Its strongholds in Iraq and Syria slipping from its grasp, the Islamic State group threatened to make this year's Ramadan a bloody one at home and abroad. With attacks in Egypt, Britain and Iran among others and a land-grab in the Philippines, the group is trying to divert attention from its losses and win over supporters around the world in the twisted competition for jihadi recruits during the Muslim holy month.

Supported by crutches and a fellow Islamic State jihadi, Abu Shuaib al-Maslawi hopped on his left leg toward the explosives-laden black SUV that he would minutes later plow into a group of Iraqi troops in the northern city of Mosul.

Then, turning toward the camera, the one-legged suicide bomber spoke his final words, urging Muslims in the West who cannot come to the extremists' self-declared caliphate in Iraq and Syria, to carry out attacks inside their home countries.

The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for two attacks that claimed at least 12 lives in Iran on Wednesday. With this, the flaring tensions between Sunnis and Shias are once again in the news.

Syria's Kurds were once a marginalized minority, but now they are leading the charge for the Islamic State group's Raqa bastion and hoping to cement their gains in the war.

The surprise turnaround in their fortunes is the result of several factors, including the Syrian regime's decision to focus attention elsewhere and a key alliance with Washington against IS.

The unprecedented crisis between Qatar and four of its Gulf neighbors including Saudi Arabia is causing a conflict of loyalties for a number of countries which have good relations with both sides.

As U.S.-backed Arab and Kurdish forces broke into the Islamic State group's bastion of Raqa on Tuesday for the first time, here are five facts about the city in northern Syria:

Gulf states Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates as well as Egypt on Monday cut ties with Qatar over accusations it supports extremism, in an unprecedented regional crisis.   

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates severed ties with Gulf neighbor Qatar on Monday over accusations it supports extremism, with Egypt and Yemen following suit. 

Its vaunted air force destroyed, its army humbled -- the Six-Day War of 1967 dealt Egypt a shock it has yet to overcome and spelled the end of its pan-Arab hopes for regional dominance.

They are veterans of Syria's rebellion, trying for years to bring down President Bashar Assad. But these days they're doing little fighting with his military. They're struggling to find a place in a bewildering battlefield where several wars are all being waged at once by international powers.

Syria's civil war has become a madhouse of forces from Turkey, the United States, Syrian Kurds, the Islamic State group, al-Qaida as well as Assad's allies Russia, Iran, Lebanon's Hezbollah, Iraqi and Afghan Shiite militias — all with their own alliances and agendas.