Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• US trying to verify video of American's killing
• Jihadists claim beheading of U.S. journalist
• Japan's polarizing PM Abe learns the long game
• Islamic State says beheads U.S. journalist, holds another
• Islamic State video purports to show beheading of U.S. journalist
• Islamic State vows to 'break the American cross'
• Islamic State says beheads U.S. journalist
• Stocks rise as US home construction rebounds
• Insight - Japan's polarising PM Abe learns the long game
• Video claims to show ISIL beheading American photojournalist
• Hearing set for US Marine accused of desertion
• Jihadists 'worse than Saddam,' Iraqi Kurd commander says
• Wall St. joins global stocks rally; dollar ahead
• Joni Ernst, the next Sarah Palin? GOP fights back
• Hearing set for Marine accused of desertion
• Protester and soldier killed in Turkey clashes over PKK statue
• Top Saudi cleric: Islamic State is Islam's enemy
• Iraq forces hit militants as UN readies major aid effort
• Pentagon Fires Back At Critics of 'Police Militarization' Program
• Scene of fighting, grandiose Mosul dam always beset with problems
• World must act to halt Iraq 'genocide': Yazidi leader's son
• Exclusive: Iraqi Kurdistan oil pipeline export capacity to double
• Missouri racial violence recalls apartheid, U.N. rights chief says
• New report warns of anti-aircraft weapons in Syria
• Canadian doctor acquitted in terrorism trial
• Arab Bank, respected multi-national in dock for terror
• European stock markets extend rebound
• Gaza-based Islamist group put on US terrorist list
• London's FTSE extends rebound
• Iraqi military clashes with militants in Tikrit
• Islamic State recruits at record pace in Syria: monitor
• Islamic State promises to 'drown all of you in blood'
• Turkey seeks talks with Iraq-based Kurdish rebels: deputy PM
• US blacklists Gaza-based extremist group
• The police aren't an army: the problem with Battlefield Hardline
• Former Iraqi VP urges role for Saddam loyalists, criticises U.S. action
• Three things to know about Iraq's Mosul Dam
• Kurd shot dead in clash over statue with Turkish forces
• 'No' from one Iraq villager triggered Islamic State mass killings
• Turkish shipbuilder Karadeniz to send floating power station to Gaza

US trying to verify video of American's killing Posted: 19 Aug 2014 04:46 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — A video by Islamic State militants Tuesday purported to show the cold-blooded execution of American journalist James Foley as retribution for U.S. airstrikes in Iraq. The White House, his family and employer said they could not determine the video's authenticity and were attempting to confirm if he had been killed.

Jihadists claim beheading of U.S. journalist Posted: 19 Aug 2014 04:38 PM PDT Jihadist group the Islamic State on Tuesday claimed to have executed American journalist James Foley in revenge for U.S. airstrikes against its fighters in Iraq. The Islamist group released a video showing a masked militant purportedly beheading the reporter, who has been missing since he was seized by armed men in Syria in November 2012. "Find James Foley," the campaign run by his family to secure the 40-year-old freelancer's release, posted a public message online following the release of the video asking for time "to seek answers." Foley was an experienced correspondent who had covered the war in Libya before heading to Syria to follow the revolt against Bashar al-Assad's regime for the Global Post, AFP and other outlets.

Japan's polarizing PM Abe learns the long game Posted: 19 Aug 2014 04:36 PM PDT By Linda Sieg, Tetsushi Kajimoto and Yuko Yoshikawa TOKYO (Reuters) - Shinzo Abe is one of Japan's most polarizing prime ministers in decades. Whether that proves to be the case depends on whether Abe, who surged back to power 20 months ago for a second shot at Japan's top job, can temper his conservative ideology with pragmatism and keep his pledges to end two decades of economic stagnation. Abe's first term ended when, suffering ill health and facing political deadlock, he quit in 2007 after one troubled year. His focus then was on a controversial agenda that included turning the page on Japan's wartime past and easing the limits of the pacifist constitution.

Islamic State says beheads U.S. journalist, holds another Posted: 19 Aug 2014 04:20 PM PDT BAGHDAD/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Islamic State insurgents released a video on Tuesday purportedly showing the beheading of U.S. The video, titled "A Message To America," was posted on social media sites.

