Middle East

U.S. airstrikes early Friday targeted an ISIS training camp near Sabratha, Libya, less than 50 miles west of Tripoli.

World News

U.S. Airstrike Targets ISIS Operative In Libya, Reportedly Killing At Least 40

10:27am February 19, 2016

by Bill Chappell

Intelligence analysts are now trying to confirm whether their main target, Noureddine Chouchane, is among the dead. The senior operative is blamed for deadly terrorist attacks in Tunisia.

World News

Aid Convoy Finally Reaches 5 Besieged Areas Of Syria

7:20pm February 18, 2016

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks to Jyri Rantanen, Red Cross and Red Crescent representative in Syria, about the aid convoy happening in Syria, which has gained access to five new cities that were previously under siege.

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World News

Conditions At Refugee Camps In Syria Are Deplorable, Aid Worker Says

7:19pm February 18, 2016

A field officer for the the aid organization Mercy Corps in northern Syria describes the daunting humanitarian mission on the ground. Mohammed wouldn't give his last name for fear of being a target.

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A convoy of vehicles carrying humanitarian aid sent by the United Nations moves toward the villages of Fua and Kafraya in Syria's Idlib province.

World News

Aid Arrives In 5 Besieged Syrian Areas Ahead Of Planned 'Cessation Of Hostilities'

3:54pm February 18, 2016

by Merrit Kennedy

The "cessation of hostilities" was supposed to take hold Friday but doesn't appear imminent as consultations continue. But badly needed humanitarian aid has arrived for some 80,000 people.

Iranian-American businessman Siamak Namazi, shown here in a snapshot at California's Golden Gate Bridge, was arrested by Iranian authorities in October.

World News

After Prisoner Swap, Anxiety Over Jailed Iranian-American Businessman

12:02pm February 18, 2016

by Steve Inskeep

The U.S. and Iran swapped prisoners last month, before the lifting of sanctions. But Siamak Namazi, an Iranian-American businessman, remains in an Iranian jail, raising concerns among the diaspora.

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Turkish forensic teams inspect the scene of Wednesday's explosion in Ankara, after a car bombing that targeted military vehicles. Turkey says a Syrian national carried out the attack.

World News

Turkey Arrests 14 Over Ankara Bombing; Leaders Blame Kurdish Groups

10:56am February 18, 2016

by Bill Chappell

"I'm sure that the number will be more than 14," President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says. "It has been revealed that the extensions of this attack are both inside- and outside-linked."

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A man passes a baby through the fence at the Serbia/Hungary border in Röszke, Hungary, 28 August 2015.

Haunting Photo Of Migrants Takes World Press Photo's Top Prize

10:49am February 18, 2016

by Merrit Kennedy

The winning image, taken by Australian photographer Warren Richardson, shows a man passing a baby through a razor-wire fence at the Hungarian-Serbian border.

World News

Explosion In Turkey's Capital Kills Dozens

6:26am February 18, 2016

by Peter Kenyon

A car bomb killed at least 28 people in Turkey's capital Ankara on Wednesday. Turkey's prime minister is blaming Kurdish militants for the attack, which was directed at a Turkish military convoy.

Iran To Countries Capping Oil Output: Good For You! But Not For Us

5:42pm February 17, 2016

by Marilyn Geewax

Iran applauded the effort led by Saudi Arabia and Russia to freeze oil production at January levels. But it would not commit itself to participating in plans to cap oil output to drive up prices.

World News

Afghanistan Remains Profoundly Corrupt After U.S. Invasion, Report Finds

5:11pm February 17, 2016

NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with Sayed Ikram Afzali, executive director of Integrity Watch Afghanistan, about the report released Wednesday about the corruption in Afghanistan and how it contributes to violent conflicts there.

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