The fall of Iraq’s second-largest city, Mosul, to the militant group ISIS a year ago startled the world. Scenes of thousands of Iraqi army troops fleeing as the jihadists seized the city brought renewed attention to Iraq after the U.S. withdrawal in late 2011.
A few weeks after Mosul fell, ISIS declared a caliphate extending from Aleppo in Syria to the outskirts of Baghdad. The U.S. and its allies launched a campaign of air strikes against the jihadist group, but ISIS continues to cement its presence in the communities it controls. Last week, President Obama announced that he’ll send up to 450 more U.S. troops to Iraq to help train local forces as they battle ISIS.
University of South Dakota political science professor Tim Schorn joined Dakota Midday to discuss the current situation in Iraq and Syria. Schorn's areas of specialty include Middle Eastern politics. He also serves as director of the International Studies Program.