Islamic State video purports to show beheading of U.S. journalist Posted: 19 Aug 2014 04:08 PM PDT By Ahmed Rasheed and Michael Georgy BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Islamist militants fighting in Iraq released a video on Tuesday which purported to show the beheading of American journalist James Foley and U.S. The video, titled "A Message to America," was released a day after Islamic State, an al Qaeda offshoot that has overrun large parts of Iraq, threatened to attack Americans "in any place." "We have seen a video that purports to be the murder of U.S.

Islamic State vows to 'break the American cross' Posted: 19 Aug 2014 04:08 PM PDT Islamic State, the Sunni militant group which seeks to establish a caliphate in parts of Iraq and Syria, released a video on Tuesday that gave the strongest indication yet it might attempt to strike American targets. The video with the theme "breaking of the American cross" boasts Islamic State will emerge victorious over "crusader" America. It follows a video posted on Monday warning of attacks on American targets if Washington struck against its fighters in Iraq and Syria. The latest footage speaks of a holy war between the al-Qaeda offshoot and the United States, which occupied Iraq for nearly a dacade and faced stiff resistance from al Qaeda.

Islamic State says beheads U.S. journalist Posted: 19 Aug 2014 02:18 PM PDT BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Islamic State insurgents who control territory in Iraq and Syria released a video on Tuesday purportedly showing the beheading of U.S. journalist James Foley, who had gone missing in Syria nearly two years ago. The video, titled "A Message To America," was posted on social media sites. It was not immediately possible to verify. (Reporting by Alexander Dziadosz; Editing by Chris Reese)

Stocks rise as US home construction rebounds Posted: 19 Aug 2014 02:15 PM PDT NEW YORK (AP) — A summer swoon for the stock market appears to be over for now.

Insight - Japan's polarising PM Abe learns the long game Posted: 19 Aug 2014 02:06 PM PDT By Linda Sieg, Tetsushi Kajimoto and Yuko Yoshikawa TOKYO (Reuters) - Shinzo Abe is one of Japan's most polarizing prime ministers in decades. Whether that proves to be the case depends on whether Abe, who surged back to power 20 months ago for a second shot at Japan's top job, can temper his conservative ideology with pragmatism and keep his pledges to end two decades of economic stagnation. Abe's first term ended when, suffering ill health and facing political deadlock, he quit in 2007 after one troubled year. His focus then was on a controversial agenda that included turning the page on Japan's wartime past and easing the limits of the pacifist constitution.

Video claims to show ISIL beheading American photojournalist Posted: 19 Aug 2014 01:59 PM PDT A video posted by ISIL terrorists purports to the show the beheading of an American photojournalist who has been missing since 2012. The group claims the beheading is a message to President Obama to end the American intervention in Iraq. #ISIS beheads photojournalist James Wright Foley in a massage to US to end its intervention in #Iraq. James Foley was a photojournalist who has worked for a variety of news organizations.

Hearing set for US Marine accused of desertion Posted: 19 Aug 2014 01:54 PM PDT CAMP LEJEUNE, North Carolina (AP) — U.S. military officials have scheduled a hearing this week for a Marine accused of faking his own kidnapping in Iraq as well as failing to return to his base after visiting relatives in Utah.

Jihadists 'worse than Saddam,' Iraqi Kurd commander says Posted: 19 Aug 2014 01:53 PM PDT Jihadists targeting minorities are "worse than Saddam", a Kurdish commander says, standing near a sand barrier at a front line in north Iraq, the militants' black flag fluttering in the distance. The desert area was until recently under control of the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group, which launched a renewed push in Iraq's north earlier this month, taking ground from Kurdish forces, attacking minority groups and forcing tens of thousands of people to flee. IS is "worse than Saddam. Then they take over," says Major General Abdulrahman Kawiri, an officer in the Kurdish peshmerga forces, puffing on a cigarette as the sun slips below the horizon.

