Nytimes.com | By BEN HUBBARD

BAGHDAD — The extremists of the Islamic State appeared unstoppable after their sudden blitz through Iraq this summer, with its battle-hardened fighters continually raising their black flag over newly conquered areas.

Wsj.com | BySam Dagher

Prime Minister Says Region Needs More Weapons From West and More Money From Baghdad

ERBIL, Iraq—The government of Iraq’s semiautonomous Kurdistan region, a crucial front-line partner in the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State, is confronting a shortage of weapons and growing economic disquiet among its citizens and foreign investors in the oil-rich area.

Reuters | By Gulsen Solaker

ANKARA (Reuters) - A Turkish politician was stabbed repeatedly in the capital Ankara on Tuesday, in an attack that his pro-Kurdish party blamed on a government-led 'lynch campaign' against it.

Nytimes.com | By MEYSA ABDO (Op-Ed Contributor)

Turkey's Obstruction of Kobani's Battle Against ISIS

KOBANI, Syria — Since Sept. 15, we, the people of the Syrian town of Kobani, have been fighting, outnumbered and outgunned, against an all-out assault by the army of the Islamic State, also known as ISIS.

The-american-interest.com | Henri J. Barkey

Whether Kobani falls or stands, it has become a defining moment of nationhood and identity for Syrian and Turkish Kurds.

Rudaw.net

BAGHDAD – The Iraqi Parliament voted to approve key nominations to the new government of of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, with veteran former foreign minister Hoshyar Zebari confirmed as finance minister.

Al-monitor.com

Turkey failed on Oct. 16 to win the coveted nonpermanent seat at the UN Security Council that it hoped would reinforce its influence in regional affairs, which has seriously dwindled in recent years. The result is a disappointment for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, who hoped for a victory at the United Nations to counter claims that their policies have left Turkey isolated internationally.

Newsweek.com | By Heysam Mislim

I chose to stay to report about the reality on the ground and tell millions of Kurds what is really happening in Kobane, as opposed to the propaganda and lies spread by Islamic State media and several other media outlets.

Washingtonpost.com | By Editorial Board

THE OBAMA administration seems to have settled on a blame-Turkey defense for a possible humanitarian catastrophe in the Syrian city of Kobane. It’s convenient and not entirely wrong. But it leaves out a big chunk of the story.