syrian regime have a common enemy: ISIS, which is trying to solidify an Islamic state across swaths of Iraq and Syria.
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This collection of the latest developments is drawn from reporting and writing from across CNN’s platforms
