Iraq

World News

Looking Ahead To The War Against ISIS In 2017

4:36pm December 27, 2016

In 2017, major fighting against the ISIS in Iraq may wind up and focus may shift to a new protracted campaign in northern Syria. Ari Shapiro talks with NPR's Tom Bowman about what lies ahead.

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2016 Has Been A Very Bad Year, Says Bartender In Northern Iraq

6:22am December 26, 2016

In the Kurdistan region of northern Iraq, there's a new bar in Suleimaniya. The bartender says that with Iraq at war with ISIS, he's anticipating a low-key New Year's Eve celebration.

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Four Iraqi commandos at the base were among those awarded medals by Defense Secretary Ash Carter during his visit earlier this month.

Defense Secretary Ash Carter Predicts 'Tough Fight' Ahead To Retake Mosul

8:08pm December 22, 2016

by David Welna

In the battle to retake Mosul from ISIS, the Qayyarah Airfield West is a key staging base run by Iraqi and U.S. forces. Ash Carter visited there Dec. 11 and awarded medals to eight Iraqi soldiers.

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Conditions Worsen For Civilians As Iraqi Forces Struggle To Retake Mosul

4:39pm December 19, 2016

by Jane Arraf

Conditions in the ISIS-controlled city of Mosul are worsening for hundreds of thousands of civilians while the Iraqi government's push to take the town back is moving methodically.

A young fighter stands at a checkpoint near the Jada'aa camp for internally displaced people. Just before dusk, the sky is darkened by smoke from oil fires set by ISIS nearby.

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For Iraqi Families With ISIS Links, Agonizing Choices — And Consequences

10:09am December 18, 2016

by Jane Arraf

Most of the almost 10,000 residents of the Jada'aa camp for internally displaced people are from the Mosul area. Hundreds of families were expelled from their villages after relatives joined ISIS.

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Pentagon Chief Ash Carter Makes Unannounced Trip To Baghdad

7:41am December 12, 2016

by David Welna

Defense Secretary Ash Carter visited Baghdad on Sunday to discuss the battle to retake Mosul from ISIS. On Monday, he's in Israel, which becomes the first U.S. ally to receive the F-35 fighter.

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The Sheikhan criminal court occupies a municipal office building north of Mosul. Cases are heard after long delays and defense attorneys have limited contact with their clients.

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At A Makeshift Iraqi Court, Harsh Justice For Those Accused Of Aiding ISIS

8:28am December 10, 2016

by Peter Kenyon

Working in difficult circumstances, lawyers and judges do their best to administer justice. NPR was present at a trial of a man accused of repairing ISIS vehicles. He and relatives denied ISIS links.

U.S.-Led Coalition Hits Main Mosul Hospital With Airstrike

12:47pm December 08, 2016

by Merrit Kennedy

The U.S.-led coalition fighting ISIS says it launched the strike at the request of the Iraqi military, and that ISIS was using the hospital complex as a command and control center.

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Civilians Face Heightened Danger As Iraqi Forces Fight To Retake Mosul

5:55pm December 06, 2016

by Peter Kenyon

As the number of injuries and deaths increase for civilians in Mosul and Iraqi troops trying to liberate them from ISIS, it raises questions about guidance that civilians should stay in place.

Iraqi children who were displaced by fighting in Mosul follow instructions given by a teacher, center, during an outdoor class at a camp for internally displaced people in Hassan Sham on Nov. 10.

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ISIS Drove Them From School, Now The Kids Of Mosul Want To Go Back

9:21am November 30, 2016

by Alice Fordham

A boy from Mosul, now in an Iraqi camp, quit school after ISIS took it over. "The children were terrified," says his mother. "They should be playing, and instead it was blood, blood everywhere."