Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• Up to 15, mostly foreigners, killed in Kabul suicide attack
• American College of Surgeons and San Francisco Health Care Leaders Discuss Solutions for Improving Emergency and Trauma Care
• Syria offers Aleppo truce as rebels argue over talks
• Live Video (6:30 p.m.): Robert Gates discusses new book
• Robert Gates: In Iraq, US achieved its 'minimal objectives'
• Iraqi FM warns against 'poisonous' extremism in Syria
• Former Defense Sec. Gates: It should be harder for presidents to launch military actions
• Iraq army presses Anbar assault as unrest kills six
• 'US ready to train Iraqi troops in third country'
• Anti-gay laws, attitudes hold sway in many regions
• Indonesia to Australia: stop crossing the line
• US to ship more ammo and arms to embattled Iraq
• Piecemeal negotiations with Syria opposition will only increase division
• Syrian rebels push Qaeda affiliate from northwest stronghold
• Syrian opposition under pressure to decide on peace talks
• Smuggler guides Syrians across perilous frontier
• Syria rebels push Qaeda affiliate from northwest stronghold
• Foreign Policy Faceplant
• Looted Iraqi museum hopes to reopen, minus many relics
• UN calls on nations to take in Syrian refugees
• Today in History

Up to 15, mostly foreigners, killed in Kabul suicide attack Posted: 17 Jan 2014 05:07 PM PST By Jessica Donati and Mirwais Harooni KABUL (Reuters) - Up to 15 people, mostly foreigners, were killed on Friday when a suicide bomber blew himself up outside a popular Lebanese restaurant in the Afghanistan capital of Kabul, police said. Islamist Taliban insurgents claimed responsibility for the attack in the upscale Wazir Akbar Khan district, which hosts many embassies and restaurants catering for expatriates. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said its representative in Afghanistan was one of the dead, and the United Nations said three of its staff were killed as well. "They must stop immediately." General Ayoub Salangi, an Afghan deputy interior minister, said between 13 and 15 people, mostly foreigners, were killed but their nationalities were not immediately clear.

American College of Surgeons and San Francisco Health Care Leaders Discuss Solutions for Improving Emergency and Trauma Care Posted: 17 Jan 2014 02:49 PM PST CHICAGO, Jan. 17, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Surgeons from Bay Area hospitals that treated the victims of the July 2013 Asiana Airlines accident came together to share the successes and challenges in trauma and emergency care delivery in the days and weeks after the mass casualty response. Presenters offered new solutions to improve the quality of patient care and strengthen emergency medical response through regionalization, coordination, and enhanced communication between hospitals and on-site responders. The American College of Surgeons (ACS) hosted the ACS Surgical Health Care Quality Forum Northern California on January 14 at the University of California San Francisco, the 15th program in a series of events to drive national discussions on effective quality improvement methods that surgeons, physicians and hospitals are using to improve patient safety and quality outcomes.

Syria offers Aleppo truce as rebels argue over talks Posted: 17 Jan 2014 02:06 PM PST By Thomas Grove and Dasha Afanasieva MOSCOW/ISTANBUL (Reuters) - The Syrian government, preparing for peace talks with rebels next week, handed the Russian co-sponsors of the conference a proposal on Friday for a ceasefire in Aleppo and an exchange of prisoners. The offer was dismissed by some of President Bashar al-Assad's disparate opponents, whose very attendance at the talks due to start on Wednesday in Switzerland remained in doubt, despite fresh assurances from Washington that negotiations would lead to Assad's departure from power. After nearly three years of war, and over 100,000 deaths, however, Assad's forces have been making gains, helped by in-fighting among the rebels as well as support from Iran and new arms and equipment from Russia. Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem, visiting Moscow, said he gave Russian officials a plan for a truce in Aleppo, Syria's biggest city, where government forces have been unable to dislodge rebels over the past year.

Live Video (6:30 p.m.): Robert Gates discusses new book Posted: 17 Jan 2014 01:38 PM PST The National Constitution Center will have live video of former Defense Secretary Robert Gates' appearance in Philadelphia at 6:30 p.m. on Friday night.

Robert Gates: In Iraq, US achieved its 'minimal objectives' Posted: 17 Jan 2014 12:36 PM PST Had the United States been able to maintain a residual force in Iraq – rather than leave because Maliki refused to grant US troops immunity from prosecution in Iraqi courts if they were accused of, for example, accidentally killing civilians – US military commanders may have been able to have greater leverage to convene the leadership in Iraq.  Still, Gates argues, from his perspective the US withdrawal went as planned. "In terms of handing over Iraq to the Iraqis I think we accomplished our minimal objectives."

