Middle East

Yemeni soldiers hold up their weapons at an area seized from al-Qaida in the southeastern province of Shabwa, Yemen, on May 8. President Obama said Wednesday that U.S. strategy against the so-called Islamic State would be similar to how it targeted milita

World News

Are Yemen And Somalia Good Examples Of U.S. Anti-Terror Strategy?

12:19pm September 12, 2014

by Krishnadev Calamur

President Obama says the strategy the U.S. would pursue against the Islamic State would be similar to how it targets al-Qaida affiliates in Yemen and Somalia. But both countries are deeply unstable.

World News

Obama's ISIS Plan A 'Sunni Awakening: Part Two'

9:00am September 12, 2014

by Audie Cornish

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.

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A young Iraqi on Thursday stands amid the debris of a double car bomb attack in Baghdad. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. President Obama's plan to attack Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria will require help from partners on the grou

Obama's Plan: The Pros And Cons

8:14am September 12, 2014

by Greg Myre

The president has opted for an open-ended air campaign to fight the Islamic State. A look at what it will take to make the plan work and the risks that could cause it to fail.

House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, on Capitol Hill on Thursday. Boehner says Congress stands ready to work with the president on the threat from Islamic State militants.

Boehner: House GOP 'Ready To Work With The President'

3:31pm September 11, 2014

by Scott Neuman

The House speaker said Congress "ought to give the president what he's asking for" but also expressed skepticism, saying the White House plan to defeat Islamic State militants doesn't go far enough.

President Obama delivers a prime-time address from the Cross Hall of the White House on Wednesday. He pledged to lead a broad coalition against the Islamic State insurgents and vowed to target the terrorist group with airstrikes "wherever they exist."

Opinion Pages Offer Support On Plan To Combat Islamic State

1:25pm September 11, 2014

by Scott Neuman

Editorials in major U.S. dailies signaled cautious backing of President Obama's plan to broaden an American-led offensive against the insurgency.

Fijian U.N. peacekeepers released by the group Nusra Front in Syria on Thursday as they arrive in Israeli-held territory on the Golan Heights.

World News

Fijian Peacekeepers Released By Syrian Nusra Front Rebels

11:44am September 11, 2014

by Scott Neuman

The 45 U.N. troops were taken hostage last month on the Syrian-controlled side of the Golan Heights.

Politics & Government

Congress Will Eventually Vote On Force Against Islamist Militants

8:24am September 11, 2014

Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee Mike Rogers talks to Steve Inskeep about whether Congress will authorize military action against militant members of the Islamic State.

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Politics & Government

Islamic State Is A Serious Threat To U.S. Interests, Rubio Says

8:24am September 11, 2014

President Obama has laid out his strategy for dealing with militant members of the Islamic State. Steve Inskeep talks to Republican Sen. Marco Rubio for his reaction.

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President Obama has been wary of open-ended military commitments in the Middle East. But the president, shown speaking in Estonia on Sept. 3, now appears likely to expand the current bombing campaign against the Islamic State.

How Far Will President Obama Go?

1:43pm September 10, 2014

by Greg Myre

The president has spent most of his tenure scaling back the U.S. military role in the Middle East. Now he appears poised to broaden an operation that will bring with it substantial risks.

Obama To Push Military Campaign Against Islamic State Militants

8:01am September 10, 2014

by Scott Horsley

Experts say it's not so much the American people that the president has to convince, but the Middle East leaders he's counting on for help.

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