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US journalist released from Syria 'overwhelmed with emotion'

A US journalist released earlier this week after almost two years of imprisonment in Syria said he was "overwhelmed with emotion" because of the attention he has received upon returning home.

Peter Theo Curtis, 45, was captured in 2012 by Nusra Front and was only released on Sunday.

He said: "I suddenly remember how good the American people are, and what kindness they have in their hearts."

Meanwhile, Douglas McAuthur McCain, 33, who is suspected of fighting with Islamic State militants operating in Iraq and Syria, has been killed in the Middle East, a US security official has said.

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Islamic State fighters gain more ground in northern Iraq

Kurdish Peshmerga troops engage ISIS forces in northern Iraq Credit: Reuters

Militants from the Islamic State have made further ground in northern Iraq, seizing more towns after residents fled the area in fear.

Iraq’s largest Christian town, Qaraqosh, was seized by the Jihadists after Kurdish troops were forced into a hasty retreat, according to AFP.

The towns are among many in the area where thousands of Christians who were forced to abandon their homes in the main northern city of Mosul last month had found refuge.

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