Iraq

World News

Video Of Extremist Sunni Group's Leader Needs To Be Confirmed

1:14pm July 07, 2014

by Alice Fordham

A man claiming to be the leader of the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, appeared in a video this weekend leading prayers. He has taken the name Caliph Ibrahim and claims to rule over all Muslims.

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If Map Of Middle East Is Being Redrawn, What Lies Ahead For Kurds?

6:26pm July 03, 2014

Violence in Iraq has many wondering if the map of the Middle East is being redrawn before the world's eyes. If so, Iraqi Kurds might stand to gain, with an independent Kurdistan finally within reach.

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The shrine of Imam Ali in Najaf, shown here in 2007, is one of the holiest Shiite Muslim sites. The quiet city is home to numerous clerics, who traditionally do not involve themselves in politics.

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In Iraq's Sacred City Of Najaf, Clerics Call On Shiites To Fight

1:08pm July 03, 2014

by Alice Fordham

Senior Shiite Muslim clerics usually stay out of politics. But they've broken with tradition and issued a call to arms. Shiites are now volunteering — and dying — in the fight against Sunni Muslims.

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While Militants Gain Ground, Iraqis Search Out Hope In Future

7:37pm July 01, 2014

Iraqi human rights advocate Hanaa Edwar joins Melissa Block to offer her perspective on the country's security crisis, its effects on daily life and the hopes Iraqis have for the future.

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Baghdad Sits In Limbo As Government Forces Push Back On ISIS

6:22pm June 28, 2014

Middle East correspondent Alice Fordham has the latest from Iraq, where she says Sunni militants are unlikely to conquer Baghdad outright. She speaks to NPR's Arun Rath from the Iraqi capital.

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ISIS Controls Northern Cities, But Local Forces Run Them

6:22pm June 28, 2014

NPR'S Arun Rath talks to The Guardian's Ghaith Abdul-Ahad about how Sunnis in Iraq view the insurgent group and whether there is still the possibility of a political solution to the violence there.

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Kerry Urges Mideast Leaders To Contain ISIS

12:43pm June 28, 2014

The U.S. can't do much in Iraq without support from the Saudis, Emiratis and other regional players, as international correspondent Jackie Northam tells NPR's Scott Simon.

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Angry At Shiite-Led Government, Sunnis Are Loath To Help Calm Iraq

5:44am June 26, 2014

by Alice Fordham

Minority Sunnis are helping the militants sweeping Iraq's north and west. The support of ordinary Sunnis shows how difficult it will be to reverse the sectarian partition that's already happening.

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Dexter Filkins On ISIS And The 'Bitter Consequences' Of The Iraq War

4:42pm June 25, 2014

The journalist who covered the war in Iraq, and its aftermath, details the militant Sunni Islamist group, the power it has in Iraq and Syria and how its war is destabilizing neighboring countries.

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Iraqi Crisis Brings Focus On Indian Migrants Who Seek Profit Amid Peril

7:14pm June 24, 2014

by Julie McCarthy

When the northern Iraqi city of Mosul was captured by Sunni militants, 40 Indian construction workers were taken hostage. It's one of the first diplomatic challenges for the new government in India, which sees millions of migrant workers move abroad and send some $70 billion back home to family.

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