Wall St. joins global stocks rally; dollar ahead Posted: 19 Aug 2014 01:47 PM PDT By Michael Connor NEW YORK (Reuters) - Wall Street got a lift from the U.S. housing sector and extended a global stock markets rally on Tuesday as investors shifted focus from political crises to expectations monetary policy will remain accommodative. The dollar climbed smartly as the euro sank to a nine-month low against the greenback. U.S. Treasuries yields rose. Bolstered by strong profits from home-improvement retailer Home Depot, as well as U.S. ...

Joni Ernst, the next Sarah Palin? GOP fights back Posted: 19 Aug 2014 01:46 PM PDT Democrats are trying with all their might to turn Joni Ernst, the Republican nominee for US Senate in Iowa, into the next Sarah Palin. Indeed, the polarizing former governor of Alaska has endorsed Ms. Ernst, a state senator and 20-year military vet. In another catchy ad, she talked about castrating hogs – perhaps the Iowa equivalent of field-dressing a moose? "Joni Ernst would be another tea party vote in the Senate," the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee says in its latest spot, part of a reported multi-million-dollar ad campaign against her.

Hearing set for Marine accused of desertion Posted: 19 Aug 2014 01:42 PM PDT CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (AP) — Military officials have scheduled a hearing this week for a Marine accused of faking his own kidnapping in Iraq as well as failing to return to his base after visiting relatives in Utah.

Protester and soldier killed in Turkey clashes over PKK statue Posted: 19 Aug 2014 01:38 PM PDT Two people were shot dead and at least two others wounded Tuesday when Turkish security forces clashed with Kurds protesting at the dismantling of a controversial new statue of a slain PKK commander. The clashes erupted when protesters gathered at a cemetery outside the town of Lice in the Diyarbakir region of southeastern Turkey to prevent soldiers from removing the statue of Mahsum Korkmaz, a founder of the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). The dead demonstrator was later buried in the graveyard as thousands of mourners booed troops and shouted PKK slogans. The statue of Korkmaz, who planned the first attacks of the PKK's insurgency seeking self-rule for Turkey's Kurds, was unveiled on Saturday, but Turkish nationalists saw it as glorifying "terrorism" and a court swiftly ordered its demolition.

Top Saudi cleric: Islamic State is Islam's enemy Posted: 19 Aug 2014 01:17 PM PDT RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Saudi Arabia's top cleric said Tuesday that extremism and the ideologies of groups like the Islamic State and al-Qaida are Islam's No. 1 enemy and that Muslims have been their first victims.

Iraq forces hit militants as UN readies major aid effort Posted: 19 Aug 2014 12:22 PM PDT Iraqi forces battled Sunni militants along a string of fronts Tuesday, including in Saddam Hussein's hometown Tikrit, as the United Nations readied a massive aid operation for displaced Iraqis. Kurdish and federal forces, who wrested back control of Iraq's largest dam, fought jihadists in the country's north, buoyed by intensifying US air strikes and Western arms deliveries. Other security forces backed by militiamen and tribesmen are also fighting jihadists in flashpoints north, west and south of Baghdad, officials said. The counter-offensives against the militants came as the UN refugee agency said it was launching a major operation this week to help "close to half a million people" who have been displaced.

Pentagon Fires Back At Critics of 'Police Militarization' Program Posted: 19 Aug 2014 12:19 PM PDT The Pentagon on Tuesday mounted a vigorous defense of the surplus military equipment transfer program that has drawn criticism following the police crackdown in Ferguson, Missouri. The Defense Department's chief spokesman, John Kirby, told reporters during a briefing that the 1033 program was not "some program run amok," despite images of heavily armored officers in Ferguson that have fed concerns about the "militarization" of local law enforcement. Congress created the program in 1990 to allow police departments to apply for free transfers of excess military equipment as local authorities sought to beef up security to combat drug gangs.

Scene of fighting, grandiose Mosul dam always beset with problems Posted: 19 Aug 2014 12:03 PM PDT By Yara Bayoumy DUBAI (Reuters) - The Mosul Dam was always meant to be a symbol of Iraq's grandiose ambition to escape poverty and underdevelopment. Despite its structural faults, the country's biggest dam at 3.6 km long, built by a German-Italian consortium in the 1980s, is a vital water and power source for Mosul, Iraq's largest northern city of 1.7 million residents. With that in mind, Islamic State insurgents who captured swathes of Iraq and Syria and declared a caliphate, wrested control of the dam from Kurdish forces in recent weeks.

