Donate

Kirkuk

The ruins of a bombed base in Iraq.

US responds to deadly attack at Iraq base

Conflict & Justice

On Friday, an Iranian-backed militia group attacked a US base, known as K1, in Iraq, killing an American contractor. Shortly after, the US struck the bases of an Iranian-backed Iraqi militia in retaliation. Carol Hills spoke with a former veteran who served at K1 to discuss the role that contractors play in US war zones.

Shi'ite Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) celebrate on the outskirts of Kirkuk, Iraq

Kurds lose more than oil as they cede control of Kirkuk in Iraq

Conflict
Artillery belonging to Iraqi army are seen southwest of Kirkuk, Iraq, October 17, 2017.

Iraq forces take oil fields dashing Kurdish dreams

Conflict
Iraqi security forces advance in military vehicles in Kirkuk on Oct. 16, 2017.

US allies turn their US guns on each other in Iraq

Conflict
Some former Islamic State fighters, like this captive Abdel Rahman in Kirkuk, say if they hadn't agreed to join ISIS they would have been killed.

Sitting across from ‘the Ghost of ISIS’

Conflict

Violence returns to Iraq as America plans withdrawal

Insurgents waged 42 coordinated attacks across Iraq, leaving almost 100 civilians and security forces dead, and hundreds injured.

The "Colonel," 48, looks out at a small village outside Kirkuk littered with homemade bombs from ISIS militants. He team has to clear away IEDs set by ISIS militants, but they have little equipment to do the job.

Kurdish bomb experts defuse IEDs on a shoestring

Conflict

One of the biggest killers of Iraqi forces are IEDs. These are the guys who defuse them.

A scene from the new Iraqi TV show, State of Myths, which satirizes the Islamic State.

When faced with ISIS, some Iraqis choose to laugh

Media

Fighters from ISIS, the militant Islamist group in Iraq and Syria, have taken over large parts of Iraq and threaten many others. Most ordinary Iraqis can’t do much to stop them, but they can turn to a new show called “State of Myths” that mocks the group.

Almanac/Iraqi Gold

This week we have facts about the discovery of oil in Kirkuk, Iraq. Seventy five years ago, explorers struck black gold in Baba Gurgur, a region of Iraq know for its small “eternal fires” fed by natural gas leaks.

The World

Iraq explodes into violence

Conflict & Justice

Yesterday, Iraq saw one of its bloodiest days of the year. The city of Kirkuk exploded into a cauldron of ethnic violence. Separate suicide bombings shook Baghdad. All told, at least 61 people were killed. Guest: Jim Muir, BBC correspondent, in Baghdad.