Iraq

World News

Iraq Has New Leadership, Al-Malaki Will Step Aside

7:36am August 15, 2014

by Peter Kenyon

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has agreed to step down. Maliki said he is not seeking a post in the new government and that he supports the nomination of Haider al-Abadi to succeed him.

Queue Listen Now

World News

Northern Iraq Burdened With Military, Humanitarian Crises

8:33am August 14, 2014

Steve Inskeep talks to Tom Bowman about the U.S. thinking on the humanitarian crisis. David Greene gets an assessment of the U.S. military's re-engagement in Iraq from retired Gen. Michael Barbero.

Queue Listen Now

World News

Hagel Says Rescue Mission At Iraq's Mt. Sinjar Is No Longer Needed

10:32pm August 13, 2014

Fewer Yazidis were on the mountain and they were in better condition than expected, Hagel says. The area has been under siege by militants. Robert Seigel discusses the decision with NPR's David Welna.

Queue Listen Now

World News

U.S. Response In Iraq: From Emergency Solution To Slate Of Paths Forward

9:45pm August 12, 2014

by Robert Siegel

The U.S. has begun sending humanitarian aid and conducting limited airstrikes in the attempt to protect Iraq's refugee populations. Going forward, the U.S. is facing several possible approaches there.

Queue Listen Now

World News

Politicians Battle For Control Of Iraq's Central Government

7:42am August 12, 2014

Iraq's president on Monday named a new prime minister to replace Nouri al Maliki, but Maliki refuses to leave. David Greene gets the latest from Tim Arango of The New York Times.

Queue Listen Now

World News

Religious Refugees Flee ISIS; Head To Kurdistan Border

7:42am August 12, 2014

Steve Inskeep talks to Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani of the Kurdistan Regional Government, for the latest news on the conflict with the Islamic State Of Iraq.

Queue Listen Now

World News

Kurdish Forces Reclaim 2 Iraqi Cities Taken By Sunni Extremists

8:04am August 11, 2014

For the latest news out of Iraq, Steve Inskeep talks to Washington Post reporter Loveday Morris and Wladimir van Wilgenburg, a correspondent for the news website Al-Monitor.

Queue Listen Now

As U.S. Strikes Targets In Iraq, A Sense Of Deja Vu

5:13pm August 09, 2014

On Thursday, President Obama became the fourth U.S. president in a row to initiate military strikes in Iraq. NPR's Arun Rath reflects on 23 years of on and off airstrikes in the country.

Queue Listen Now

World News

Militias Around Baghdad Defend Against Islamic State Militants

5:13pm August 09, 2014

Fears that the militant Sunni group would advance on the capital have receded, but communities close to the city remain nervous and armed. NPR's Arun Rath talks to The Guardian's Ghaith Abdul-Ahad, who was recently embedded with Iraqi Shiite militias around Baghdad.

Queue Listen Now

World News

Islamic Militants Surge Across Nothern Iraq

11:15am August 08, 2014

David Greene gets the latest on the advance of the Islamic State and the humanitarian crisis in Iraqi Kurdistan from Wladimir van Wilgenburg, a reporter for the website Al-Monitor in Erbil.

Queue Listen Now