Accessibility links
World News and International Headlines NPR world news, international art and culture, world business and financial markets, world economy, and global trends in health, science and technology. Subscribe to the World Story of the Day podcast and RSS feed.

NPRWorld

Many Stories, One World

Monday

Iraq's Military Applies Lessons Learned from Gulf War

The level of Iraqi resistance takes U.S. planners by surprise, but Arab military analysts say they expected Saddam Hussein to rely more on guerilla tactics in the current war. In the 1991 Gulf War, Saddam used conventional war strategies and was quickly defeated. NPR's Michael Sullivan reports.

Iraq's Military Applies Lessons Learned from Gulf War

Listen · 5:06
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1214777/1214778" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

U.S. Pushes to Secure Bridges

Fierce battles erupt on two fronts in Iraq. About 50 miles south of Baghdad on the Euphrates River, a U.S. Army division seizes the river town of Hindiyah. Farther south, Marines struggle to hold bridges over the Tigris River and move forces north toward Baghdad. Hear NPR's Mike Shuster.

U.S. Pushes to Secure Bridges

Listen · 3:23
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1214781/1214782" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

U.S.-Led Airwar Intensifies in Northern Iraq

The United States steps up airstrikes against Iraqi targets north of Baghdad. Kurdish forces in northern Iraq welcome the support, and officials there report an increase in surrenders by Iraqi troops. NPR's Ivan Watson reports.

U.S.-Led Airwar Intensifies in Northern Iraq

Listen · 3:28
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1214785/1214786" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Life Goes On in Baghdad

U.S. and British warplanes continue to strike government buildings inside Baghdad and key defenses on the outskirts of the Iraqi capital. Despite the almost constant bombardment, reporters inside the city say life there seems remarkably close to normal. Hear NPR's Anne Garrels.

Life Goes On in Baghdad

Listen · 2:56
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1214773/1214774" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Pentagon: Iraq Weakening

Pentagon officials say they're starting to see a breakdown among Republican Guard forces outside Baghdad as ground battles and heavy airstrikes take their toll. The Pentagon also raises the possibility that Saddam Hussein is dead or in flight. Hear NPR's Jennifer Ludden.

Pentagon: Iraq Weakening

Listen · 3:30
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1214761/1214762" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

War in Iraq Strains U.S.-Russia Relations

Russia's criticism of the U.S.-led attack on Iraq strains relations between the two countries. Russian President Vladimir Putin demands an immediate end to the war, calling it a serious mistake. NPR's Lawrence Sheets reports.

War in Iraq Strains U.S.-Russia Relations

Listen
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1214273/1214274" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Some Saudi Liberals Support U.S. Presence in Iraq

In Saudi Arabia, opposition to the U.S.-led war in Iraq remains high. But a small group of liberals believes the conflict could be beneficial for Saudi Arabia, saying American-imposed reforms on the Iraqi government might speed a democratic movement in their own country. NPR's Kate Seelye reports.

Some Saudi Liberals Support U.S. Presence in Iraq

Listen
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1214271/1214272" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Kurdish Fighters in N. Iraq

Kurdish militia fighters, opposed to Saddam Hussein, take over some positions abandoned by Iraqi troops in northern Iraq. And American airstrikes in the region intensify, with repeated attacks on frontline Iraqi positions near two main cities, Mosul and Kirkuk. Hear NPR's Ivan Watson.

Kurdish Fighters in N. Iraq

Listen
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1214287/1214288" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Urban Fighting in Iraq Grows

The number of U.S. and British troops engaging in street fighting and conducting house-to-house searches in Iraq grows, suggesting an end to the "shock and awe" phase of the war in Iraq. U.S.-led forces fight near Najaf, Karbala and Nasiriyah in the Euphrates River valley. NPR's Bob Edwards talks to NPR's Tom Gjelten.

Urban Fighting in Iraq Grows

Listen
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1214283/1214284" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Rumsfeld Defends U.S. War Plan

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld dismisses claims the United States was unprepared for the ground war in Iraq and says there will be no delay in the push toward Baghdad. NPR's Alex Chadwick talks to Tom Ricks of The Washington Post.

Rumsfeld Defends U.S. War Plan

Listen
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1214277/1214278" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Sunday

Franks Says No 'Pause' in War

As warplanes continue to pound Republican Guard positions near Baghdad, Gen. Tommy Franks says there has been no "operational pause" in the war in Iraq. But he warns the toughest fighting in Iraq is still ahead. NPR's Scott Horsley reports.

Franks Says No 'Pause' in War

Listen
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1213521/1213522" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Iraq Vows More Suicide Attacks

Iraqi military officials in Baghdad promise more suicide attacks against U.S.-led forces, following Saturday's car bombing that killed four U.S. soldiers near the Iraqi city of Najaf. Iraq says it has given the equivalent of more than $30,000 to the family of the man who carried out the suicide attack. NPR's Liane Hansen talks to reporter John Laurence.

Iraq Vows More Suicide Attacks

Listen
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1213505/1213506" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">