For two days after the first gunshots sent her running for cover, Cynthia Charotich lay in a cupboard under piles of clothes, cramped and silent.

When al-Shabaab gunmen burst through the gates of her Kenyan university at dawn on Thursday, Cynthia Cheroitich crawled into a cupboard and hid.

Most of the 147 victims of a terror attack on a Kenyan university on Thursday died execution-style as they lined up waiting for their turn to be shot.

The latest Edward Snowden file spying revelations is a grievous abuse of power that should call into question that the GCSB is an agency concerned with protecting our security.

Isis has published a 'kill list' containing the names, photos and addresses of 100 US military members online.

A tourist guide has told how he 'stared death in the face' as terrorists opened fire on his clients in an attack which killed 20 tourists - one of them Australian.

Kiwis have rejected government surveillance of their own communications - and that of people in other countries, according to new survey.

The IS terror group has vowed to blow up world-famous landmarks such as Big Ben, Eiffel Tower and the White House in an audio broadcast.

A teenage Melbourne terrorist who reportedly died in a suicide bombing in Iraq had previously been plotting an attack in Australia.

The Nigerian militant group Boko Haram has announced it is joining Isis by apparently releasing an audio statement swearing allegiance.

John Key says new claims around intelligence collection are wrong - but he won't say why.

Green Party co-leader Russel Norman says the GCSB has broken the law by spying on New Zealand citizens in Pacific nations.

New Zealand's electronic surveillance agency has dramatically expanded its spying operations since John Key came to power.

Jihadi John's father has disowned his terrorist son in an emotional outburst, calling him "a dog, an animal and a terrorist".

Fighting began in the key central Iraqi city of Tikrit, birthplace of the former dictator Saddam Hussein, as government forces and Shia militia launched a major assault to displace Isis jihadists.

The mother of Mohammed Emwazi realised seven months ago that her son was the masked killer known as Jihadi John but failed to tell the authorities.

A Palestinian family of six sleep in one bedroom in a cramped, damp and mouldy three-room home.

Teacher says Isis terrorist revealed as Mohammed Emwazi was involved in a number of fights in his first year at high school but he was "lovely, lovely boy".

New Zealand troops are preparing for a two-year tour in Iraq to help the fight against Islamic State. This is what they are up against.

Soldiers may be excused from going to train Iraqi forces in fight against Isis, for personal reasons. The Defence Force says it is part of being a "good employer".

The unmasking of Isis militant "Jihadi John" as a Londoner who had repeatedly been questioned by security services has sent shock waves through Britain.

Many times over the years we've been aware that people in a foreign country are going through hell, John Roughan writes.

Asim Qureshi has caused outrage by saying the murderer Jihadi John was 'beautiful' adding that he 'wouldn't hurt a fly'.

The Isis executioner known as 'Jihadi John' was today named as a graduate from London who was able to flee to Syria despite being on a terror watch list.

The decision to commit NZ military contingent to Iraq is a case of misguided foreign policy.

Edmund Burke once said political decisions often involve a choice between intolerable and disagreeable options.

Australia is working to stop young women leaving the country to become "jihadi brides" for Isis.

The enemy is no longer on a singular battlefield, the enemy is in every major town and city on the planet, writes Mike Hosking. So in sending the troops in, the purpose is what?