World must act to halt Iraq 'genocide': Yazidi leader's son Posted: 19 Aug 2014 12:00 PM PDT The world is not doing enough to halt a "genocide" of Iraq's Yazidi, the son of the religious minority's leader said Tuesday, blaming international inaction for a recent massacre. "We call upon the free world to immediately act," said Breen Tahseen, an Iraqi diplomat based in Britain and the son of Prince Tahseen Saeed Bek, the leader of the Yazidi people. Speaking to reporters in Geneva as a representative of his father, Tahseen said jihadists from the Islamic State (IS) group had killed more than 3,000 Yazidi and had kidnapped 5,000 more since they first entered Iraq's northwestern Sinjar region at the beginning of the month. Tens of thousands of Yazidi, who according to Tahseen numbered around 600,000 in Iraq before the attack, fled into the mountain.

Exclusive: Iraqi Kurdistan oil pipeline export capacity to double Posted: 19 Aug 2014 11:21 AM PDT By Humeyra Pamuk and Orhan Coskun DUHOK Iraq/ANKARA (Reuters) - The capacity of Iraqi Kurdistan's independent oil pipeline will almost double to at least 200,000 barrels per day by the end of this month, helping the semi-autonomous region increase exports and revenue, industry sources and officials said. Oil revenues are a lifeline for the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) in northern Iraq, whose peshmerga forces are being supported by U.S.

Missouri racial violence recalls apartheid, U.N. rights chief says Posted: 19 Aug 2014 11:17 AM PDT Navi Pillay, who is due to step down at the end of the month after six years in the U.N. hotseat, urged U.S. The United States is a freedom-loving country and one thing they should cherish is people's right to protest," Pillay said in a wide-ranging interview in her office along Lake Geneva.

New report warns of anti-aircraft weapons in Syria Posted: 19 Aug 2014 11:07 AM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Warnings from an international research group and the Federal Aviation Administration underscore the rising threat to commercial aircraft posed by hundreds of anti-aircraft weapons that are now in the arsenals of armed groups in Syria and could easily be diverted to extremist factions.

Canadian doctor acquitted in terrorism trial Posted: 19 Aug 2014 10:44 AM PDT A Canadian doctor of Pakistani heritage who once auditioned for a televised talent show on Tuesday became the first person in Canada to be acquitted at trial of terrorism. Khurram Sher, a 31-year-old pathologist, was arrested in a dramatic police takedown with two other suspects in 2010. Superior Court Justice Charles Hackland in his ruling said Sher likely harbored jihadist sympathies but that the evidence did not prove he intended to join the conspiracy. Evidence presented at trial included circuit boards said to be for use in detonating a bomb remotely, "terrorist" books, manuals and videos, as well as a wiretap of a dinner conversation in which the group discussed attacking a military base in Canada.

Arab Bank, respected multi-national in dock for terror Posted: 19 Aug 2014 10:39 AM PDT Arab Bank, on trial in New York for allegedly supporting terrorism, is one of the biggest and most prestigious Arab banking giants in the world. Founded in 1930 by Abdel Hamid Shoman, a Palestinian from Jerusalem who worked as a peddlar in New York then returned home to start his empire, it started out as the first private sector financial institution in the Arab world. In 1948, when the state of Israel was established, the bank relocated to Amman. Today, the Arab Bank Group is a hugely respected multinational with more than 600 branches in 30 countries, assets last year worth $46.4 billion and a shareholders' equity base of $7.8 billion.

European stock markets extend rebound Posted: 19 Aug 2014 09:56 AM PDT Europe's main stock markets rose on Tuesday, extending the previous day's surge as fears about the Ukraine crisis eased and fuelled optimism ahead of a speech by the head of the US central bank this week. Frankfurt's main DAX index added 0.96 percent compared with Monday's close to end the day at 9,334.28. London's benchmark FTSE 100 gained 0.56 percent at 6,779.31 points, while in Paris the CAC 40 rose 0.56 percent to 4,254.45 points. On the foreign exchange market, the euro fell against the dollar but rose versus the British pound.

