IS buried thousands in 72 mass graves, AP finds
By LORI HINNANT and DESMOND BUTLER Surrounded by smoke and flames, the sound of gunshots echoing around him, the young man crouched in the creek for hours, listening to the…
Iraq
IS struggles to retain grip as it loses ground in Iraq
By BALINT SZLANKO As the Islamic State group loses ground in Iraq, the militants are showing strains in their rule over areas they still control, growing more brutal, killing deserters…
Iraq executes 36 men convicted in Islamic State massacre
By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA Iraq on Sunday executed 36 men convicted of taking part in the Islamic State group’s massacre of hundreds of soldiers in 2014, officials said. The men were…
No exit: Safety failures turned Baghdad bombing into inferno
By HAMZA HENDAWI and SINAN SALAHEDDIN Dozens of men were watching a soccer match at the “Smile” cafe when the blast hit in the street below. Within minutes, a fire…
Turkey quashes coup; Erdogan vows ‘heavy price’ for plotters
By SUZAN FRASER and DOMINIQUE SOGUEL Pouring out into the streets, forces loyal to Turkey’s president quashed a coup attempt in a night and day of explosions, air battles and…
NATO boosts support for countries battling Islamic extremism
By LOLITA C. BALDOR and JOHN-THOR DAHLBURG NATO allies agreed Saturday to provide increased military support to countries in the Middle East and North Africa that are targets of Islamic…
Iraqi PM fires head of Baghdad security after shrine attack
By MURTADA FARAJ Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi fired Baghdad’s security chief Friday following a series of attacks, including one at a Shiite shrine that killed 37 people and was claimed…
Scathing report slams Blair over botched Iraq war
By JILL LAWLESS Britain’s decision to go to war in Iraq was a failure born of flawed intelligence, lack of foresight and “wholly inadequate” planning, an official inquiry concluded Wednesday…