Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has hailed the disarmament of militant Kurdish separatists as the end of a “painful chapter” in Turkey’s history.

Iran detained the family members of an Iran International journalist in retaliation for the channel’s coverage of the country’s war with Israel.

The PKK Kurdish militant group says it will disband and end its armed struggle as part of a new peace initiative with Turkey, ending four decades of armed conflict.

For over 20 years, The Wounded Warrior Project has made it its mission to provide the simplest care and comfort items to wounded service members returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Iraq’s top court has thrown out a legal challenge that had temporarily halted three controversial laws passed last month by the country’s parliament.

The leaders of two previously rival Kurdish groups have met in northern Iraq in an apparent step toward reconciliation at a time when the political upheaval in Syria has left Kurds in the region facing an uncertain future.

A group of 30 Kurdish fighters have ceremonially burned their weapons in northern Iraq, marking a major step toward ending a decades-long insurgency.

A French court has found 18 defendants guilty in a migrant-smuggling trial linked to the perilous English Channel route from France to the U.K. One of the ringleaders, from Iraq, was sentenced Tuesday to 15 years in prison and fined $218,000.

Turkey’s air force has struck Kurdish militant targets in Iraq and Syria in an apparent retaliation for an attack at a key state-run defense company that killed five people and injured more than 20 others.

A top Kremlin official says Turkey has formally applied for a membership in the BRICS bloc of developing economies as Russia and China seek to counter the West's global influence.

Pakistani officials say at least 36 passengers have been killed and dozens more injured in two separate bus crashes that occurred hours apart.

Hundreds of mourners in southern Pakistan have attended the funerals of 28 Shiite pilgrims who were killed in a bus crash in Iran this week while heading to Iraq.

A bus carrying Shiite pilgrims from Pakistan to Iraq has crashed in central Iran, killing at least 28 people.

A top U.N. counterterrorism official has told the Security Council that a vast stretch of Africa could fall under the control of groups affiliated with the Islamic State group and affiliated terrorist groups.

French authorities say four migrants have died while trying to cross the English Channel from France to the U.K. Their inflatable boat capsized and punctured off the coast of Boulogne-sur-Mer, in northern France.

Turkmenistan and Iran have signed a contract for the delivery of 10 billion cubic meters a year of Turkmen gas that Iran will then ship to Iraq.

The Turkish president has criticized the Eurovision Song Contest, accusing the annual event of allegedly encouraging “gender neutralization” and threatening the traditional family.

The United States has repatriated 11 of its citizens from sprawling camps in northeastern Syria that house tens of thousands of family members of suspected Islamic State militants.

A judge declared a mistrial after a jury said it was deadlocked and couldn't reach a verdict in the trial of a military contractor accused of contributing to the abuse of detainees at the Abu Ghraib Prison in Iraq two decades ago.

President Joe Biden's administration is launching a program that will help 50 countries identify and respond to infectious diseases, with the goal of preventing pandemics like the COVID-19 outbreak.

Twenty years ago this month, photos of abused prisoners and smiling U.S. soldiers guarding them at Iraq’s Abu Ghraib prison were released, shocking the world.

Russia accused the United States of “aggression” against Iraq and Syria aimed at preserving its global dominance and salvaging the Biden administration’s “image” ahead of U.S. elections.

After a weekend of retaliatory strikes, the United States is warning Iran and the militias it arms and funds that it will conduct more attacks if American forces in the Mideast continue to be targeted.

Pakistan has recalled its ambassador to Tehran a day after Iran conducted airstrikes inside Pakistan that it claimed targeted bases for a militant Sunni separatist group.

Iran has launched attacks in Pakistan targeting what it described as bases for the Sunni militant group Jaish al-Adl, potentially further raising tensions in a Middle East already roiled by Israel’s war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Turkey's Defense Ministry says that the military has carried out airstrikes targeting Kurdish militants in neighboring Iraq and Syria.

Iran says twin bomb blasts killed at least 84 people at an event honoring a prominent Iranian general slain in a U.S. airstrike in 2020.