Gaza-based Islamist group put on US terrorist list Posted: 19 Aug 2014 09:42 AM PDT An Islamist Palestinian group based in Gaza has been placed on the US terrorist black list, the State Department announced Tuesday. Since its founding in 2012, the "Mujahidin Shura Council in the Environs of Jerusalem" has claimed responsibility for a number of rocket attacks on Israel and a cross-border attack with explosives that killed a civilian at an Israeli construction site, according to the State Department. It said the group was composed of several jihadist sub-groups, and had declared its support for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, a militant group that has declared a caliphate in areas of Iraq and Syria that it controls.

London's FTSE extends rebound Posted: 19 Aug 2014 09:35 AM PDT London's leading share index rose on Tuesday, extending the previous day's gains as easing fears over Ukraine fuelled optimism ahead of a speech by the head of the US central bank this week. The benchmark FTSE 100 gained 0.56 percent to close at 6,779.31 points after rebounding sharply on Monday on easing investor concerns over the unrest in east Ukraine and Iraq. The continued move higher "reflects investors' improved sentiment as geopolitical risk subsides and the prospect of premature central bank tightening fades", said Craig Erlam, market analyst at Alpari traders. Traders were also looking ahead to a speech on Friday by Federal Reserve chief Janet Yellen for any hint of a change to the US central bank's interest rate plans.

Iraqi military clashes with militants in Tikrit Posted: 19 Aug 2014 09:22 AM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — Skirmishes broke out Tuesday between Iraqi security forces and militants on the outskirts of Tikrit, a local official and a resident said, a day after the Iraqi and Kurdish troops backed by U.S. airstrikes dislodged Islamic militants from a strategic dam in the country's north.

Islamic State recruits at record pace in Syria: monitor Posted: 19 Aug 2014 09:19 AM PDT Thousands of new fighters joined Islamic State in Syria last month in its fastest expansion to date, a body monitoring the war said on Tuesday. Now in control of roughly a third of Syria and large areas of Iraq, Islamic State has been seizing territory from rival Islamist groups in a belt of territory north of Aleppo, threatening rebel supply lines into the city where President Bashar al-Assad's forces are seeking to encircle the insurgents. Islamic State recruited at least 6,300 men in July, Rami Abdelrahman, founder of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, told Reuters - a big expansion from early estimates suggesting the group numbered around 15,000. The surge followed Islamic State's rapid advance in northern Iraq in June, where its capture of the city of Mosul furnished it with new weaponry and resources, some of which were diverted to Syria.

Islamic State promises to 'drown all of you in blood' Posted: 19 Aug 2014 08:52 AM PDT The Islamic State is vowing retribution should U.S. According to Reuters, a newly released video by the Islamic State shows a picture of an American man who had been beheaded in Iraq during the initial U.S. The Islamic State has focused on its goal of establishing a caliphate by seizing land in Iraq in Syria before launching any potential attacks on the West. Osama Bin Laden famously warned of the risks of establishing a caliphate too early, writing in a document seized in the raid on his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan that an Islamic State could have the adverse affect of dividing the Sunni population.

Turkey seeks talks with Iraq-based Kurdish rebels: deputy PM Posted: 19 Aug 2014 08:21 AM PDT Turkey wants to hold direct talks with Kurdish rebels based in Iraq to help revive stalled peace talks, a senior Turkish official said Tuesday. The military headquarters of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) -- which has waged a 30-year insurgency against the Turkish authorities for self-rule -- is in the Kandil mountains of northern Iraq. Deputy Prime Minister Besir Atalay said Turkey's negotiating team with the Kurds would be expanded to hold talks for the first time with the PKK militants in Iraq.

US blacklists Gaza-based extremist group Posted: 19 Aug 2014 08:15 AM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration has placed a Gaza-based extremist group on several terrorism blacklists, freezing any assets it may have in U.S. jurisdictions and barring Americans from transactions with it.

