Iraq

World News

After Slow Going Against ISIS, Battle Picks Up In The Iraqi City Of Mosul

6:30am January 16, 2017

by Alice Fordham

Iraqi forces with U.S. help have pressed deep into the ISIS-held city of Mosul but progress is still slow and dangerous. The scene may soon shift to an area where ISIS has more support.

Men push a cart at a makeshift river crossing next to a bridge destroyed by Islamic State militants in Mosul, Iraq, on Thursday. The Iraqi forces have reclaimed much of eastern Mosul, but the Islamic State still controls much of the western side of the ci

World News

Iraqi Troops Edge Deeper Into Mosul — With Caution

12:57pm January 15, 2017

by Jane Arraf

After four months of fighting, Iraqi forces have reached the Tigris River that divides Mosul. But it's been slow going and there's plenty of fighting ahead in the densely packed city in northern Iraq.

A member of the Iraqi special forces' Counter-Terrorism Service stands guard next to a damaged building at Mosul university on Sunday, during an ongoing military operation against the Islamic State.

World News

Iraqi Forces Retake Mosul University From ISIS, Military Spokesman Says

11:49am January 15, 2017

by Colin Dwyer

The capture of the campus marks a crucial step in the bloody, complex fight for the key Iraqi city. But tall challenges still remain for the country's special forces.

Khoshaba Jaber, an Assyrian living in West London, plays a tambura, a traditional instrument known as the "mother of strings," after singing an epic poem he learned in his boyhood village in northern Iraq.

In England, An Effort To Preserve Ancient, Epic Assyrian Poetry

4:41pm January 13, 2017

by Alice Fordham

Driven to save his culture, an ethnic Assyrian living in Britain is recording ancient tales of adventure sung by modern-day bards. The songs echo stories from ancient Greece to the Bible.

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Yacoub Youssef, in charge of the small city of Jalawla in northern Iraq, stands on a bridge rebuilt by residents after it was blown up by ISIS. The city was heavily damaged and is in disputed territory – claimed by both the Iraqi and Kurdish governments

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In Disputed Iraqi Territory, Rebuilding A City Means Doing It Yourself

4:44pm January 11, 2017

by Jane Arraf

After ISIS was forced out and no government took responsibility for rebuilding, residents repaired bridges, schools and markets. The effort is thanks to Yacub Youssef, a former sports teacher.

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Iraqis inspect the scene of a Sunday car bomb attack at a Baghdad market.

World News

Baghdad Racked By A Spate Of Suicide Bombings In Shiite Areas

1:16pm January 08, 2017

by Colin Dwyer

The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for one attack, and several other bombings followed across the city. The attacks continue an especially bloody week in the Iraqi capital.

World News

Reporter Recalls Facing ISIS Terrorist In Baghdad Prison

4:39pm January 04, 2017

NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with reporter Kimberly Dozier, who wrote an article in The Daily Beast about her experience interviewing an ISIS terrorist in a Baghdad prison.

Bystanders inspect the scene after a car bomb explosion at a crowded outdoor market in the Iraqi capital's eastern district of Sadr City on Monday.

World News

Dozens Dead In Multiple ISIS Bombings Across Baghdad

10:56am January 02, 2017

by Laura Wagner

Baghdad has seen a spate of deadly ISIS bombings in the last several days. On Monday alone, five blasts rocked the capital city, NPR's Alice Fordham reported.

A crowded market in central Baghdad became the site of a double bombing Saturday morning. The Islamic State is thought to be responsible.

World News

Blasts In Baghdad Kill At Least 28 At A Busy Market

6:24pm December 31, 2016

by Maggie Penman

The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for a pair of bombings that killed at least 28 and wounded dozens of others Saturday morning in the Iraqi capital.

World News

Serious Losses For ISIS Could Pave Way For Resurgence From Adaptable Al-Qaida

7:51am December 31, 2016

NPR's Scott Simon talks to Middle East analyst Robin Wright about what the world might expect from the Islamic State in 2017. She says the group's recent losses may provide an opening for al-Qaida.