Middle East

World News

Syrian Doctor's Patient Load Doubles In Aleppo During Bombings

5:29am February 23, 2016

After years of daily bombings, many doctors have fled Syria. David Greene talks to Rami Kalazi, a neurosurgeon who works in the city of Aleppo, about what it's like being a doctor in a war zone.

World News

Nonprofit Helps Unaccompanied Migrant Children Arriving In Greece

7:41pm February 22, 2016

About one of every three migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea en-route to Europe is a child. Steve Inskeep talks to Alexandra Apostolou, who works for a group that helps unaccompanied children.

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Obama, Putin Continue Effort To Pause Fighting In Syria

6:40pm February 22, 2016

by Michele Kelemen

President Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke Monday in the continuing effort to bring a pause in the fighting between some of the warring factions in Syria.

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Syrian President Bashar Assad speaks during a Dec. 11, 2015, interview in Damascus with the Spanish news agency EFE. In his latest interview, he blames foreign powers and

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Syrian President Says He Would Pursue 'Terrorists,' Even With A Truce

5:06pm February 22, 2016

by Lauren Frayer

Bashar Assad claims more than 80 countries are supporting extremists in his country. He says he would welcome a pause in the fighting, but would still attack groups like ISIS.

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Canada On Track To Resettle 25,000 Syrian Refugees

1:53pm February 22, 2016

by Jackie Northam

Canada is nearing its goal to integrate 25,000 refugees by the end of the month. More than 20,000 have been welcomed since mid-December. Private citizens are helping to carry the load.

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Examining Russia's Role In The Syrian Conflict

8:06am February 22, 2016

What does Russia want in Syria? David Greene talks to Vladimir Sotnikov, a senior research fellow at the Russian Academy of Sciences. He says Russia's main goal is fighting terrorism.

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World News

After Calls For Ceasefire, Syria Steps Up Bombings

9:04pm February 21, 2016

Despite peace talks, Syria and its Russian allies continue their bombing campaign in northern Syria. Correspondent Alice Fordham speaks to NPR's Rachel Martin about the situation on the Turkey border.

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Damaged vehicles are seen at the site of a double car bomb attack in the Zahraa neighborhood of Homs in central Syria. The city is almost completely controlled by the Syrian government, and has regularly been targeted by attacks.

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Dozens Killed In Blasts In 2 Syrian Cities; ISIS Claims Responsibility

8:54pm February 21, 2016

by Bill Chappell

At least four explosions hit a suburb of Damascus, and earlier in the day, two car bombs struck Homs. The attacks come on the same day negotiators reported progress in Syrian cease-fire talks.

Russian Cooperation Needed For Syria Intervention

7:59am February 21, 2016

William Cohen was the Secretary of Defense under Bill Clinton and served on a panel advising President Obama on genocide prevention. He says NATO must stop the carnage in Syria.

At a makeshift burial ground in Samos, beyond the edges of a Greek Orthodox cemetery, lie the bodies of three Syrian children. The marker reads, "The child Noaman Tamim Shibly — For us Allah suffices, and he is the best disposer of affairs. To God we be

World News

Despite Aegean Rescuers' Best Efforts, Not All Migrants Are Saved

11:02am February 20, 2016

by Joanna Kakissis

A ship with a multinational crew patrols the waters between Turkey and Greece to protect migrants' lives. They don't always succeed. "We can hear them screaming before we see them," says a volunteer.

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