NewsTracker Answers for week of Nov. 16, 2015

Q: French authorities said the horrific rampage of bullets and explosions that left more than 120 dead and 350 people wounded last Friday on the blood-stained streets of Paris was carried out by suicide bombers linked to the Islamic State (ISIS). Where is France?

Circle the area on this map


Q: At least one of terrorists said the attack was in retaliation for French military actions against ISIS fighters in which nation?

A. Lebanon

B. Libya

C. Egypt

D. Syria


D. A gunman at one of the attacks was heard shouting, “This is for Syria!”  Warplanes from France, Britain, the United States and other nations have repeatedly hit Islamic State fighters in Syria and Iraq over the past year. Russia recently began military operations against the Islamic State and other rebels in Syria's bloody civil war.


Q: Islamic State claimed responsibility for another attack last Thursday that killed 43 people in which country?

A. Lebanon

B. Libya

C. Egypt

D. Tunisia


A. ISIS claimed responsibility for twin suicide blasts that killed 43 and wounded 239 people. The fundamentalist Sunni Muslim ISIS, said the attacks were intended to kill rival Shia Muslims in a stronghold of the Hezbollah Shia militia. Lebanon, Libya, Egypt, Tunisia and more than a dozen other nations have been targets of ISIS attacks.


Q: Two weeks before the Paris attacks, ISIS said it was responsible for 224 deaths in which nation?

A. Lebanon

B. Libya

C. Egypt

D. Tunisia


C. ISIS' affiliate in Egypt says it brought down a Russian airliner over the Sinai Peninsula. And, U.S. officials are confident that terrorists bombed the plane, killing the overwhelmingly Russian passengers and crew. ISIS said the attack was retaliation for recent Russian military attacks on ISIS in Syria.


Q: ISIS now finances its forces in Syria and Iraq mostly through theft, extortion and selling oil from the territory it controls. But, which of these oil-rich Persian Gulf nations did NOT have wealthy patrons giving money to help ISIS get started?

A. Kuwait

B. Iran

C. Qatar

D. Saudi Arabia


B. The Sunni Muslim monarchies of Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia – all allied to some degree with the U.S. - are bitter power rivals of Iran, the nation with the largest number of Shia Muslims. Iran has paid for most of the Shia militias and Syrian and Iraqi government forces fighting ISIS. Wealthy Sunni families in the gulf area, including royalty, funneled millions of dollars to ISIS.