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    Back to To the Point

    To the Point

    Al Qaeda Is Making a Comeback

    Al Qaeda militants in Iraq, known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, have fought to seize control of Fallujah and Ramadi in Anbar Province, where at least 100 American troops were killed during the Iraq War. Although US troops are no longer there, the civil war rages on.

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    KCRW placeholderBy Judy Muller • May 12, 2014 • 1 min read

    Al Qaeda militants in Iraq, known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, have fought to seize control of Fallujah and Ramadi in Anbar Province, where at least 100 American troops were killed during the Iraq War. Although US troops are no longer there, the civil war rages on. According to the United Nations, more than 7800 people were killed in Iraq last year. Just today, dozens were killed at an Iraqi Army Recruiting Center. ISIS' resurgence is mirrored in other conflicts in the Mideast, stemming from the Syrian war and creating instability from Baghdad to Beirut, as Shiite-Sunni sectarian violence is creating fault lines from Saudi Arabia to Iran. How do veterans feel about the resurgence of al Qaeda? What does it say about the sectarian violence? What, if anything, should the US do about it?

    The full episode

    2 of 3
    The Rise of al Qaeda in the Middle East and the US Response
    1. 0:00Governor Chris Christie Faces the Cameras in Bridge Scandal
    2. 8:07Al Qaeda Is Making a ComebackYou’re reading this
    3. 42:33Why Do 58% of Americans Still Own VCR's?
    • KCRW placeholder

      Judy Muller

      University of Southern California

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      Jenny Hamel

      KCRW

    • Sonya Geis with wavy brown hair wearing a black dress with red accents and decorative earrings against a white background.

      Sonya Geis

      Senior Managing Editor

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      Caitlin Shamberg

      KCRW

    • KCRW placeholder

      Ned Parker

      Reuters News Service

    • KCRW placeholder

      Elliot Ackerman

      Politico

    • KCRW placeholder

      Seth Jones

      RAND Corporation

      NewsNationalPolitics

    The full episode

    2 of 3
    The Rise of al Qaeda in the Middle East and the US Response
    1. 0:00Governor Chris Christie Faces the Cameras in Bridge Scandal
    2. 8:07Al Qaeda Is Making a ComebackYou’re reading this
    3. 42:33Why Do 58% of Americans Still Own VCR's?
    Back to To the Point