2014年8月25日星期一

Yahoo! News: Iraq

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Yahoo! News: Iraq


WORK OF FOREIGN CORRESPONDENTS GROWS EVER MORE DANGEROUS

Posted: 25 Aug 2014 04:01 PM PDT

With the farewell to journalist James Foley and the unexpected release of freelancer Peter Theo Curtis, the term "foreign correspondent" seems to have gained new importance. Yet with all the unspeakable danger these journalists have faced, one could think that nothing had changed since I was a foreign correspondent from 1964 to 2007. Surely during my time "in action," there were many too many deaths among journalists. But these wars were infinitely different from the conflicts being covered by the foreign correspondents of today.

American held in Syria freed after nearly 2 years

Posted: 25 Aug 2014 03:20 PM PDT

a man believed to be Peter Theo Curtis held hostage by an al-Qaida linked group in SyriaWASHINGTON (AP) — As the U.S. mourned an American journalist beheaded by Islamic militants, Americans found something of a reprieve with the release of another freelance reporter who had been held hostage for nearly two years by an al-Qaida-linked group in Syria.


Why was one US hostage in Syria killed, and another freed?

Posted: 25 Aug 2014 02:59 PM PDT

No one knows for sure why American freelance writer Peter Theo Curtis was released Sunday by an Al Qaeda affiliate in Syria, just days after another American journalist held captive in Syria, James Foley, was brutally executed on camera by another Islamist terror group. Mr. Foley was held by the Islamic State (IS) – which since June has advanced from Syria into northern Iraq and which the US is now bombing on the Iraqi side of the border. Curtis was held by Jabhat al-Nusra, or Nusra Front, a Syrian group fighting the forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (whom the US also opposes) and linked to Al Qaeda. IS, also known as ISIS, the group that held Foley for nearly two years, started out a decade ago as Al Qaeda in Iraq and distinguished itself by its over-the-top cruelty and willingness to attack civilians in an effort to foment sectarian war.

Dempsey: We will act if Islamic group threatens US

Posted: 25 Aug 2014 02:53 PM PDT

ABOARD A US MILITARY AIRCRAFT (AP) — Gen. Martin Dempsey says that once he determines the Islamic State militants in Iraq have become a direct threat to the U.S. homeland, he will recommend the U.S. military move directly against the group in Syria.

U.S. prepares military options in Syria against Islamic State

Posted: 25 Aug 2014 02:40 PM PDT

Militant Islamist fighters take part in a military parade along the streets of northern Raqqa provinceThe United States is preparing military options to pressure the Islamic State in Syria, the U.S. President Barack Obama has so far sought a limited military campaign in Iraq focused on protecting American diplomats and civilians under direct threat. Still, officials have not ruled out escalating military action against the Islamic State, which has increased its overt threats against the United States. General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said last week that the Islamic State would need to eventually be addressed on "both sides of what is essentially at this point a non-existent border" between Syria and Iraq.


Thousands flee to Cameroon after Boko Haram attack in Nigeria

Posted: 25 Aug 2014 02:40 PM PDT

Nigerian soldiers patrol in the north of Borno state close to a Islamist extremist group Boko Haram former camp on June 5, 2013 near MaiduguriBoko Haram on Monday overran a border town in northeast Nigeria, forcing residents and soldiers to flee in the latest indication of the militants' growing ability to strike at will and unchecked. The attack on Gamboru Ngala came after the town was almost entirely destroyed in a devastating assault in May that left more than 300 people dead and prompted outrage at the lack of military response. Many residents sought refuge from the latest strike across the border in the northern Cameroon town of Fotokol, where Cameroonian troop reinforcements were sent, a security service source told AFP. Nigerian soldiers were said to be among the exodus, according to locals and the Cameroon military, who said "more than 450" had fled their posts on Sunday from elsewhere in Borno state in fear of Boko Haram attacks.


Suddeutsche Zeitung, Top German Daily, Interviews AJC Executive Director David Harris

Posted: 25 Aug 2014 02:39 PM PDT

BERLIN, Aug. 25, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In a major interview with the influential German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung, AJC Executive Director David Harris presents his perspectives on Germany's international role. "Germany today is the undisputed leader of Europe, and also one of the leading powers on a global scale," says Harris. In the interview, Harris also discusses the Middle East. "For Germany, there is a danger coming from hundreds of jihadists when they return to Germany from their battlefield experience in Syria and Iraq," says Harris.