The police aren't an army: the problem with Battlefield Hardline Posted: 19 Aug 2014 08:00 AM PDT Electronics Arts thinks it can bring Battlefield's military gunplay home. Battlefield Hardline moves the Battlefield series from international battlegrounds to a realistic domestic setting: As tricked out police, the player in Hardline uses heavy weaponry, armor and vehicles to kill criminals in Los Angeles. Cops and soldiers are not the same thing.

Former Iraqi VP urges role for Saddam loyalists, criticises U.S. action Posted: 19 Aug 2014 07:46 AM PDT By Nick Tattersall ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Former dictator Saddam Hussein's Baath party must play a role if a political solution is to be found in Iraq, ex-vice president Tarek al-Hashemi said on Monday, warning that U.S. The Iraqi army has been trying to push back Sunni Muslim insurgents from Islamic State and other groups opposed to the Shi'ite-led government in Baghdad since they launched a lightning advance two months ago. The United States this month began its first air strikes on Iraq since pulling out all troops in 2011, to support Kurdish fighters also trying to reverse gains by the insurgents, who have overrun much of Iraq's north.

Three things to know about Iraq's Mosul Dam Posted: 19 Aug 2014 07:24 AM PDT With the aid of US airstrikes, Kurdish peshmerga fighters seized control Monday of Mosul Dam, which had been held by the Sunni militant Islamic State (IS). Control of the dam is essential to Iraq's energy and water resources; As the Monitor reported, IS has targeted key energy infrastructure in Iraq, including oil fields and water resources, as it expands its territory in Iraq and Syria. In recent weeks, IS has tried and failed to gain control of Haditha Dam, the country's second largest, which provides power to Baghdad.

Kurd shot dead in clash over statue with Turkish forces Posted: 19 Aug 2014 07:20 AM PDT By Seyhmus Cakan DIYARBAKIR Turkey (Reuters) - A Kurdish protester was shot dead and two others were wounded in southeastern Turkey on Tuesday as they clashed with security forces dismantling a newly erected statue of a prominent Kurdish militant. Soldiers backed by military helicopters were removing the statue of Mahsum Korkmaz, the first field commander of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militant group, in the Lice district when they came under attack, the military said. A court ordered the demolition of the statue after it was erected in a cemetery last week to mark the 30th anniversary of the PKK's first armed attack against Turkish forces, led by Korkmaz. Deputy Prime Minister Besir Atalay said the statue and the protest at its demolition had been an attempt to derail a two-year-old peace process between the government and the PKK.

'No' from one Iraq villager triggered Islamic State mass killings Posted: 19 Aug 2014 06:56 AM PDT By Humeyra Pamuk DOHUK Iraq (Reuters) - When Islamic State militants stormed into a northern Iraqi village and ordered everyone to convert to Islam or die only one person refused. The militants, who have seized much of northern Iraq since arriving from Syria in June, wasted no time after the village's leader, or sheikh, stood up for his ancient Yazidi faith. His account, one of the first eyewitness reports of last Friday's killings, could not be independently verified but other Yazidis and Iraqi officials have given details of Islamic State's attack on the village. We were all very afraid," said Khodede from a hospital bed in the town of Dohuk in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq.

Turkish shipbuilder Karadeniz to send floating power station to Gaza Posted: 19 Aug 2014 05:39 AM PDT Turkish shipbuilder Karadeniz Holding plans to send an electricity generating vessel to Gaza to provide urgently needed power in the enclave left reeling by an Israeli bombing campaign that began last month. Karadeniz announced its intentions on Tuesday, shortly after Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said that a power ship - a floating power station - would be sent as soon as Gaza's port facilities had been upgraded. "The Palestinians have contacted the Israelis concerning the dispatching of the platform and there has been no adverse reaction from the Israeli side," Yildiz said at a joint press conference in Ankara after a meeting with Palestinian Energy Minister Omar Kittaneh Israel began military operations in Gaza on July 8 in response to rockets being fired into Israeli territory by fighters loyal to Islamist group Hamas. Karadeniz said in a statement to Reuters that it had received a request from the Palestinian authorities and that the ship would be sent within 120 days, once necessary approvals had been obtained.

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