HOW IRAQ IMPLODED
December 2011: U.S. troops complete withdrawal; Iraq's Shiite government issues arrest warrant for Sunni vice president, prompting a political crisis.
December 2012: Major protests begin in Sunni areas demanding Prime Minister Nouri al-Malaki's ouster.
January 2014: Iraq loses control of Fallujah and other regions to Al-Qaida-linked fighters in the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
April 2014: Al-Maliki wins the most seats in a general election, but his alliance falls short of a majority.
June 2014: ISIL forces seize Mosul and the province of Nineveh and head south toward Baghdad. The government and top clerics implore Shiites to take up arms. President Obama sends up to 300 military advisers to Iraq.
News services
More from Star Tribune
More from Star Tribune
More from Star Tribune
More from Star Tribune
More From Star Tribune
More From World
World
Burkina Faso's army massacred over 200 civilians in a village raid, Human Rights Watch says
Military forces in Burkina Faso killed 223 civilians, including babies and many children, in attacks on two villages accused of cooperating with militants, Human Rights Watch said in a report published Thursday.
Business
Ship comes under attack off coast of Yemen as Houthi rebel campaign appears to gain new speed
A ship traveling in the Gulf of Aden came under attack Thursday, officials said, the latest assault carried out by Yemen's Houthi rebels over Israel's ongoing war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
World
Ukraine is putting pressure on fighting-age men outside the country as it tries to replenish forces
Even as Ukraine works to get much-needed arms from a huge U.S. aid package to the front line, its government is seeking to reverse the drain of its potential soldiers, announcing that men of conscription age will no longer be able to renew passports from outside Ukraine.
World
Belarus claims it prevented drone attacks from Lithuania. Vilnius rejects the allegations
A top security official in Belarus claimed Thursday that the country has prevented attempted drone strikes from Lithuania targeting the Belarusian capital and surrounding areas. Lithuania denied the claim.
World
Asylum seeker who killed British retiree says he was seeking revenge for the people of Gaza
An asylum seeker from Morocco who went on a vicious rampage following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack that triggered the Israel-Hamas war was convicted Thursday of murder for stabbing a 70-year-old man in the streets of an English seaside town.
