• Obama: U.S. lacks 'complete strategy' for training Iraqis

    Obama: U.S. lacks 'complete strategy' for training Iraqis

    Jun 08, 2015 04:45 PM EST

    ... told reporters Monday that the U.S. wants to be able to increase the number of Iraqi troops being trained, but to do that the Iraq government has to increase the number of troops it provides. As of June 4, the U.S. had trained 8,920 Iraqi troops at ...

  • Shields and Brooks on Dennis Hastert charges, Ashton Carter Iraq comments

    Shields and Brooks on Dennis Hastert charges, Ashton Carter Iraq comments

    May 29, 2015 11:23 PM EST

    Syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks join Judy Woodruff to discuss the week’s news, including the indictment and allegations of misconduct against former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter’s comments about the Iraqi army’s defeat at Ramadi, 2016 campaign announcements from Rick Santorum and George Pataki.

  • News Wrap: Biden calls Iraq’s PM after Carter comments

    News Wrap: Biden calls Iraq’s PM after Carter comments

    May 25, 2015 11:16 PM EST

    ... the Islamic State group. In a statement, White House officials said the vice president's phone call -- quote -- "recognized the enormous sacrifice and bravery of Iraqi forces." That came after Defense Secretary Ash Carter had blamed the loss of Ramadi on Iraqi troops who ran away. ASHTON CARTER, Secretary of ...

  • Are strained relations with Iraq hurting the fight against Islamic State?

    Are strained relations with Iraq hurting the fight against Islamic State?

    May 25, 2015 10:44 PM EST

    ... the Iraqi troops ran away, that they didn't have the will to fight. But then you had today the vice president, Biden, calling the Iraqi prime minister to say, no, Iraqi troops are doing a great job. Which is it? DOUGLAS OLLIVANT: Well, and just a few weeks ago ...

  • U.S. officials concerned about Iraq's 'will to fight' after Ramadi

    U.S. officials concerned about Iraq's 'will to fight' after Ramadi

    May 24, 2015 03:41 PM EST

    ... Ramadi in central Iraq a week ago, which has revived concerns about U.S. efforts to fight the group. The Obama administration's approach in Iraq is a blend of retraining and rebuilding the Iraqi army, prodding the Shiite-dominated government in Baghdad to reconcile with the nation's Sunnis ...

  • What's life like in the areas of Syria and Iraq recently captured by ISIS?

    What's life like in the areas of Syria and Iraq recently captured by ISIS?

    May 23, 2015 09:38 PM EST

    ... HARI SREENIVASAN, PBS NEWSHOUR WEEKEND ANCHOR: Returning to Iraq and Syria and ISIS gains in the region, I’m joined now from Baghdad via Skype, Washington Post reporter Loveday Morris. So, let’s start in Palmyra. It gets a lot of press because it’s a U.N. World ...

  • Islamic State expands territory in Syria, Iraq and Libya

    Islamic State expands territory in Syria, Iraq and Libya

    May 21, 2015 11:35 PM EST

    ... GWEN IFILL: But the seizure of Palmyra does mean that ISIS now controls even more Syrian territory. And hundreds of miles to the east, in Iraq, the militants today followed up their capture of Ramadi by overrunning Iraqi military positions east of the city. The group also scored gains in ...

  • After losing Ramadi, Iraq calls on Shiite militias to fight Islamic State

    After losing Ramadi, Iraq calls on Shiite militias to fight Islamic State

    May 18, 2015 11:42 PM EST

    ... the same fate as Tikrit. It will be liberated from the grasp of the extremist terrorists and victory in the end will be for the Iraqi people and the Iraqi state. GWEN IFILL: And Iran's defense minister flew to Baghdad for talks with the Iraqi army chief of staff ...

  • Key Iraqi city of Ramadi falls to ISIS after security forces pull out

    Key Iraqi city of Ramadi falls to ISIS after security forces pull out

    May 17, 2015 09:17 PM EST

    ... major Iraqi city in the hands of Islamic State. It already controls Mosul, Iraq's second largest city. And now Ramadi is the capital of Iraq's largest province. It's also a huge setback for the government campaign launched last month to reclaim Anbar province, which is really Iraq ...

  • Iraq War judged a mistake by White House hopefuls

    Iraq War judged a mistake by White House hopefuls

    May 17, 2015 05:58 PM EST

    WASHINGTON -- A dozen years later, American politics has reached a rough consensus about the Iraq War: It was a mistake. Politicians hoping to be president rarely run ahead of public opinion. So it's a revealing moment when the major contenders for president in both parties find it best to ...