Iranian state media say that an Israeli airstrike in a Damascus neighborhood has killed a high-ranking Iranian general.

Baghdad’s streets are nearly empty on Monday, the main day of polling in the country’s first provincial elections in a decade.

When Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen launched missiles and hit three commercial ships in the Red Sea, it triggered an immediate question: Will the U.S. military strike back.

U.S. forces in the Middle East are facing increasing threats.

The number of Americans killed is up to 27. At least 14 more Americans are believed to be held hostage by Hamas.

Turkish warplanes have carried out airstrikes on sites believed to be used by U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters in northern Syria.

Turkish warplanes have carried out new airstrikes against suspected Kurdish militant sites in northern Iraq days after a suicide bomb attack in the Turkish capital.

The European Union’s judicial cooperation agency says the Netherlands and Belgium have joined an international investigation into atrocities committed against the Yazidi minority in Syria and Iraq.

The U.N. chief is decrying the “terrible truth” that the world is failing to live up to its commitments to protect a growing number of civilians caught in conflicts.

This photo gallery highlights some of the most compelling images made or published by Associated Press photographers in the Middle East, Afghanistan and Pakistan in March 2023.

The United Nations chief is warning on the eve of World Press Freedom Day that the media is under attack in every corner of the world where “truth is threatened by disinformation and hate speech.”.

The Senate has voted overwhelmingly to continue congressional authorization for the use of military force in the global fight against terror, turning back an effort by Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul to repeal the 2001 measure.

Leaders from the Middle East and Europe have gathered in Jordan on bolstering security and stability in Iraq.

The U.S. team’s victory over Iran at the World Cup was closely watched across the Middle East.

The Turkish Defense Ministry says it has launched airstrikes over northern regions of Syria and Iraq, targeting Kurdish groups Ankara holds responsible for last week’s bomb attack in Istanbul.

Australia says four women and their 13 children who were held in a Syrian camp since the Islamic State group fell in 2019 have become only the second group of Australians to be repatriated from the war-torn country.

Memory loss and headaches still plague Army veteran Michael Gatter 18 years after three traumatic brain injuries during deployment in Iraq.

Iraq’s top judicial body says it doesn't have the authority to dissolve the country’s parliament.

The lawyer for a British geologist sentenced to 15 years in prison says an Iraqi court has overturned the conviction and he will soon be free.

Congressional bargainers have announced a deal on legislation to boost health care services and disability benefits for veterans exposed to toxic burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan.

A senior U.S. official and other members of the global coalition fighting the Islamic State group have warned that the African continent is now the main target of the extremist group.

Turkey has launched a new ground and air cross-border offensive against Kurdish militants in northern Iraq.

Two journalists working for Fox News were killed in Ukraine after the vehicle they were traveling in with another reporter came under fire, the network said Tuesday.

The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization is warning that poorer countries in northern Africa, Asia and the Middle East that depend heavily on wheat imports risk suffering significant food insecurity because of Russia's war in Ukraine.

The House has passed legislation that would dramatically boost health care services and disability benefits for veterans exposed to toxic burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan.

A pipeline that carries oil from Iraq to world markets has resumed operating several hours after an explosion in southeastern Turkey forced it to shut down.

Thousands of mourners have poured into the streets of Iranian cities for the mass funeral of 250 victims of the Iran-Iraq war — remains recently recovered in a testament to the brutal conflict’s scale and enduring legacy after 35 years.

Officials say that after months of study, the Pentagon has decided no immediate major changes are needed in the global positioning of U.S. forces.

Iraqis have voted in parliamentary elections held months ahead of schedule as a concession to a youth-led uprising against corruption and mismanagement.

French energy giant Total has signed mega contracts with Iraq worth $27 billion to develop oil fields, natural gas and a crucial water project.

U.S. military planes have carried the last U.S. service members and diplomats from Kabul's airport, ending America's longest war.

As the Taliban continues to take control of Afghanistan while the United States military evacuates the country, there’s a growing fear among people in Iraq who are watching this play out on television.

At just short of 20 years, the now-ending U.S. combat mission in Afghanistan was America's longest war.

