Iraq

Nearly a decade ago, the U.S. persuaded Sunni tribes to drop al-Qaida and fight alongside the Americans. The U.S. and the Iraq are now engaged in a similar effort to peel away support from ISIS.

The NBC News anchor admits his story of being on a helicopter hit by enemy fire in Iraq was untrue. The question is why the veteran newsman's tale took on new — and false — elements in recent years.

They are expected to head to Iraq in the coming weeks to build up an Iraqi Army that has all but fallen apart. The additional American soldiers and Marines will work out of an ever-expanding number of training sites around the country. U.S. officials expect ground operations sometime in the spring to take back territory seized by the so-called Islamic State.