Ayub Nuri

Translator extraordinaire Ayub Nuri on the right, along with reporter Aaron Schachter and their driver Abdulrazzaq Zanjeel at a street cafe in Baghdad in 2003.

Fixers are a foreign reporter's best friend — and often their lifeline

Spoiler alert: A behind the scenes look at foreign correspondents that you may not want to know! A good interpreter, or "fixer," can make the difference not only between a good story and a bad one, but between life and death.

Fixers are a foreign reporter's best friend — and often their lifeline
Kurdish protesters set fire to a barricade blocking the street as they clash with riot police in Diyarbakir, Turkey, on October 7, 2014.

'The Kurds have no friends but the mountains'

'The Kurds have no friends but the mountains'
Kurdish peshmerga troops stand guard in the Iraqi province of Nineveh on August 6, 2014.

Kurds in Irbil try to maintain normal lives with ISIS close by

Kurds in Irbil try to maintain normal lives with ISIS close by
Volunteers have joined the Iraqi security forces to fight against the predominantly Sunni militants from a radical Islamic group (ISIL) who've taken over parts of northern Iraq.

Iraq is 'back where it was' at height of the civil war

Iraq is 'back where it was' at height of the civil war
Members of the Kurdish security forces occupied Kirkuk province last week, after Iraqi government forces fled.

With Iraq in chaos, Kurds argue it's time for partition

With Iraq in chaos, Kurds argue it's time for partition
Some of the young Baghdadis who volunteered Friday for the Iraqi Army on Friday.

There's fear in Baghdad as jihadis advance

Fear is mounting in Baghdad, as rumors swirl that Sunni extremist forces are on the outskirts of the Iraqi capital. There is not much confidence that the Iraqi army can stop them. The US is delaying direct assistance until it gets assurances of political change.

There's fear in Baghdad as jihadis advance