How to capture option value and echo out or concatenate to include file?

Good progress so far — @minitauros spotted the stray semicolon and @Bachu pointed out a simpler action target — now the remaining issue is making the select “sticky” so the chosen country remains visible after submit (or persisting it across pages). Two safe, practical patterns:

• Server-side sticky form: rebuild the <select> from an array and add the selected attribute when the option equals the submitted value. Escape output with htmlspecialchars() to avoid XSS.
• Persist to session when the choice must survive navigation: call session_start(), save the submitted value, and use that session value when rendering the form.

Example: build options and keep the selected value (uses a different field name than the original posts):

<?php
// render time: pick POST, then SESSION, then empty
$selected = $_POST['country_sel'] ?? $_SESSION['country_sel'] ?? '';

$countries = [
  'Iraq','Kuwait','Bahrain','Saudi Arabia','Qatar','Oman','Yemen','Jordan','Israel'
];

echo '<select name="country_sel" id="country_sel">';
foreach ($countries as $c) {
  $safe = htmlspecialchars($c, ENT_QUOTES, 'UTF-8');
  $sel = ($c === $selected) ? ' selected="selected"' : '';
  echo "<option value=\"$safe\"$sel>$safe</option>";
}
echo '</select>';
?>

To persist selection across pages:

<?php
session_start();
if ($_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD'] === 'POST' && isset($_POST['country_sel'])) {
  $_SESSION['country_sel'] = $_POST['country_sel'];
}
$selected = $_SESSION['country_sel'] ?? '';
?>

Security note (important): never include files directly from raw user input. Use a whitelist map from allowed country keys to filenames and include only mapped files. That prevents path traversal and remote‑inclusion risks. Also provide a non-JS fallback (submit button) and prefer action="" (post to same page) for clarity.