Philip’s Recent Stories
World May 15
U.S. pulls nonessential embassy staff from Iraq amid Mideast tensionsIt's the latest sign of tensions sweeping the Persian Gulf region over still-unspecified threats that the Trump administration says are linked to Iran.
World Mar 09
US-backed fighters could soon resume offensive against ISU.S.-backed fighters could soon resume an offensive against the Islamic State group in the last area they control in Syria, an official said Saturday, adding that the battle against the extremists is expected to take three days.
World Jan 11
U.S. official says withdrawal from Syria has begunAfter days of conflicting statements about a timeline for U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to pull out American troops from Syria, a U.S. military official said Friday that the withdrawal process has begun, declining to comment on specific timetables or…
World Jan 09
In surprise visit to Iraq, Pompeo seeks to reassure Kurds on Syria withdrawalSecretary of State Mike Pompeo's Mideast tour is meant to promote the White House's hard-line position on Iran.
World Dec 27
Iraqi lawmakers demand U.S. troops to withdraw after Trump visitIraqi lawmakers were smarting after the U.S. president left three hours after he arrived without meeting any officials, drawing unfavorable comparisons to the occupation of Iraq after the 2003 invasion.
Politics Dec 20
AP fact check: Trump prematurely declares victory over Islamic State groupPresident Donald Trump is declaring victory over the Islamic State group in Syria, but the militants remain a deadly force, and U.S. partners warn a premature U.S. withdrawal will allow them to storm back. Here's a look at the president's…
World Jul 12
Syrian rebels surrender Daraa, the city where protests first ignited in 2011Protests in Daraa in 2011 against the government's mistreatment of teenage detainees ignited a national revolt against decades of authoritarian rule. Syria eventually descended into a full-blown civil war that has claimed the lives of some 400,000 people and displaced…
World May 20
Iraq’s al-Sadr, promising reform, is constrained by IranIraq's Muqtada al-Sadr, the maverick Shiite cleric whose political coalition beat out Iran's favored candidates to come in first in national elections, says he wants to form a government that puts Iraqis first.
World May 14
Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr takes early lead in Iraq electionWidespread disillusionment with Iraq's current political class appears to have helped the political coalition of influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr become the early front-runner in national elections marked by record low turnout.
World May 12
Polls close across Iraq in first vote since victory over ISISPolls have closed across Iraq Saturday evening in the first national election since the country declared victory over the Islamic State group.
