Aug 11 U.S. begins sending arms to Kurdish forces in Iraq By Julie Pace, Lolita C. Baldor, Associated Press The officials wouldn't say which U.S. agency is providing the arms or what weapons are being sent, but one official said it isn't the Pentagon. The CIA has historically done similar quiet arming operations. Continue reading
Aug 09 Obama on Iraq airstrikes: U.S. will 'maintain vigilance' for as long as it takes By Carey Reed Before leaving on a two-week vacation to Martha's Vineyard, President Barack Obama gave an update on the U.S. airstrikes against the Sunni insurgent group, the Islamic State in Iraq and stressed that the U.S would maintain vigilance for as long… Continue reading
Aug 09 5 things you didn't know about Yazidis By Dave Sloan, Hari Sreenivasan Hari Sreenivasan recently spoke with Professor Christine Allison about the Yezidis, a Kurdish religious minority group who are being targeted by Islamic militants in Iraq. Professor Allison teaches at the University of Exeter where she focuses on Kurdish History… Continue reading
Aug 08 Obama's strategy is to contain extremists in Iraq By Robert Burns, Lara Jakes, Associated Press Obama insists he will not send American ground troops back to Iraq after having withdrawn them in 2011, fulfilling a campaign promise. Still, even the limited airstrikes against the vicious insurgency show the president's conviction that the U.S. military cannot… Continue reading
Jun 26 Iraqis trickling back to Mosul, but bracing for more violence By Larisa Epatko When Islamic militants swept into Mosul in northern Iraq earlier this month, at least 500,000 people fled the city. Some have since returned, but many others are watching and waiting in the nearby relatively peaceful Kurdish region. Continue reading