Iraq

World News

Petraeus: Iran, Shiite Militias Bigger Threat To Iraq Than ISIS

3:08pm March 20, 2015

by Krishnadev Calamur

The former head of the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq also told The Washington Post the "Iranian regime is not our ally." His remarks come as the U.S. tries to conclude a nuclear deal with Iran.

Some of the artifacts that were handed over to Iraq during a ceremony Monday in Washington, D.C.

U.S. Returns Dozens Of Looted Artifacts To Iraq

3:31pm March 17, 2015

by Jackie Northam

Some of the artifacts date back more than 4,000 years. Among them is the head of a statue of Assyrian King Sargon II, similar to one destroyed by militants with the self-proclaimed Islamic State.

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U.S. Returns Dozens Of Artifacts To Iraqi Government

8:01pm March 16, 2015

by Jackie Northam

The U.S. handed over dozens of antiquities to the government of Iraq Monday. The cultural treasures, including a limestone head of the Assyrian King Sargon II, were looted from Iraq and smuggled into the U.S. It's taken more than seven years to identify the pieces and return them.

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Heavy smoke rises following an airstrike by the U.S.-led coalition aircraft in Kobani, Syria, during fighting between Syrian Kurds and the militants of the self-declared Islamic State in October 2014.

'State Of Terror': Where ISIS Came From And How To Fight It

12:34pm March 16, 2015

by NPR Staff

In their new book, terrorism experts Jessica Stern and J.M. Berger say that the "projection of strength" has led to the rapid expansion of the self-declared Islamic State.

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CIA Director John Brennan told an audience in New York on Friday that ISIS is facing internal divisions.

National

CIA Chief Says Governing Is Too Big A Job For ISIS

3:38pm March 15, 2015

by Dina Temple-Raston

Director John Brennan sees discord within the group, despite its great success at attracting new fighters.

World News

Iraqi Army Faces Critical Test In Battle Over Tikrit

9:48am March 13, 2015

The Iraqi city is the centerpiece of a battle between the self-proclaimed Islamic State, also known as ISIS, and Iraqi government forces. Renee Montagne talks to Anne Barnard of The New York Times.

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World News

Iraqi Forces Gaining Ground In Tikrit Offensive

9:46am March 13, 2015

The Iraqi government offensive against Islamic State fighters in the city of Tikrit, Iraq, is seeing some success. The largely Sunni city has been held by Islamists since last June.

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Shiite militiamen pose with their banner (right) next to a captured â and upside-down â ISIS flag (left) in Tikrit, Iraq. Militias are bolstering Iraqi forces in a major operation to retake the city from the self-proclaimed Islamic State.

Iraqi Force Makes More Gains Toward Taking Tikrit From ISIS

11:15am March 12, 2015

by Bill Chappell

Iraqi Defense Minister Khaled al-Obeidi visited the region Thursday, saying on state TV that the next phase of the operation is "critical" to the effort to control the strategic city of Tikrit.

World News

Lower Oil Prices Hurt Iraq's Fight Against ISIS

7:37am March 12, 2015

Renee Montagne talks to Ben Van Heuvelen, managing editor of Iraq Oil Report, about how falling oil prices are affecting Iraq's fight against the self-proclaimed Islamic State, also known as ISIS.

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Iraq's push into Tikrit follows its retaking of the nearby town of al-Alam on Tuesday. There, a woman welcomed a relative who is fighting with a militia that's backing Iraqi troops.

World News

Iraqi Forces Reportedly Enter Tikrit In Push Against ISIS

7:07pm March 11, 2015

by Bill Chappell

Officials and witnesses say an Iraqi force now controls part of northern Tikrit, the city that was taken last June by the self-proclaimed Islamic State.