Iraq

World News

Battle For Mosul Heats Up As Iraqi Forces Fight To Free City From ISIS

6:28pm November 28, 2016

The city of Mosul, Iraq, is under heavy fire as Iraqi troops try to free the city from ISIS control. NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with the International Rescue Committee's head of Iraq programming, Alex Milutinovic, about conditions in the city.

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More Civilians Flee ISIS-Held Iraqi City Of Mosul

5:01am November 28, 2016

by Peter Kenyon

The Iraqi Army, Kurdish fighters and Shiite militias are all grinding toward the city of Mosul. Civilians are fleeing the city in greater numbers, resigning themselves to spending winter in a tent.

Archaeologist Layla Salih looks around the ancient site of Nimrud, in northern Iraq, outside Mosul. The Islamic State captured the area in 2014 and destroyed many of its archaeological treasures that date back 3,000 years. The extremist group was recently

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In Northern Iraq, ISIS Leaves Behind An Archaeological Treasure In Ruins

8:00am November 26, 2016

by Alice Fordham

Iraqi forces recently drove the Islamic State from the ancient site of Nimrud. But during its stay, the extremist shattered freizes, leaving cuneiform texts strewn around the desert.

Shiite worshippers gather for Arbaeen in Karbala on Nov. 20. Dozens of Shiite pilgrims were targeted for attack Thursday after the holiday, which marks the end of the 40-day mourning period after the anniversary of the 7th century martyrdom of Imam Hussei

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At Least 57 Dead In Iraq Truck Bombing Targeting Shiite Muslims

5:06pm November 24, 2016

by Laura Wagner

The victims included Iranians who were returning from a major religious pilgrimage in the Iraqi city of Karbala.

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Iraqi Special Forces Spread Thin By Mosul Battle

9:29am November 20, 2016

by Alice Fordham

An Iraqi special forces commander worries that the battle to force ISIS from the city of Mosul is too dependent on his elite troops.

Iraqi soldiers pose on a tank they captured from ISIS in a small base a few miles east of Mosul.

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The Fight For Mosul, Underway For A Month, Is Only Just Beginning

4:58pm November 18, 2016

by Alice Fordham

Iraqi security forces, paramilitaries and international allies still face stiff resistance from ISIS in the city's outskirts. Inside the city, soldiers say civilians are being used as human shields.

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Fight Slows Down After Iraqi Forces Enter ISIS-Held City Of Mosul

6:28pm November 17, 2016

by Alice Fordham

The Iraqi and U.S. offensive to try to force ISIS from the city of Mosul has been underway for nearly a month. But the fight for the city itself is just beginning.

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President-elect Donald Trump speaks at the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention in Charlotte, N.C., on July 26. Trump has no military experience, but will become commander in chief at a time when the U.S. is bombing targets in four separate wars.

How Will Trump Handle America's Multiple Wars?

1:33pm November 16, 2016

by Greg Myre

No incoming president has started his term with the U.S. military engaged in four separate conflicts. Trump has offered few clues about his plans aside from a sweeping pledge to destroy ISIS.

World News

Displaced Iraqis In Mosul Look Forward To Reuniting With Relatives

6:26am November 15, 2016

by Alice Fordham

As families flee from the ISIS-held areas around the Iraqi city of Mosul, they're put in detention. Relatives who were displaced long ago crowd the other side of the fence trying to visit with them.

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Political Obstacles May Hinder Retaking Of 2 ISIS Holdouts

7:28am November 14, 2016

by Tom Bowman

As Iraqi forces move into Mosul, they face resistance from ISIS fighters. In Syria, local forces have started an operation to recapture Raqqa, the defacto capital of ISIS.

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