US says asked Qatar not to pay ransom for hostage

Posted: 25 Aug 2014 02:23 PM PDT

Peter Theo Curtis, a 45-year-old author and freelance journalist, has been released on August 24, 2014, after being held hostage for 22 months by an Islamic rebel group in SyriaThe United States said Monday that it had asked Qatar in advance not to pay a ransom for the release of US hostage Peter Theo Curtis, who was freed by an Islamic rebel group in Syria. Curtis's family said the Qatari government had repeatedly reassured them that it had not won his freedom through a cash payment, as debate mounted over the US policy of refusing to pay ransoms to extremist groups. Curtis was freed on Sunday after what the White House said were its efforts to facilitate contacts between the Curtis family and the Qatari government. "The United States government certainly did not ask the Qataris to pay a ransom.


Syria warns US: No unilateral strikes on militants

Posted: 25 Aug 2014 01:56 PM PDT

In this photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem speaks during a press conference, giving the first public comments by a senior Assad official on the threat posed by the Islamic State group, in Damascus, Syria on Monday, August 25, 2014. Al-Moallem warned the U.S. not to conduct airstrikes inside Syria against the Islamic State group without Damascus' consent, saying any such attack would be considered an aggression. Al-Moallem also said that Syria is ready to work with regional states and the international community amid the onslaught of Islamic militants there and in Iraq, adding that the Syrian government is a crucial partner in the war on terror. (AP Photo/SANA)BEIRUT (AP) — Syria said Monday it was ready to help confront the rising threat from the Islamic State group, but warned the United States against carrying out airstrikes without Damascus' consent, saying any such attack would be considered an aggression.


U.N. accuses Islamic State of mass killings

Posted: 25 Aug 2014 01:39 PM PDT

By Stephanie Nebehay and Ahmed Rasheed GENEVA/BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The United Nations on Monday condemned "appalling, widespread" crimes by Islamic State forces in Iraq, including mass executions of prisoners that could amount to war crimes. U.N. human rights chief Navi Pillay condemned "grave, horrific human rights violations" being committed by Islamic State, a Sunni Muslim group which has seized large areas of Iraq and Syria to the alarm of the Baghdad government and its allies in the West.

Officials: 2 car bombs in Baghdad kill 15 people

Posted: 25 Aug 2014 01:22 PM PDT

People gather at the site of a car bomb attack in the Shi'ite holy city of Karbala, southwest of BaghdadIraqi police officials say two car bombs in a busy commercial district in Baghdad have killed at least 15 people and wounded another 21.


UN slams jihadist abuses in Iraq as US warns of threat

Posted: 25 Aug 2014 01:09 PM PDT

A Kurdish Peshmerga fighter takes a position to monitor security and movements around Kirkuk, northern Iraq on August 24, 2014The UN on Monday accused jihadists in Iraq of "ethnic and religious cleansing" as the most senior US military officer warned they will soon threaten America and Europe. As condemnation of the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group mounted, Syria -- a pariah over its bloody crackdown on opponents of President Bashar al-Assad's rule -- said it was ready to work with the global community against "terrorism." UN human rights chief Navi Pillay said abuses by IS and affiliated groups in Iraq against non-Arab ethnic groups and non-Sunni Muslims involved targeted killings, forced conversions, abductions, trafficking, and destruction of holy and cultural sites.


The White House Doesn't Want to Talk About Airstrikes in Syria. Yet.

Posted: 25 Aug 2014 01:07 PM PDT

The White House Doesn't Want to Talk About Airstrikes in Syria. Yet.The White House isn't ready to say whether President Obama is preparing to expand the airstrikes he's ordered against Islamic State terrorists in Iraq to include hits against the group's safe haven in Syria. Press Secretary Josh Earnest on Monday deflected a series of questions about possible military action in Syria, including whether Obama would seek congressional authorization as he did – unsuccessfully – when he weighed strikes against the regime of Bashar al-Assad a year ago. "The president has not made a decision to pursue any kind of military action in Syria," Earnest said at the White House, a day after Obama returned from his lengthy vacation in Martha's Vineyard.


Israel says no difference between Hamas and Islamic State: True?