Iraqi FM warns against 'poisonous' extremism in Syria Posted: 17 Jan 2014 12:34 PM PST Harran (Turkey) (AFP) - Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said Friday that efforts to stop the civil war in Syria must tackle the "poisonous" extremism and sectarianism threatening the region. But he warned that there would be no "magical solution" at next week's international Syria peace talks in Switzerland. "The whole region, every country will be affected unless some solution, or some collaboration (is reached) between all the countries, especially the neighbouring countries who are in the firing line," Zebari told reporters in Turkey. He spoke of the danger of the "poisonous" extremism and sectarianism spreading across the region from Syria, where regime forces are fighting increasingly divided rebel groups and Al-Qaeda-linked jihadists.

Former Defense Sec. Gates: It should be harder for presidents to launch military actions Posted: 17 Jan 2014 11:19 AM PST President Barack Obama's former defense secretary says Congress should assert its role in matters of war and peace.

Iraq army presses Anbar assault as unrest kills six Posted: 17 Jan 2014 11:03 AM PST Ramadi (Iraq) (AFP) - A suicide bombing and shelling in Iraq's Anbar province killed six people as security forces pressed an assault Friday against militants for territory the government lost weeks ago. As the violence raged, a US defence official said the military is planning to train Iraqi troops in a third country to help counter a resurgence of Al-Qaeda-linked militants. Unrest in Anbar and elsewhere in Iraq has already killed more than 600 people this month, fuelling fears the country is slipping back into all-out sectarian war with little appetite for political compromise ahead of an April general election. UN chief Ban Ki-moon and other diplomats have urged Baghdad to pursue political reconciliation, but Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has ruled out dialogue with militants, and the authorities have instead trumpeted police and army operations.

'US ready to train Iraqi troops in third country' Posted: 17 Jan 2014 10:34 AM PST The US military is planning to train Iraqi troops in a third country to help counter a resurgence of Al-Qaeda-linked militants, a defense official told AFP on Friday. Pending an agreement with Jordan or another nation to host the effort, the training was "likely" to go ahead as both Baghdad and Washington supported the idea, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. However, Pentagon officials are not contemplating sending an American team of military instructors into Iraq, partly because it would require negotiating a legal agreement with Baghdad that proved elusive in the past. Such a move also could spark political rancor in Washington that would revive old wounds over the controversial US-led war in Iraq.

Anti-gay laws, attitudes hold sway in many regions Posted: 17 Jan 2014 08:47 AM PST While gay-rights activists celebrate gains in much of the world, their setbacks have been equally far-flung, and often sweeping in scope.

Indonesia to Australia: stop crossing the line Posted: 17 Jan 2014 08:35 AM PST Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said today that Australia's recent incursions into Indonesian waters were "disturbing" and dismissed Canberra's apologies for the recent incidents as not enough. Australia apologized to its northern neighbor earlier today, saying that Australian naval operations to stop so-called "boat people" from entering Australian waters had "inadvertently" crossed into Indonesian domain. Australia said that the navy's moves were due to technical errors and happened without the government's knowledge.  Indonesia remains a key transit point for people fleeing conflict zones such as Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, and Syria. In the past six years, more than 50,000 asylum seekers have attempted the dangerous trip and more than 1,000 are believed to have drowned.

US to ship more ammo and arms to embattled Iraq Posted: 17 Jan 2014 08:29 AM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon says it will soon deliver to Iraq another installment of small arms and ammunition requested by Baghdad as it battles al-Qaida militants for control of Fallujah and other key cities in Anbar province.

Piecemeal negotiations with Syria opposition will only increase division Posted: 17 Jan 2014 08:29 AM PST Meanwhile Syria's economy lies in ruins, with over 45 percent unemployment and a 40 percent fall in GDP since the start of the conflict. Syria's modest development gains over the past 12 to 15 years have been wiped out, while the country has recorded the largest fall in the Global Peace Index. The vast majority of opposition forces now appreciate that the Islamic State of Iraq and Sham (ISIS) – also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) – and other extremist groups have done more harm than good to their cause. At the same time, those entrusted with the difficult task of day-to-day governance in large swaths of newly liberated areas are already negotiating with the Assad regime on a daily basis in order to provide water, electricity, and other basic services to an increasingly demanding population.