As the Biden administration rapidly completes the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan, members of the global coalition fighting the Islamic State are meeting to plot future steps against the extremist group.

British Royal Navy commanders say the U.K.’s newest aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth is helping to take on the “lion’s share” of operations against the Islamic State group in Iraq.

The Democratic-led House has passed legislation to repeal the 2002 authorization for use of military force in Iraq.

The White House and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer are endorsing efforts to terminate the 2002 authorization of military force against Iraq.

(AP Photo/Yara Nardi, pool)BUDAPEST – Pope Francis will travel to Hungary's capital in September where he will participate in the closing Mass of a multiday, international Catholic gathering, according to the cardinal of Hungary's Roman Catholic Church. Francis will instead visit on the final day of the eight-day 52nd Congress in Budapest on Sept. 12, he said. Ad“Today we can perhaps learn the most from Pope Francis, and not only about faith and humanity. Traveling back to the Vatican from a trip to Iraq on Monday, the pope told Italian media that following his visit to Budapest he may visit Bratislava, the capital of neighboring Slovakia. While that visit isn't confirmed, Slovakia's president, Zuzana Caputova, said she had invited the pontiff to visit during a meeting in the Vatican in December.

Pope Francis celebrates mass at the Franso Hariri Stadium in Irbil, Kurdistan Region of Iraq, Sunday, March 7, 2021. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)IRBIL – Pope Francis urged Iraq’s Christians on Sunday to forgive the injustices against them by Muslim extremists and to rebuild as he visited the wrecked shells of churches and met ecstatic crowds in the community’s historic heartland, which was nearly erased by the Islamic State group’s horrific reign. Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city, was at the heart of the IS so-called “caliphate” and witnessed the worst of the group’s rule inflicted on Muslims, Christians and others, including beheadings and mass killings. Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city, became IS’s bureaucratic and financial backbone. Things are difficult for those living here.”At Qaraqosh, Francis urged its residents to continue to dream, and forgive.

Pope Francis, center arrives to concelebrate a mass in the Chaldean Cathedral of Saint Joseph, in Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, March 6, 2021. Francis honored Iraq’s persecuted Christians by celebrating Mass on Saturday at the Chaldean Catholic cathedral in Baghdad. ___6:30 p.m.U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says he is pleased to see the historic visit by Pope Francis to Iraq. Iraqi and Vatican church officials had promised social distancing and other health measures would be enforced during Francis’ four-day visit to Iraq, especially at his indoor events. Francis’ interfaith meeting in Ur came after his historic encounter in nearby Najaf with Iraq’s top Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani.

Women wait outside the Chaldean Cathedral of Saint Joseph, in Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, March 6, 2021, where Pope Francis, depicted on a giant poster at their back, is concelebrating a mass. AdTogether, the day’s events gave symbolic and practical punch to the central message of Francis’ visit, calling for Iraq to embrace its diversity. Al-Sistani is one of the most senior clerics in Shiite Islam, deeply revered among Shiites in Iraq and worldwide. Later, Pope Francis evoked the common reverence for Abraham to speak against religious violence at the inter-faith gathering at the Plains of Ur, near the southern city of Nasiriyah. Associated Press journalists Anmar Khalil in Najaf, Iraq, and Samya Kullab in Baghdad contributed.

The U.S. has blamed the militia for numerous attacks targeting U.S. personnel and interests in Iraq in the past. But several leading members of Congress, including members in Biden’s own party, denounced the strikes — the first military action he has authorized. Kaine and others argued offensive military action without congressional approval is not constitutional absent extraordinary circumstances. A U.S. contractor died after at least 10 rockets slammed into the base early Wednesday. “If we assess further response is warranted, we will take action again in a manner and time of our choosing,” Psaki said.

The group was formed in 2006 as the Islamic State in Iraq (ISI), eventually adding Syria to its name. GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A former Florida resident accused of traveling to Turkey and attempting to join the Islamic State group was indicted Tuesday on a terrorism charge. “We are absolutely committed to deterring, disrupting and dismantling the plans of anyone who seeks to support a designated foreign terrorist organization." Rather than traveling on to Egypt, Suliman paid cash for a one-way airline ticket to the Turkish/Syrian border, officials said. AdA search of Suliman's emails revealed attachments that contained various audio files that consisted of messages calling for jihad, officials said.