Posted: 25 Aug 2014 12:55 PM PDT

Israel's campaign to win global support for its fight against Hamas by comparing it to the brutal Islamic State (formerly ISIS) may be resonating at home, but it's eliciting snickers from many abroad -- and could lead to major strategic errors. IS, by contrast, dreams of forcing its version of Islamic law on the entire planet. "To try to equate Hamas with Al Qaeda or ISIS has potentially quite serious dangers, particularly if those purported similarities begin to enter into an accepted public narrative," says Charles Lister, a visiting fellow at the Brookings Doha Center in Qatar, who closely tracks the Islamic State and other militant movements in Syria and Iraq. Israel is worried about a rising wave of Islamist militancy – to the west, Ansar al-Sharia in Libya and Al Qaeda in the Maghreb, Hezbollah to the north, Al Qaeda-linked Jabhat al-Nusra and IS to the east, and militants in the Sinai Peninsula to the south.

Syria says would work with any state to fight Islamist militants

Posted: 25 Aug 2014 12:36 PM PDT

By Mariam Karouny and Sylvia Westall BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syria said on Monday it would cooperate in any international effort to fight Islamic State militants, after Washington signaled it was considering extending the battle against the group into Syrian territory. Russia, the most prominent foreign backer of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, also urged Western and Arab nations to overcome their distaste of the government in Damascus and engage with it to fight the hardline insurgents. Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem held open the possibility of working with a range of countries, including the United States, Britain and Saudi Arabia, all of which supported the uprising against Assad. Moualem presented his country as a vital partner in a war against Islamic State, which has seized areas of Syria and Iraq and declared a "caliphate" in the territories it controls.

65 Groups Urge the FCC to Reject the Comcast-Time Warner Cable Merger

Posted: 25 Aug 2014 12:35 PM PDT

WASHINGTON, Aug. 25, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Sixty-five organizations representing consumers, content producers, and social justice and democracy-reform advocates called on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) today to reject the proposed merger between Comcast and Time Warner Cable.  The FCC is currently reviewing the deal to determine whether it serves the public interest. In a letter to the FCC, the groups warned that the merger would give Comcast "unprecedented gatekeeper control" over the nation's telecommunications and media landscape and lead to higher prices and fewer choices for broadband and cable customers.  The merger would give Comcast too much control over the future of the Internet and communications infrastructure and undermine the diversity of ownership and content in media, according to the groups.    The letter highlights Comcast's history of failing to meet commitments made to gain approval for its previous merger with NBCUniversal.  "Given this history, no amount of promises or conditions would be good enough to assuage concerns about this merger….The deal needs to be rejected outright."

Obama has taken no decision on Syria airstrikes: White House

Posted: 25 Aug 2014 12:01 PM PDT

A rebel fighter guards a front line position in a rebel-held suburb of Damascus on August 23, 2014The White House said Monday that President Barack Obama had so far made no decision on whether to launch air strikes on Islamic State militants in Syria. "The president has not made any decision to conduct military action in Syria," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said, amid rising expectations of US action following American attacks against the jihadist group in Iraq. Earnest addressed reports that the Pentagon has been preparing options for US military action in Syria, saying it was the job of the US military headquarters to plan for all kinds of scenarios. "The president has not made any decision to order military action in Syria," Earnest said, before the president was due to meet Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on issues including the situation in Iraq and the threat from IS.


In northern Iraq, Islamic State switching to terror tactics

Posted: 25 Aug 2014 11:50 AM PDT

A string of attacks on the northern Iraqi cities of Erbil and Kirkuk over the weekend took Kurdish security forces by surprise, raising concerns that the self-styled Islamic State (IS) has sleeper cells in cities outside of its control. "Since they are failing on the front lines and incurring major losses, they've switched tactics to suicide bombings and assassinations," says Brig. Gen. Bamo Omar Arif, who commands a special task force in Kirkuk. Arif said that Islamic State fighters targeted two outposts used by his men. A third explosion targeted a weapons market in Kirkuk whose main customers are the peshmerga, Kurdish militia fighters.Two members of the Asayish security forces were also kidnapped overnight Saturday.

