Middle East

An Iraqi soldier takes position in Iraq's Anbar province. The U.S. will send 450 military advisers to Iraq to help in the fight against ISIS, but they will have a another challenge to gain the trust of Sunni leaders, as they did in 2007.

Will The U.S. Win A Second Chance At A Sunni Awakening?

2:20pm June 15, 2015

by Rachel Martin

In 2007, Sunni sheikhs, fed up with al-Qaida, started fighting alongside the U.S. in Iraq. The U.S. needs help again, this time against ISIS militants. But can they win Sunni trust a second time?

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U.S. Airstrike In Libya Kills Algerian Militant

2:11pm June 15, 2015

by Dina Temple-Raston

Pentagon officials have confirmed that the leader of al-Qaida's arm in North Africa Mokhtar Belmokhtar was killed in a U.S. airstrike in Libya over the weekend. He was notorious for taking hostages.

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A dangerous nuzzle? A man in western Abu Dhabi hugs a camel brought in from Saudi Arabia for beauty contests. Middle East respiratory syndrome circulates in camels across the Arabian Peninsula.

Why MERS Is Likely To Crop Up Outside The Middle East Again

2:09pm June 15, 2015

by Jason Beaubien

It's unknown what triggers an outbreak of Middle East respiratory syndrome. But scientists think the virus comes from camels. So until we stop it in animals, MERS will continue to cause trouble.

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National

Examining U.S. Anti-ISIS Strategy

11:46am June 15, 2015

NPR's Scott Simon gets reaction from the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Republican Mac Thornberry of Texas, to the Obama administration's plan to send more military trainers to Iraq.

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Saudi Arabia Opens Its Stock Exchange To Foreign Investors

8:07am June 15, 2015

by Deborah Amos

Saudi Arabia's stock market opened on Monday to foreign traders for the first time. Why have the Saudis opened the market now, and what does it mean for the market and for investors?

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Yemen Peace Talks To Begin Monday

10:41pm June 14, 2015

NPR's Arun Rath talks to journalist Safa Al Ahmad about her time embedded with Houthi rebels in Yemen and the situation on the ground on the eve of Monday's U.N. peace talks in Geneva. Nearly 2000 Yemeni civilians have died in fighting since March.

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Houthi supporters in Yemen's capital hold up at a defaced poster of the ousted president, Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, during a demonstration against air strikes by Saudi Arabia. The Saudis, who have been bombing Yemen since March, are hosting Hadi and other

World News

For Yemen's Ousted President, A Five-Star Exile With No End In Sight

5:23pm June 14, 2015

by Deborah Amos

Talks to resolve the conflict in Yemen begin Monday in Geneva. Yemen's ousted president and his former ministers are hoping it will lead to a return to their homeland.

Egyptian security forces take up positions during anti-government demonstrations in Cairo last November. Egyptian activists have been disappearing in growing numbers, and human rights groups say they believe the security forces are responsible.

World News

As Egyptian Activists Vanish, Suspicion Falls On The Security Forces

3:21pm June 14, 2015

by Leila Fadel

Egyptian activists disappeared in years past and now it's happening again, according to human rights groups. They are again blaming the security forces, who have been cracking down on dissent.

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Dawn at the now closed Camp X-Ray, which was used as the first detention facility for al-Qaida and Taliban militants who were captured after the Sept. 11 attacks at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba.

6 Yemeni Prisoners Released From Gitmo

1:05pm June 13, 2015

by Scott Neuman

It is the first such release in five months from the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and the first to be approved by Defense Secretary Ash Carter.

World News

Saudi Arabia's King Shakes Up Region With Assertive Foreign Policy

2:25pm June 11, 2015

by Deborah Amos

Saudi Arabia's new king has been on the throne for just a few months. He launched an air campaign in Yemen against Shiite rebels, and he also increased support for anti-government rebels in Syria.

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