Turkish soldiers carry the national flag-draped coffin of Turkish soldier Er Sedat Sorgun, one of thirteen soldiers, police and civilians who had been abducted by Kurdish insurgents and found killed in northern Iraq, during the funeral in the city of Erzurum, Turkey, Monday, Feb. 15, 2021. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed on Tuesday to expand cross-border operations against Kurdish militants in northern Iraq, following the killings. (IHA via AP)ANKARA – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed on Tuesday to expand cross-border operations against Kurdish militants in northern Iraq, following the killing of 13 Turkish soldiers, police and civilians who had been abducted by Kurdish insurgents. Turkey has long been seeking to form a secure zone along its borders with Iraq and Syria to force Kurdish insurgents away from the frontier. Tens of thousands of people have been killed since the PKK began an insurgency in Turkey’s majority Kurdish southeast region in 1984.

(AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)WASHINGTON – The Biden administration on Monday suspended some of the terrorism sanctions that former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo imposed on Yemen’s Houthi rebels in his waning days in office. The Treasury Department said it would exempt certain transactions involving the Houthis from sanctions resulting from Pompeo's designation of the group as a “foreign terrorist organization” on Jan. 10. The sanctions Pompeo imposed had taken effect Jan. 19, just a day before President Joe Biden was inaugurated, and had been roundly criticized by the United Nations and relief organizations. Six years of war between a U.S.-backed Arab coalition and the Houthi rebels have been catastrophic for Yemen, killing more than 112,000 people and reducing infrastructure from roads and hospitals to water and electricity networks to ruins. Saudi Arabia has advocated the terror designation, hoping it would pressure the rebels to reach a peace deal.

The Pentagon announced Thursday, Dec. 31, 2020, that the USS Nimitz, the only Navy aircraft carrier operating in the Middle East, will return home to the U.S. West Coast. Navy via AP)WASHINGTON – The Pentagon has decided to send home the only Navy aircraft carrier operating in the Middle East, a move that will reduce American firepower in the region amid heightened tensions with Iran. Sending the aircraft carrier, the USS Nimitz, home to the U.S. West Coast would seem at odds with the idea that a show of force is needed to deter Iran. “Some friendly health advice to Iran: If one American is killed, I will hold Iran responsible. The U.S. has maintained a near-continuous aircraft carrier presence in the Persian Gulf region since the USS Abraham Lincoln was sent in May 2019 amid concerns that Iran was considering attacking U.S. interests in the region.

A U.S. Air Force B-52H Stratofortress from Minot Air Force Base, N.D., is refueled by a KC-135 Stratotanker in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2020. The United States flew strategic bombers over the Persian Gulf on Wednesday for the second time this month, a show of force meant to deter Iran from attacking American or allied targets in the Middle East. Because of the potential for escalation that could lead to a wider war, the U.S. has sought to deter Iran from additional attacks. Iran denied involvement but was blamed by the United States for that attack. That flight was repeated this week, with two B-52s flying nonstop from Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota and heading home Wednesday after cruising over the western side of the Gulf.

He said a solution must come from a joint effort by diplomatic, security and humanitarian organizations. The U.S. also has about 3,000 troops still in Iraq; on Tuesday the Pentagon announced that Trump had ordered a drawdown to 2,500 in Iraq with no change for Syria. Trump has pushed for the repatriation of foreign fighters in Syria, but their home countries have largely refused to take them back. In the short run, McKenzie said, IS is in no position to pose a major security threat to the United States. The al-Qaida extremist group and like-minded militants also are severely hobbled but not eliminated, he said.

“After this retreat, there will still be American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. “We believe that there is strong bipartisan support from Congress and the administration for both Iraq and Afghanistan,” they wrote. That person, whose title is assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity conflict, currently reports to the defense secretary through the undersecretary of defense for policy. This change in the administrative chain of command for special operations was required by the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act. There currently is no Senate-confirmed assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity conflict; Ezra Cohen holds the job in an acting capacity.

