Jan 29 'I am Kenji' Facebook page rallies around Japanese hostage By Larisa Epatko A hastily constructed Facebook page, titled “I am Kenji,” calls for Islamic State militants to free Japanese journalist Kenji Goto. His captors gave a deadline of sundown Thursday to work out a prisoner swap for a female attempted suicide bomber. Continue reading
Jan 28 Watch 6:15 What's behind Islamic State's prisoner swap demand? By PBS News Hour The Jordanian government said it would release a female Iraqi suicide bomber who had been sentenced to death, in exchange for a pilot captured by the Islamic State in December. Chief foreign affairs correspondent Margaret Warner joins Gwen Ifill to… Continue watching
Sep 24 Radical cleric Abu Qatada acquitted of terrorism charges in Jordan By Justin Scuiletti A Jordanian court today found radical cleric Abu Qatada not guilty of conspiring to attack tourists during Jordan's New Year celebrations in 2000, citing insufficient evidence. Continue reading
Sep 18 Watch What role should Mideast countries play in Islamic State fight? By PBS News Hour The Obama administration has been drumming up support for the U.S. plan against the Islamic State. How do Middle Eastern nations regard the militant group and the U.S. strategy? Hari Sreenivasan gets reaction from Robin Wright of the United States… Continue watching
Sep 08 Watch U.S. and allies prepare new campaign against Islamic State By PBS News Hour President Obama outlined a multi-step plan to defeat the Islamic State group in an interview on Sunday. According to reports, the expanded air offensive could last years, but the president insisted that it would not include combat troops and that… Continue watching
Sep 04 Obama, Cameron: We will 'not be cowed' by Islamic State militants By Julie Pace, Associated Press NEWPORT, Wales — NATO leaders grappled Thursday with whether the alliance has a role in containing a mounting militant threat in the Middle East, as heads of state converged in Wales for a high-stakes summit also focused on the crisis… Continue reading
Aug 29 Who will help the U.S. battle the Islamic State in Syria? By Bradley Klapper, Associated Press In the last year-and-a-half, Islamic State extremists have fought the Syrian army, Hezbollah and Iranian forces. They've clashed with al-Qaida's local affiliate, routed Iraq's army and pushed back Kurdish peshmerga fighters. American airstrikes in Iraq have recently caused somewhat of… Continue reading
Jun 08 Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi is sworn in as Egypt's new president By Kayla Ruble Egypt’s new president and former army chief Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi was sworn into office on Sunday following last week’s elections -- the second free elections in the country’s history. Continue reading
May 24 Watch Pope Francis stresses commonalities in trip to Middle East By PBS News Hour Pope Francis met with King Abdullah in Jordan Saturday on the first day of a three-day tour of the Middle East, stressing the relationships between Christianity, Judaism and Islam. This is only the fourth visit of a pope to the… Continue watching