Images of Iraq, a nation in crisis
Three years after the United States military withdrew from Iraq, the country has once again descended into civil strife. A Sunni insurgent group known as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has been cutting a bloody swath through the war-scarred nation, attacking sites like Iraq’s largest oil refinery and seizing control of broad swaths of territory.
The uprising was apparently fueled in part by the authoritarian tactics of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, a Shi’ite who has reportedly used his position to thwart Sunni political ambitions and centralize power for his own ends. Iraqi civilians are now trapped between a radical insurgent group and a prime minister who is widely regarded as corrupt and autocratic.
On Thursday, President Obama announced that he was dispatching 300 military advisers to the region in order to help the Iraqi government restore stability. But, he said, no American combat troops would fight again in Iraq.
The above images depict the Iraqi crisis as it unfolded, and as it continues to unfold.