Aug 27 Watch American hostages renew focus on U.S. ransom policy By PBS News Hour After 22 months in captivity, American journalist Peter Theo Curtis spoke publicly for the first time since his release from an al-Qaida affiliate in Syria. Meanwhile, Islamic State militants have threatened to kill journalist Steven Sotloff unless the U.S. stops… Continue watching
Aug 26 Watch Pressure is on for Iraqi factions to reconcile in face of extremist threat By PBS News Hour Continue watching
Aug 26 AP: American militant said killed in Syria By Eric Tucker, Associated Press WASHINGTON -- A U.S. official says an American man reported to have been killed in Syria was there to fight alongside a terrorist group, most likely the Islamic State. The official said Tuesday that investigators were aware that Douglas McArthur… Continue reading
Aug 26 American woman held hostage by Islamic State By Lara Jakes, Associated Press The Islamic State militant group is holding hostage a young American woman who was doing humanitarian aid work in Syria, a family representative said Tuesday. The 26-year-old woman is the third American known to have been kidnapped by the militant… Continue reading
Aug 25 Watch What should the U.S. do about the Islamic State? By PBS News Hour Islamic State fighters captured the last major military base in northeastern Syria on Sunday, bolstering its influence in the already unstable region. The U.S. kept up airstrikes against the group over the weekend, amid growing talk of an expanding ai… Continue watching
Aug 25 Busy end of August awaits as Obama returns to Washington By Jim Kuhnhenn, Associated Press WASHINGTON — While in office, former President George H. W. Bush once plaintively asked, "What is it about August?"… Continue reading
Aug 22 Watch Marcus and Gerson on lessons from Ferguson, Islamic State threat By PBS News Hour Continue watching
Aug 22 Watch Why Kurdish fighters lack the military might to thwart the Islamic State By PBS News Hour Continue watching
Aug 22 Islamic State militant group used less restrictive social network By Charles Pulliam-Moore The Islamic State extremist group began using a social networking website with less restrictions on users after other social media sites, Twitter and YouTube in particular, removed content related to the group. Continue reading
Aug 22 Dempsey hits Islamic militant ‘end-of-days’ vision By Associated Press WASHINGTON — America's top-ranked military officer says the surging Islamic State group has an "apocalyptic, end-of-days strategic vision" in the Middle East and cannot be defeated unless the United States and a coalition of partners confront it head-on in Syria. Continue reading