Mar 04 Watch 8:07 U.S. General leading coalition sees momentum in fight against Islamic State By PBS News Hour American warplanes are staying out of Iraq’s offensive against Tikrit, instead targeting Islamic State militants elsewhere. Judy Woodruff talks to retired Gen. John Allen, special presidential envoy to the coalition fighting the Islamic State, about how the U.S. is supporting… Continue watching
Mar 04 Watch 2:26 Islamic State blunted by U.S. efforts, says Pentagon By PBS News Hour On Monday, Iraq launched an operation to retake Tikrit, its biggest offensive yet against the Islamic State militants who have controlled portions of Syria and Iraq since last summer. A dozen nations have launched thousands of airstrikes against the group,… Continue watching
Mar 02 Watch 4:29 News Wrap: Iraq launches offensive to retake Tikrit from Islamic State By PBS News Hour In our news wrap Monday, Iraqi security forces began a ground and air assault on the city of Tikrit, currently held by the Islamic State militant group. Also, Sen. Barbara Mikulski, the longest-serving woman in Congress, announced she won’t seek… Continue watching
Mar 02 Iraq reopens museum in defiance of jihadist threat By Larisa Epatko The Iraqi National Museum, ransacked after the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, has reopened 12 years later displaying ancient winged creatures, tablets and sculptures in stone. Continue reading
Feb 23 Defense secretary Carter gathers war council on Islamic State group By Robert Burns, Associated Press CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait — U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter convened an extraordinary war council Monday on Iraq's doorstep, six days after taking office, to discuss the nitty-gritty of the administration's oft-criticized strategy for countering the Islamic State militant group and… Continue reading
Feb 19 Watch 10:24 Freed but not free: Yazidi girls who escaped Islamic State are trapped by trauma By Marcia Biggs Last summer, militants from the Islamic State group attacked a small ethnic group called the Yazidis, executing men and taking thousands of women and girls as slaves. Special correspondent Marcia Biggs reports from Northern Iraq on the rape, violence, threats… Continue watching
Feb 19 Mission to retake Mosul likely to begin in April, May By Lolita C. Baldor, Associated Press The operation to retake Iraq's second largest city from Islamic State militants will likely begin in April or May and will involve about 12 Iraqi brigades, or between 20,000 and 25,000 troops, a senior U.S. military official said Thursday. Continue reading
Feb 18 Photos: Lynsey Addario's life as a witness to war By Victoria Fleischer Photojournalist Lynsey Addario has covered conflict in Sudan, Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya. She tells her story in her new memoir, “It’s What I Do: A Photographer’s Life of Love and War.”… Continue reading
Feb 13 Watch 5:24 News Wrap: Oregon governor resigns amid ethics scandal By PBS News Hour Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber announced his resignation Friday amid allegations that his fiancee used his influence to secure contracts for her energy consulting business. In Iraq, Islamic State militants attacked a major base west of Baghdad where 400 U.S. marines… Continue watching
Feb 12 Obama's successor could inherit Middle East conflict By Julie Pace, Associated Press WASHINGTON — Seeking war power authority for three years, President Barack Obama is setting up the prospect that his successor will become the third American president in a row overseeing U.S. military forces grappling with turmoil in the Middle East. Continue reading