Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• Opposition leader visits Syria amid Assad offensive
• Obama renews budget offer to cut social safety nets
• The Cyrus Cylinder, symbol of Persian tolerance, heads to US
• Syrian opposition head visits rebel areas in north
• Bomb at Shi'ite mosque kills 45 in Pakistan
• Shi'ite fighters rally to defend Damascus shrine
• Assad accuses US, Britain of supporting terrorism
• Iraq shuts border post after Syrian rebels seize frontier
• Britain does not rule out future arms to Syria rebels
• Assad accuses Britain, US of supporting terrorism
• Officials: Separate attacks in Iraq kill 4
• Zain to offload stake in Iraqi unit through IPO
• Officials: Bomb attacks in Iraq kill 4
• Chad says kills Algeria hostage mastermind in Mali

Opposition leader visits Syria amid Assad offensive Posted: 03 Mar 2013 03:50 PM PST AMMAN (Reuters) - Exiled opposition figure Moaz Alkhatib visited Syria on Sunday for the first time since fleeing last year, as rebels said President Bashar al-Assad's forces embarked on counter-offensives in various parts of the country. In the central city of Homs, heavy fighting broke out between loyalist forces and opposition brigades dug in preparation for an onslaught, opposition sources said. ...

Obama renews budget offer to cut social safety nets Posted: 03 Mar 2013 03:03 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama raised anew the issue of cutting entitlements such as Medicare and Social Security as a way out of damaging budget cuts, a White House official said on Sunday, as both sides in Washington tried to limit a fiscal crisis that may soon hit millions of Americans. Signaling he might be ready to explore a compromise to end automatic spending cuts that began late Friday, Obama mentioned reforming these entitlement programs in calls with lawmakers from both parties on Saturday afternoon. ...

The Cyrus Cylinder, symbol of Persian tolerance, heads to US Posted: 03 Mar 2013 01:26 PM PST Can an ancient hunk of clay bearing a message of tolerance from the Persian Empire help Americans and Iranians chip away at a generation of mutual hostility?

Syrian opposition head visits rebel areas in north Posted: 03 Mar 2013 12:18 PM PST BEIRUT (AP) — Following rebel gains, the leader of the Syrian opposition made his first visit Sunday to areas near the embattled northern city of Aleppo as fighters trying to oust President Bashar Assad captured a police academy and a border crossing along the frontier with Iraq.

Bomb at Shi'ite mosque kills 45 in Pakistan Posted: 03 Mar 2013 11:13 AM PST KARACHI (Reuters) - A suspected suicide bomber attacked Shi'ite Muslims as they were leaving a mosque in Pakistan's commercial capital on Sunday, killing at least 45 people, in another signal Sunni militants are escalating sectarian attacks. "It's like doomsday to me. I was watching television when I heard an explosion and my flat was badly shaken," said Mariam Bibi. "I saw people burning to death and crying with pain. I saw children lying in pools of their own blood and women running around shouting for their children and loved ones. ...

Shi'ite fighters rally to defend Damascus shrine Posted: 03 Mar 2013 07:23 AM PST BEIRUT (Reuters) - Shi'ite fighters from Iraq and Lebanon have joined fellow Shi'ite Syrian gunmen to defend a shrine south of Damascus which they fear is threatened by Sunni rebels battling President Bashar al-Assad. The presence of Shi'ite combatants from neighboring states - confirmed by sources in Iraq and Syria and highlighted in videos glorifying their mission - underlines how Syria's conflict is inflaming sectarian feelings in the region. ...

Assad accuses US, Britain of supporting terrorism Posted: 03 Mar 2013 06:43 AM PST AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — More than 200 Syrian soldiers and opposition fighters died in the eight-day battle for a police academy near the embattled northern city of Aleppo, activists said Sunday as President Bashar Assad lashed out at the West for sending aid to those trying to oust him.

Iraq shuts border post after Syrian rebels seize frontier Posted: 03 Mar 2013 05:22 AM PST MOSUL (Reuters) - Iraq shut a border crossing with Syria on Sunday after rebels battling to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad seized the other side of the frontier post from his army, Iraqi military sources said. The Iraqi army fired warning shots into the air late on Friday as Syrian insurgents fought government forces in the Syrian town of Yaarabiya and eventually seized the border post. The fighting so close to Iraq illustrates how Syria's near-two-year conflict could spill over its borders, dragging in neighboring countries and further destabilizing the region. ...

Britain does not rule out future arms to Syria rebels Posted: 03 Mar 2013 04:48 AM PST LONDON (Reuters) - Britain cannot rule out providing arms to Syrian rebels in the future, although a new aid package it will announce this week will consist only of non-lethal assistance, Foreign Secretary William Hague said on Sunday. Western countries have so far shied away from arming the rebels fighting against President Bashar al-Assad, despite their firm diplomatic backing for efforts to remove him. ...

Assad accuses Britain, US of supporting terrorism Posted: 03 Mar 2013 03:39 AM PST AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — Syria's president harshly criticized U.S. and British aid to rebels and set harsh terms for talking to his opponents in a newspaper interview published Sunday, as fighting raged across the country.

Officials: Separate attacks in Iraq kill 4 Posted: 03 Mar 2013 03:01 AM PST BAGHDAD (AP) — Three separate attacks in Shiite-dominated areas on Sunday in central Iraq have killed at least four people and wounded 14, officials said.

Zain to offload stake in Iraqi unit through IPO Posted: 03 Mar 2013 02:08 AM PST DUBAI/BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Kuwait telecom operator Zain may be the sole seller in its Iraqi unit's IPO which could substantially cut its stake while maintaining its majority control. Zain Iraq must float a quarter of its shares and list on the Iraq Stock Exchange (ISX) as part of its $1.25 billion licence, as were Iraq's two other national operators. The company expects to finalize details of the initial public offering by the end of June, Wael Ghanayem, Zain Iraq's chief financial and operating officer told Reuters in an emailed response to questions. ...

Officials: Bomb attacks in Iraq kill 4 Posted: 03 Mar 2013 12:44 AM PST BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi officials say attacks in two Shiite-dominated areas in the Baghdad region have killed four people and wounded 11.

Chad says kills Algeria hostage mastermind in Mali Posted: 03 Mar 2013 12:19 AM PST N'DJAMENA (Reuters) - Chadian soldiers in Mali have killed Mokhtar Belmokhtar, the al Qaeda commander who masterminded a bloody hostage-taking at an Algerian gas plant in January, Chad's military said on Saturday. The death of one of the world's most wanted jihadists would be a major blow to al Qaeda in the region and to Islamist rebels already forced to flee towns they had seized in northern Mali by an offensive by French and African troops. "On Saturday, March 2, at noon, Chadian armed forces operating in northern Mali completely destroyed a terrorist base (... ...

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