Iraqi Forces Try To Retake Mosul From ISIS

Published March 28, 2016 at 1:52 PM EDT

An Iraqi family fleeing the violence in the northern city of Mosul arrives at a Kurdish checkpoint in Makhmur, about 175 miles north of the capital Baghdad, on March 26, 2016. Iraq's army and pro-government forces launched an offensive to retake the second city of Mosul, the Islamic State group's main hub in the country. (Safin Hamed/AFP/Getty Images)

ISIS has held Mosul for nearly two years, but the Iraqi military has launched an offensive to retake the city, which is in northern Iraq. The U.S. is supporting the mission with airstrikes and about 200 Marines, who are stationed at an outpost about 40 miles south of Mosul.

Here & Now’s Meghna Chakrabarti checks in with NPR’s Pentagon correspondent Tom Bowman about the role the U.S. military is playing right now in Iraq.

Guest

Tom Bowman, Pentagon correspondent for NPR. He tweets @TBowmanNPR.

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