WASHINGTON – Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller on Tuesday announced plans to reduce U.S. troop levels in Iraq and Afghanistan, saying the decision fulfills President Donald Trump's pledge to bring forces home when conditions were met that kept the U.S. and its allies safe. The new plan will accelerate troop withdrawals from Iraq and Afghanistan in Trump's final days in office, despite arguments from senior military officials in favor of a slower, more methodical pullout. Trump has refused to concede his election loss to Democrat Joe Biden, who takes office Jan. 20, just five days after the troop withdrawals are slated to finish. Miller said commanders and advisers agreed with the withdrawal plan, which will cut the number of troops in Afghanistan from more than 4,500 to 2,500, and in Iraq from about 3,000 to 2,500. He refused to take questions from reporters.

The Associated Press contributed to this reportJACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Pentagon has reportedly sent commanders a “warning order” telling them to begin plans to reduce the number of troops in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Under the planned order, the troop cuts would be completed just five days before President-elect Joe Biden takes office on Jan. 20. There are about 4,500 troops in Afghanistan and about 3,000 in Iraq. RELATED: AP sources: Trump to order troop cuts in Afghanistan, IraqNancy Soderberg was a deputy national security advisor and America’s ambassador to the United Nations during the Clinton Administration. The accelerated withdrawal goes against the longstanding advice of Trump’s military leadership, including Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, top U.S. commander for the Middle East.

In 2010, Basma’s life and her family were threatened because her husband was working with U.S. companies in Iraq. Today, she is an activist and member of the Florida Immigrant Coalition, a group encouraging other new citizens to vote in this year’s presidential election. She emphasizes they must feel empowered to vote and embrace a freedom they may not have enjoyed in the land they fled. “That’s an encouragement for them, many of the citizens that I work with or I encourage them to vote,” Alawee said. “It’s not just a presidential election.

UK was a small child when his parents fled Myanmar, leaving him and his siblings to be cared for by their maternal grandmother. Through its citizenship classes, the International Rescue Committee has helped around 6,000 refugees and other newcomers become Americans each of the last few years. Born in Iraq and now a U.S. citizen living in Jacksonville, Florida, Alawee said she also plans to cast her first presidential ballot Nov. 3. “I can't wait.”___BAWI UK was a small child when his parents fled Myanmar, leaving him and his siblings to be cared for by their maternal grandmother. The family resettled in Phoenix, where they all became U.S. citizens.

“We took out the world’s number one terrorist and the mass murderer of American troops and many, many troops and many people all over the world,” Trump said. Very bad guy.”Salami rejected the report of an Iranian plot to assassinate Ambassador Lana Marks, but made clear that Iran intends to avenge the general's death. “Do you think we hit a female ambassador in return to our martyred brother?’ the general said. You should know that everybody who had role in the event will be hit, and this is a serious message. Trump has stepped up economic pressure on Iran with sanctions since he pulled the United States out of Iran's nuclear deal with world powers in 2018.

Maj. Payne will receive the honor in a White House ceremony on the 19th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Trump picked the 19th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks to honor Sgt. The team used bolt cutters to break the locks off the prison doors, freeing 38 hostages, according to the White House. Once the door was kicked opened, both American and Kurdish commandos escorted about 30 more hostages out of the burning building. He was initially given the Army’s second-highest award, the Distinguished Service Cross, for the special operations raid, which was upgraded to a Medal of Honor.

