Iraq

A flag of the Islamic State — aka ISIS, aka ISIL — is seen on the other side of a bridge at the front line of fighting between Kurdish Pesh Merga fighters and Islamist militants in Rashad, Iraq, on Thursday. The group is referred to differently depend

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ISIS, ISIL Or Islamic State: What's In A Name?

3:01pm September 15, 2014

by NPR Staff

The disparities in naming are partly because of translation difficulties, and partly a sign of a propaganda war. The group calls itself the Islamic State; the Obama administration goes with ISIL.

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French President Francois Hollande (right) and Iraqi President Fuad Masum attend the Conference for Peace and Security in Iraq at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Paris on Monday. The two leaders were among those urging quick action against Islamic Stat

Leaders Meet In Paris To Forge Fight Against Islamic State Militants

12:44pm September 15, 2014

by Scott Neuman

Representatives from more than 20 countries have gathered in the French capital to form a coalition to defeat the insurgency.

Secretary of State John Kerry arrives at Queen Alia International Airport in Amman, Jordan, on Wednesday, ahead of a stop in Iraq. Kerry is hoping to nail down support for a U.S. plan to combat the Islamic State insurgency in Iraq and Syria.

Kerry Seeks Iraq's Support On Move Against Islamic State

3:49am September 15, 2014

by Scott Neuman

The secretary of state's visit to Baghdad comes ahead of President Obama's speech tonight to outline a plan to combat the militant group.

World News

U.S. Says Allies In Middle East And Elsewhere Want To Help Fight ISIS

8:11pm September 14, 2014

by Bill Chappell

On a weekend that saw extremist group the Islamic State release a video showing the murder of a Western hostage, support for a coalition to fight the group is building.

A frame grab from a video released by the Islamic State shows an IS militant holding a knife before purportedly executing British aid worker David Cawthorne Haines.

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ISIS 'Are Not Muslims, They Are Monsters,' Cameron Says

8:01pm September 14, 2014

by Bill Chappell

This weekend, David Haines' family publicly asked his captors to contact them. Instead, the group released its third video showing a Western hostage being killed.

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Cameron Condemns Execution Of British Aid Worker By ISIS

3:45pm September 14, 2014

The Islamic State militant group released a video showing the execution of British aid worker David Haines. NPR's Lynn Neary talks with the BBC's Gordon Corera about the reaction in the U.K.

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Islamic State Video Shows Execution Of British Aid Worker

11:56am September 14, 2014

The Islamic State militant group released a video showing the execution of British aid worker David Haines. NPR's Lynn Neary talks with NY Times reporter Steven Erlanger about the U.K. reaction.

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Will Obama's Plan Be Enough To Quell Islamic State?

11:56am September 14, 2014

Last week, President Obama laid out a plan to fight the Islamic State. NPR's Lynn Neary talks to David Rothkopf, CEO and editor of Foreign Policy magazine, about Obama's foreign policy strategy.

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Iraqi troops in Anbar province in June. It's unclear whether Sunnis will join the U.S. in the fight against the Islamic State.

U.S. Call To Fight Militants Stirs Bitter Memories For Iraq's Sunnis

11:56am September 14, 2014

by Alice Fordham

President Obama wants Sunnis to join the battle against the Islamic State. But those who helped fight al-Qaida several years ago feel abused by the Iraqi military, and now are not so eager to sign up.

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Is It ISIS or ISIL? That Depends On Who You're Asking

11:41am September 14, 2014

by Tom Dreisbach

The White House, Pentagon and the State Department all call the group ISIL, while many news organizations refer to the group as ISIS, and the group itself says it is simply the Islamic State.

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