Iraq

The Obama administration's strategy for combating the Islamic State relies on ground forces provided by Iraq and Syria because the White House says it will not send U.S. combat troops. In Iraq, that means trying to win back Sunnis in areas where the group controls territory. Something similar happened during the Iraq war: it was called the Sunni Awakening.

The New York Times Baghdad bureau chief Tim Arango has been reporting from Iraq for five years and has watched the rise of the Islamic State militants. He gives Fresh Air his take on the situation.

American airstrikes pounded Islamic State position in Iraq's Western Anbar province to allow a coalition of tribal fighters and Iraqi forces to make gains.