Alison Meuse

The Islamic State is losing territory in Iraq and Syria but is trying to keep its supporters' spirits up through song. Its newest release, "My State Remains," reveals an organization down but not out.

The Trump administration says it believes the Assad regime in Syria could be preparing to wage another chemical weapons attack. There's been no official reaction from the Assad government.

ISIS claimed responsibility for attacks in Tehran, one on Iran's parliament, the other on a shrine to Ayatollah Khomeni. Attacks are very unusual in Iran, which is a relatively peaceful place.

"Our feelings today are mixed between happiness and sadness," a Syrian woman tells NPR. "We're tired inside. We're tired of planes. We want to live a normal life."

The U.S. considers deploying hundreds more American troops to Syria in the final phase of the war against ISIS — one that could reshape borders and relationships in the Middle East.

Activists say more than 300,000 people have been detained over the course of Syria's civil war. A Syrian lawyer is trying to get the plight of detainees on the agenda at peace talks.

Civilians in the rebel-held side of the city are fleeing for their lives, dodging crossfire along the front line to reach the regime-held part of the city. "It was all so sudden," one woman tells NPR.

Revelers drink, dance and listen to music in the Syrian capital's Old City bars. "No one talks about the war anymore," a bartender says. "We got used to it."

Despite calls by the U.N. for a cease-fire, the Syrian government and rebel forces are escalating their battle for control of Aleppo, a city they see as critical in the five-year civil war.

A strategic town in the south of Syria long-controlled by opposition fighters has reportedly fallen to regime troops with the assistance of Russian air power.