To the Point
Another Militant Uprising in the Middle East
An Islamic group called "too extreme" by al Qaeda is taking over some major areas in Iraq. What's in store for the rest of the Middle East?
By Warren Olney • • 52m ListenAn Islamic group — called "too extreme" by al Qaeda — is taking over some major areas in Iraq, including Tikrit, a provincial capital, and the oil-exporting city of Mosul, where 48 people are hostages in the Turkish consulate. What's in store for the rest of the Middle East? Also, Defense Secretary Hagel's aggressive testimony on the swap for POW Bowe Bergdahl, and political irony behind the Tea-Party upset of a House Republican leader.
Banner image: A burnt vehicle is seen during clashes between Iraqi security forces and al Qaeda-linked Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in the northern Iraq city of Mosul, June 10, 2014. Photo: Reuters/Stringer
In this episode
3 storiesChuck Hagel in the Hot Seat at House Armed Services Committee
Before the House Armed Services Committee today, Chuck Hagel defended the decision to swap five Taliban leaders for Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl. "We made the right decision, and we did it for the right reasons."
Read the story8 minAnother Militant Uprising in the Middle East
Islamist insurgents today seized Tikrit, the hometown of former leader Saddam Hussein and a provincial capital in Iraq, adding it to Fallujah, areas near Kirkuk and the oil-exporting city of Mosul. US trained Iraqi solders have thrown off their uniforms and fled along with a half-million civilian refugees.
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The Washington Post says Tea-Partier David Brat was "more interested in campaigning to make a point than in winning." But win he did in yesterday's Virginia Republican primary against the most influential conservative in Congress, Eric Cantor .
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