Published on Jun 4, 2015

ISIS 2015 - ISIS War News - Inside ISIS - Full Documentary 2015

The Islamic State, a hardline Sunni jihadist group that formerly had ties to al Qaeda, has conquered large swathes of Iraq and Syria. Previously known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), the group has announced its intention to reestablish the caliphate and has declared its leader, the shadowy Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, as the caliph.
The lightning advances the Islamic State made across Syria and Iraq in June shocked the world. But it's not just the group's military victories that have garnered attention — it's also the pace with which its members have begun to carve out a viable state.
Flush with cash and US weapons seized during its advances in Iraq, the Islamic State's expansion shows no sign of slowing down. In the first week of August alone, Islamic State fighters have taken over new areas in northern Iraq, encroaching on Kurdish territory and sending Christians and other minorities fleeing as reports of massacres emerged.

Published on Dec 4, 2015

In this Head to Head special from Washington DC, Mehdi Hasan challenges Paul Bremer, who was appointed by President George W Bush to run the US-led Coalition Provisional Authority in the wake of the Iraq war, on whether his policies led to the rise of ISIL.As the man in charge of the so-called reconstruction effort in post-Saddam Iraq, Bremer ordered the disbanding of the Iraqi army and banned members of the Ba'ath Party from holding public office. These measures, critics say, were directly responsible for Iraq’s descent into chaos.With no panel or audience, we discuss the US track record in Iraq and the region, from the 2003 invasion to the rise of ISIL. We ask him how personally responsible he feels for the birth of ISIL and whether the US should put a significant number of soldiers back on the ground in the region.

Published on Sep 14, 2014

In recent months, the Islamic State has been establishing a foothold in Iraq. The group swept in from Syria and captured a number of key areas, including Mosul, Iraq's second largest city. In addition to putting American personnel at risk, the IS has led a bloody campaign against religious minorities. Thousands of Yazidis refugees remain trapped in the Sinjar mountains with dwindling supplies of food and water. The U.S. has since begun launching airstrikes against the militants. But how did the conflict come to be?

Published on Sep 14, 2014

In recent months, the Islamic State has been establishing a foothold in Iraq. The group swept in from Syria and captured a number of key areas, including Mosul, Iraq's second largest city. In addition to putting American personnel at risk, the IS has led a bloody campaign against religious minorities. Thousands of Yazidis refugees remain trapped in the Sinjar mountains with dwindling supplies of food and water. The U.S. has since begun launching airstrikes against the militants. But how did the conflict come to be?

 

Published on Nov 21, 2014

Iraq's former National Security Adviser Mowaffak al-Rubaie debates ISIL strategy, sectarianism, and the nation's crisis.

Published on Oct 22, 2014

As the US strikes ISIL targets in Iraq, we report from Irbil on the consequences of the latest foreign intervention. 

Published on Mar 15, 2013

An article in The Guardian today quoted sources in the Anbar province that they had received financial and logistic support from (Persian) Gulf States. This could increase the danger of interference from Iraq's neighboring countries.

The Iraqis don't need a green light from the US to do what they're doing. Any country can do whatever it wishes without permission from somebody else or a green light. And by the same token, when suggested that the US should stop them from doing this, we would do it by talking.