A senior Islamic State (IS) group leader in Iraq and Syria has been killed in an operation by members of the Iraqi national intelligence service along with US-led coalition forces, the Iraqi prime minister has said.

Syria kept a central role for Islamic law in a constitutional declaration issued on Thursday which guarantees women's rights and freedom of expression during a five-year transitional period, according to a summary read on TV.

Syria’s interim president has signed a temporary constitution that leaves the country under Islamist rule for five years during a transitional phase

The document enshrines separation of powers and guarantees women's rights, freedom of expression and media freedom.

Religious and ethnic minorities, as well as the US and Europe, are wary about freedom of expression protections