Syrian rebels push Qaeda affiliate from northwest stronghold Posted: 17 Jan 2014 08:15 AM PST By Alexander Dziadosz BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian rebels ousted an al Qaeda-linked faction from one of its northwestern bastions on Friday, activists said, a serious blow to the group after two weeks of infighting that has undercut the insurgency against President Bashar al-Assad. But in a sign the internecine conflict was far from over, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) retook control of a town on the Turkish border after losing it to rival rebels for several hours, a monitoring group said. Rebels from Islamists to relatively secular moderates have been fighting the al Qaeda-linked ISIL in the worst rebel-on-rebel violence since Syria's conflict began in March 2011. The fighting since the start of January has killed over 1,000 people, according to Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitors.

Syrian opposition under pressure to decide on peace talks Posted: 17 Jan 2014 06:49 AM PST By Dasha Afanasieva ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Syria's opposition gathered in Istanbul on Friday to vote on whether to attend peace talks next week with President Bashar al-Assad's government, under heavy pressure from Western backers to endorse negotiations. Around a third of the opposition Coalition have threatened not to support the peace talks, which will start in Montreux before moving to Geneva, prompting the Coalition leadership to try to lower the bar for endorsement. "The outcome is finely balanced, but I expect a Yes vote," said a Western diplomat following the talks, adding that the United States, Britain and other Western backers had told the Coalition that a No vote would have unwelcome consequences. "But we have made clear the decision on Geneva is a big one and it will be difficult to deliver on military and political strategy if they don't go." REBELS OPPOSE PEACE TALKS The Coalition, based in Turkey, has little influence on the ground in Syria, where most rebels oppose the peace talks, and its military arm, the Supreme Military Council (SMC), has been eclipsed by Islamist rebels and al Qaeda-linked fighters.

Smuggler guides Syrians across perilous frontier Posted: 17 Jan 2014 05:46 AM PST Kilis (Turkey) (AFP) - For a modest fee Ibrahim leads Syrians across the Turkish border, one of many services his organisation, the Al-Qaeda affiliated Al-Nusra Front, provides to those in need. On a recent day he led a line of taxis up a muddy road through olive groves toward Turkey's border with Syria, where dozens of Syrians clutching overstuffed suitcases and burlap sacks waited on the other side to get across. Thousands have fled following an outbreak of clashes pitting Islamist and moderate rebels against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), a feared Al-Qaeda affiliate with roots in the Iraq war. The fighting has claimed an estimated 1,100 lives, and comes as the rebels are still battling forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad.

Syria rebels push Qaeda affiliate from northwest stronghold Posted: 17 Jan 2014 04:27 AM PST By Alexander Dziadosz BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian rebels ousted an al Qaeda-linked faction from one of its northwestern bastions on Friday, activists said, a significant blow to the group after two weeks of infighting that has undercut the insurgency against President Bashar al-Assad. Rebels from Islamists to relatively secular moderates have been fighting the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) faction in the worst internecine violence to break out since Syria's conflict began in 2011. The fighting since the start of January has killed over 1,000 people, according to Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitors, and helped Assad's forces claw back territory around the northern commercial hub of Aleppo. On Friday, the Observatory and activists said ISIL had pulled out of the northern town of Saraqeb, strategically important because it straddles highways connecting Aleppo, the capital Damascus and Assad's coastal stronghold of Latakia.

Foreign Policy Faceplant Posted: 17 Jan 2014 02:45 AM PST It was a tough week for Shlemiel of State John Kerry, who was topped by a dwarfish North Korean baller and made one Kremlin princess very, very unhappy.

Looted Iraqi museum hopes to reopen, minus many relics Posted: 17 Jan 2014 01:50 AM PST By Alexander Dziadosz BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A decade on from the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein and whipped up a tsunami of theft in Baghdad, Iraq's National Museum is preparing to display its treasures of Mesopotamian culture - even if thousands are missing. The looting of the museum under the eyes of U.S. troops has sometimes been compared to the Mongol sack of the Grand Library of Baghdad in 1258. Then-U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld shrugged it off with the comment "stuff happens". But if many Iraqis still see the museum's looting as a symbol of the cavalier recklessness of the invasion, its current state is emblematic of the bloodshed, political discord and bureaucratic dysfunction that have racked Iraq ever since.

UN calls on nations to take in Syrian refugees Posted: 17 Jan 2014 01:49 AM PST SANLIURFA, Turkey (AP) — The U.N. refugee agency's chief has renewed a call on all nations to keep their borders open to Syrians fleeing their country, saying Syria's neighbors should not be "left alone" to cope with the influx.

Today in History Posted: 16 Jan 2014 09:01 PM PST Today is Friday, Jan. 17, the 17th day of 2014. There are 348 days left in the year.

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