The United States and its partners are focusing their military might on stopping the spread of the group known as the Islamic State in Iraq and on disrupting IS operations in Syria. Behind the scenes, however, efforts also are underway to prevent the violence from spreading back to Europe and the United States.  

U.S. Undersecretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Richard Stengel said free information was the key to defeating Islamic State. (...) He said it was vital to stem the flow of foreign fighters heading to join militants in Syria.

It's a shift in the administration’s approach to an offensive already under way in Iraq and Syria.

The United States is pressing Arab nations and other allies to do more to counter the Islamic State group's slick propaganda campaign, with a top American envoy on Monday describing efforts to combat the extremist messages as a vital pillar in the fight to defeat the group.

Fearing contagion, Jordan has announced that it will not tolerate any open activity, recruitment or support for the Islamic State, also known as ISIS.

We see indicators Islamic State trying to establish presence in South Asia.  Jihadist social media sites have begun promoting Islamic State messages over those of al-Qaida and its leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, according to a report by the IHS global market information and analytics company.

US Secretary of State John Kerry and Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel, pressed a core coalition of 10 nations at a NATO summit in Wales on Friday to go after the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq and Syria militarily and financially.  "There is no time to waste in building a broad international coalition to degrade and, ultimately, to destroy the threat posed by the Islamic State," Kerry and Hagel said in a joint statement.

The Islamic State released a video on Tuesday purporting to show the beheading of American hostage Steven Sotloff, raising the stakes in its confrontation with Washington over U.S. air strikes on its insurgents in Iraq.