A health worker sprays disinfectant to sanitize the inside of the holy shrine of Imam Abbas during Muharram procession in Karbala, Iraq, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2020. Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar, is a month of mourning for Shiites in remembrance of the death of Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, at the Battle of Karbala in present-day Iraq in the 7th century. (AP Photo/Anmar Khalil)

SEOUL South Korea has reported 113 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 over the past 24 hours, its first daily jump over 100 in nearly four months. The KCDC said 86 of the new cases were linked to international arrivals while the other 27 were local transmissions. It said the imported cases included 36 South Korean workers who returned from Iraq and 32 crew members of a Russia-flagged cargo ship docked in the southern port of Busan. South Korean officials consider imported cases as less threatening than local transmissions as they mandate tests and enforce two-week quarantines on all overseas arrivals. He said 89 of the 293 South Korean workers who arrived home Friday aboard two military planes from Iraq were exhibiting symptoms.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. A refugee who made Jacksonville home is now helping others integrate to life in the United States. Basma Alawee is a refugee from Iraq who arrived in the U.S. on Jan. 13, 2010. We were forced to leave Iraq. We make sure that our communities are well connected with the service providers and with the resources in Jacksonville. Neighborly will be for all -- not just refugees and immigrants -- all people in Jacksonville will be able to use it," explained Alawee.

There are hundreds dead and more than 15,000 wounded and still, Iraq's demonstrators continue their campaign to topple the government, using three-wheeled vehicles to navigate the streets of Baghdad.

Marines arrested on human smuggling and drug charges after Navy SEALs removed from Iraq mission for drinking in a warzone. The-CNN-Wire & 2019 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved.

CNN image(CNN) - A Green Beret who served multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan died Saturday during combat operations in Afghanistan, according to US Army special operations spokesman Lt. Col. Loren Bymer. Maj. James G. "Ryan" Sartor, 40, was from Teague, Texas, and was assigned to the 10th Special Forces Group. Ryan was a beloved warrior who epitomized the quiet professional," said Col. Brian R. Rauen, the commander of 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne). He completed the Special Forces Qualification Course to become a Green Beret in 2005 and deployed to Iraq with the 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) in 2006, 2007, 2009, and 2010, the US Army said. Sartor's awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal with three oak leaf clusters, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Service Commendation Medal and more.

A teenage girl who suffered severe burns in Iraq as a child got a new chance at life after a stranger in Ohio saw her photograph in a newspaper article. "Teeba's eyes were so compelling it was as if they were saying, 'Help me,'" Barbara Marlowe told Inside Edition. Teeba was just 5 when she was seriously injured in an explosion in war-torn Iraq in 2007. Because even though I was her American mom I knew she had another mom," said Marlowe. It's just Mom and Mom," Teeba said.

Prosecutors in the military trial of Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher, accused of committing multiple violations of military law in Iraq, rested their case Tuesday. Gallagher has pleaded not guilty to murder, attempted murder and other charges. Nearly a dozen Alpha platoon members of SEAL Team 7 testified during the court-martial at Naval Base San Diego. Many were granted immunity, including a Navy SEAL who stunned the court when he testified that he killed the militant after Gallagher stabbed him by plugging his breathing tube. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Giorgio Kirylo, who was deployed in Mosul with Gallagher in 2017, testified that he did not see stab wounds on the ISIS detainee's neck. Kirylo testified he moved the body, after medical efforts failed, to take a "trophy photo." Last week, Special Operator First Class Corey Scott, a medic in Gallagher's deployment, testified that he was the one who killed the ISIS prisoner, not Gallagher. Ealier this week, Navy SEAL Special Operations Chief Craig Miller testified he saw Gallagher stab the wounded fighter "on the right side of his neck, toward the jugular vein." Another witness said he saw Gallagher stab the prisoner under the collarbone but didn't see any blood.

2018: Jolie meets Falak , 8, during a visit to West Mosul during a visit to Iraq. Falak has a gene disorder and PTSD. She spoke to Jolie about seeing a man killed in front of her during the ISIS occupation of the city. Hide Caption

2009: Three American tourists, Sarah Shourd, Shane Bauer and Joshua Fattal, are arrested by Iran on suspicion of espionage during what their families have said was a simple hiking trip along the Iraq-Iran border. Shourd was released 14 months later on "humanitarian grounds" while Bauer and Fattal were convicted of "illegal entry" and "espionage" two years after their arrest. They were each sentenced to eight years in prison, but were released on Sept. 21, 2011. Each of the detainees was released after payment of about $465,000 bail. Hide Caption