The U.S. State Department announced on Wednesday that Massachusetts native Keith Broomfield became the first U.S. citizen to be killed while fighting alongside the Kurds against the terror group known as the Islamic State or ISIS.
In a recent interview, President Barack Obama continued to defend the U.S. strategy in defeating ISIS in the Middle East despite the fact that ISIS militants have expanded their territory and recently seized the Iraqi city of Ramadi.
While the United States begins to strengthen its ties with Syrian rebels, it's been reported that one of the rebel groups agreed to a ceasefire with ISIS on Friday.
After speaking with the family of the late James Foley, President Barack Obama delivered a speech Wednesday about his brutal murder and promised to hold his killers responsible.
Some Yazidi have managed to escape and reach Kurdish-controlled territory; however, thousands remain trapped in mountains and are being held captive by ISIS.
The U.S. has already begun airstrikes against ISIS positions near the Kurdish capital of Erbil. As the crisis in Iraq continues to deteriorate, President Barack Obama has allowed for humanitarian aid drops for Iraq's beleaguered minorities as well as limited air strikes against advancing ISIS forces.
The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria has made gains in Iraq, causing ethnic and religious minorities to flee the the mountains, where they face starvation and dehydration.
In midst of the civil unrest in Iraq, President Obama announced on Monday that he is deploying about 200 more American troops to the country to boost security at the U.S. Embassy and international airport in Iraq's capital Baghdad.
The United Nations reports that at least 1,075 people have been killed in Iraq in June. The U. N. has reported that more than 1,000 people, mainly civilians, have been killed this month in Iraq, more than in any single month in the country since 2008.
Sunni ISIS militants seized two border towns in Iraq on Saturday. Sunni jihadists captured two strategically located towns in Iraq's western Anbar province Saturday as government forces and armed Shiite militiamen failed to stave off the militants.
