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In Iraq, Those Displaced By Violence Return Home After the holy month of Ramadan, hundreds of families displaced by sectarian fighting began returning to the divided neighborhood of Ghazaliyah. To help the process, the U.S. military has been visiting the returnees. Report: Taliban Gaining Strength In Afghanistan A draft report from U.S. intelligence agencies says Afghanistan faces a "downward spiral" as Taliban fighters threaten stability in the region. They're conducting more sophisticated attacks, increasingly encroaching on government and working more closely with al-Qaida, it says. NATO's Reach And Strength Put To The Test Embroiled in an escalating Afghanistan conflict and startled by disintegrating relations with Russia, NATO is facing troubling times. NATO's Secretary General Jaap De Hoop Scheffer discusses the evolving nature of the military alliance. Ahmadinejad: 'Who Exactly Is The Provocateur?' Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is visiting the United States and the United Nations — where he is expected to confront the U.S. over its policies. But in an interview with NPR, Ahmadinejad disputed that view — up to a point. Al-Qaida, Pakistani Taliban Suspected In Bombing A huge truck bomb destroyed the Marriott Hotel in the Pakistan capital, Islamabad, killing more than 50 people in a terrorist attack that has shaken the country's new administration. Among the dead are at least one American, a German and the Czech ambassador to Pakistan, reports NPR's Phillip Reeves, who says investigators suspect al-Qaida and the Pakistani Taliban in the blast. Canadian Citizen Imprisoned By U.S. Speaks Out Maher Arar, a telecommunications engineer with dual Canadian and Syrian citizenship, was detained during a stop-over in JFK Airport in 2002 and deported to a Syrian prison, where he was locked up and beaten for almost a year. Embassy Attack Puts New Focus On Yemen Twisted metal, bits of human flesh and burned out cars littered the street outside the U.S. Embassy in San'a a day after attackers mounted a coordinated frontal assault on the heavily fortified compound. Sixteen people died, including four civilian bystanders. Essay: Sick And Chugging Gatorade In Iraq Feeling under the weather is never enjoyable, but being sick in a combat zone is wretchedly miserable. Stuck with bronchitis, Capt. Nate Rawlings is reminded of why sometimes, when you can't be sure of the outcome, all you can look forward to is the end. Bush Puts New Focus On Bin Laden, Al-Qaida NPR has learned that the Bush administration is pushing for increased military action along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. The plan is part of an effort to kill or capture Osama bin Laden and other top al-Qaida leaders by the time the president leaves office. Egyptian Dissident Blasts Bush On Freedom Agenda A leading Egyptian dissident says President Bush raised expectations high with talk of a "Freedom Agenda," but as Bush's term nears an end, the U.S. has little to show for it. Saad Eddin Ibrahim says Bush betrayed Arab democrats. Middle East Forever Tied To Memories Of U.S. Tragedy Though the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks took place on U.S. soil, the weight of the massive tragedy was felt far outside this country, especially in the Middle East. Karim Makdisi, a professor at the American University of Beirut, explains how Sept. 11 is remembered throughout his region. Many Arab-Americans Still Perceived As A 'Problem' The aftermath of Sept. 11 was a particularly difficult time for Arab and Muslim-American children in the U.S. Author Moustafa Bayoumi talks about some of the challenges chronicled in his new book How Does it Feel to Be a Problem?: Being Young and Arab in America. Israel's Livni Vies For Spot As Second Female PM Tzipi Livni is a hard-driving yet soft spoken foreign minister who could take over leadership of the ruling Kadima party and as head of state when current Prime Minister Ehud Olmert steps down. Some experts say she's tough and cautious, but friends call her "very funny" and "fun" in private. What Winning In Iraq Means John McCain has long been a supporter of the Iraq War. We speak with some convention attendees about what "winning the war in Iraq" means to them. U.S. Hands Over Anbar Province At a ceremony in Ramadi Monday, the U.S. military handed over control of Anbar province to Iraqi government forces. The Sunni province west of Baghdad was an insurgent hotbed until late 2006 when tribal leaders formed an alliance with U.S. forces. Will Iraq's Shiite-dominated government allow these Sunni paramilitaries to continue operating?