Threats

New Tactics, Quicker Decisions Are Helping to ‘Annihilate’ ISIS, Pentagon Says

The military’s top leaders credit Trump for delegating authority and directing efforts to surround ISIS fighters.

Threats

NATO Laying Groundwork to Send More Troops To Iraq, Afghanistan

The bump could come with more alliance responsibility for fighting ISIS in Iraq.

Threats

In Love and War With Iraq’s Elite Fighters

Born in war, raised in war, Iraq’s young special operations forces fight their turn – they just hope their familes understand.

Ideas

Corruption Helped ISIS Take Mosul. Victory Cannot Last While It Persists

Without reducing the corruption that plagues the country's government, terrorism will be impossible to defeat.

Ideas

The Coming Fall of Mosul

Iraqi forces are on the verge of a mighty victory.

Ideas

The Dangerous Delusion of 'We Should've Kept the Oil'

The president has said he wants to support the troops, but his careless comments put U.S. lives at risk in Iraq.

Ideas

Why Iraq Needs the Oil

Taking it, as Donald Trump has mused about doing, is not only illegal—it would tear the country apart.

Ideas

SPECIAL REPORT: The Military Loves the Obama Doctrine. Can It Survive Trump?

Commanders say they’re already fighting ISIS the right way: “by, with, and through” local forces.

Threats

After ISIS, Iraq's Militias Face Another Fight: Legitimacy

The Popular Mobilization Forces, or PMF, face a post-war battle for influence that connects Tehran and Washington.

Ideas

The Shia Power Brokers of the New Iraq

As the embattled country wages war on ISIS in the north, its future may be decided by clerics in the south.

Threats

The Worst Is Yet To Come in Mosul, US Leaders Say

ISIS’ resistance is stiffening as coalition fighters close in on the city.

Policy

EXCLUSIVE: ISIS ‘Will Fight to the Death’ for Mosul, Says Top Peshmerga General

The Kurds’ chief of staff, who dreams of Kurdish independence, hopes the American military stays long after Mosul.

Ideas

The Other Front Line: Iraqi Schools Need Our Help

The ultimate success of the coming military assault on Mosul will depend on reviving a shattered educational system.

Ideas

The UK Is Having the War Debate That America Isn't

The U.S. and Britain both intervened in Iraq and Libya. Only one is now seriously reckoning with those choices.

Science & Tech

Two Iraqi Guys Built an Armed Robot to Fight ISIS

The Baghdad Post says the machine-gun-wielding unmanned ground vehicle will be used in the effort to retake Mosul.

Threats

Iraqi Troops Not Ready for Mosul, Nor What Comes Next, Says Top US Commander

But in Syria, the fall of Manbij is just one to two weeks away, Lt. Gen. MacFarland says in his final war assessment.

Ideas

ISIS Is Switching Tactics in Iraq. Baghdad Needs to Get Its Act Together

As the Islamic State returns to urban terror attacks, Iraqi security agencies must learn to work with each other.

Threats

As Anti-ISIS Forces Close In on Mosul, Coalition Leaders Focus on What’s Next

At a closed-door meeting outside Washington, the multinational group called for more post-conflict planning.