Nov 29 Watch New gains seen as Iraqi army pushes back against Islamic State fighters By PBS News Hour Just a few months ago, some U.S. officials worried that ISIS could be in a position to overtake Baghdad. But now there are new signs of confidence in the fight against the extremist group. For more, Douglas Ollivant, a partner… Continue watching
Nov 16 ISIS claims to have executed American aid worker By Julie Pace, Associated Press The White House says the U.S. intelligence community is working to determine the authenticity of a video that purports to show that Islamic State militants have beheaded American aid worker Peter Kassig. Continue reading
Nov 08 Watch ‘Is this mission creep?’ Why is the US sending additional troops to Iraq? By PBS News Hour Several bombings in and around Baghdad came one day after President Barack Obama announced plans to expand the US role in Iraq. For more on this, Anthony Cordesman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies joins Hari Sreenivasan in… Continue watching
Nov 08 Obama’s plan to expand role in Iraq hinges on OK from Congress By Lolita C. Baldor, Associated Press Congress members returning to Capitol Hill next week will face a debate over President Barack Obama's new $5.6 billion plan to expand the U.S. mission in Iraq and send up to 1,500 more American troops to the war-torn nation. Continue reading
Nov 03 Canada launches first air strikes against Islamic State targets By Joshua Barajas Over the weekend, Canadian fighter jets launched the country’s first airstrikes against ISIS strongholds since joining the U.S.-led campaign to combat the extremist group in Iraq, Canada’s defense minister said. Continue reading
Oct 28 Latest Islamic State propaganda video depicts British hostage as war correspondent By Ayan Sheikh Freelance British photojournalist, John Cantlie — abducted in 2012 along with U.S. journalist James Foley — appears in the Islamic State’s latest video as a foreign correspondent reporting from the Syrian town of Kobani, the New York Times reported. Continue reading
Oct 23 Islamic State group earning $1 million per day in black market oil, U.S. says By Deb Riechmann, Associated Press WASHINGTON — Islamic State militants are raking in money at a remarkable rate, earning about $1 million a day from black market oil sales alone, a Treasury Department official said Thursday. David Cohen, who leads the department’s effort to undermine… Continue reading
Oct 22 Watch State Department faces criticism in uphill social media war against Islamic State group By PBS News Hour Three teenage girls from Denver were detained in Germany last weekend by American authorities under suspicion of joining the Islamic State. The militant group lures recruits worldwide with a sophisticated social media operation. Margaret Warner reports on how the U.S. Continue watching
Oct 18 Watch A step forward in ISIS fight? Iraq lawmakers approve Sunni, Shiite ministers By PBS News Hour For more on the Iraq parliament’s approval of Sunni and Shiite ministers, ISIS’s presence in Anbar province and the group’s encroachment on Baghdad, Douglas Ollivant, a partner with global strategic consulting firm Mantid International, joins Hari Sreenivasan from Washington. Continue watching
Oct 17 Kobani key to U.S. strategy against Islamic State By Lara Jakes, Associated Press WASHINGTON — Dusty and remote, the Syrian city of Kobani has become an unlikely spoil in the war against Islamic State militants — and far more of a strategic prize than the United States wants to admit. Continue reading