Saudi Arabia jails 17 people for militant Islamist offences

Posted: 25 Aug 2014 11:39 AM PDT

A Saudi court has jailed 17 men for up to 33 years on a range of militant Islamist charges, including fighting in foreign conflicts and joining terrorist cells inside the kingdom, state news agency SPA reported on Monday. Riyadh's concerns about Islamist militants have grown more acute over the past two years as the conflicts in Syria and Iraq have attracted more of its own citizens to travel to those countries to join groups fighting in the name of jihad. King Abdullah decreed in February long prison terms for those who travel overseas to fight or who give material or moral support to groups officially labeled as extremist, including al Qaeda, Syria's Nusra Front and Islamic State. The men, part of a group of 67, were also convicted of financing terrorism, possessing weapons and ammunition without permits and helping members of a "terrorist organization".

ISIS an 'Incredible' Fighting Force, US Special Ops Sources Say

Posted: 25 Aug 2014 11:37 AM PDT

ISIS an 'Incredible' Fighting Force, US Special Ops Sources SayOfficial: 'They Operate Like a State With a Military'


Report: 3 Chinese workers abducted in Turkey

Posted: 25 Aug 2014 11:32 AM PDT

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Kurdish rebels have abducted three Chinese workers in southeast Turkey and attacked a thermal power plant where they worked, injuring a security guard, Turkey's state-run news agency reported Monday.

Germany to arm Kurds against Islamic State in test of stronger global role

Posted: 25 Aug 2014 11:10 AM PDT

German Chancellor Angela Merkel faces a backlash at home as Germany flexes a more muscular foreign policy, most recently with a controversial decision to arm Kurdish forces in Iraq. The decision to bolster Kurds fighting the self-declared Islamic State (IS) is opposed by nearly two-thirds of Germans. "Germany is basically being forced to take on a new role in Europe," says Toby Matthiesen, an associate fellow at the German Council on Foreign Relations in Berlin. "The European Union cannot have a foreign policy if Germany does not have a foreign policy, or if its foreign policy tries to keep involvement in international affairs as limited as possible."

Norwegian Muslims rally against Islamic militants

Posted: 25 Aug 2014 11:02 AM PDT

Some of the almost 5,000 protestors attending a demonstration against ISIS, in Oslo, Monday, Aug. 25, 2014. Different Muslim groups were behind the initiative which was attended by political and Muslim leaders. ISIS is an acronym for the Islamic State group. (AP Photo/NTB Scanpix, Torstein Boe) NORWAY OUTSTOCKHOLM (AP) — Norway's prime minister and other politicians have joined Muslim leaders and thousands of other people for a demonstration in Oslo against radical Islamists.


Obama back in DC amid crises, as if he never left

Posted: 25 Aug 2014 10:59 AM PDT

President Barack Obama, center, and first lady Michelle Obama, left, walk with their daughter Malia, right, across the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Sunday, Aug. 24, 2014, following their arrival on Marine One helicopter. Obama returned to Washington after spending two weeks with his family on the island of Martha's Vineyard. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)WASHINGTON (AP) — While in office, former President George H. W. Bush once plaintively asked, "What is it about August?"


IS will 'soon' pose threat to US: top general

Posted: 25 Aug 2014 10:32 AM PDT

General Martin Dempsey holds a press briefing at the Pentagon in Washington, DC on August 21, 2014The US military's top general believes Islamic State extremists will "soon" pose a threat to America and Europe and that an international coalition will be needed to confront it, his spokesman said Monday. US commanders are preparing possible "options" to counter IS jihadists both in Iraq as well as Syria, according to General Martin Dempsey's spokesman, Colonel Ed Thomas. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel adopted a more strident tone last week at a Pentagon news conference, suggesting the IS militants presented a dire threat that surpassed the danger posed by the Al-Qaeda network. Dempsey "believes that ISIS (Islamic State) is a regional threat that will soon become a threat to the United States and Europe," Thomas said in a statement.


Washington’s Once-Invincible Economy Sputters

Posted: 25 Aug 2014 10:03 AM PDT

Washington's Once-Invincible Economy SputtersIt was once an article of faith that regardless of how bad the economy and job market became, the Washington, D.C., region would be largely exempt from the worst of it.  While other cities staggered through the worst of the Great Recession, Washington and the surrounding suburban jurisdictions were cushioned by the hundreds of billions of dollars spent on defense, homeland security and private government contracting. The combination of continued federal spending cuts mandated under the 2011 Budget Control Act, a "lagging job market, and excess real estate development plague the Washington area," The Washington Post reported on Sunday. "This dependence [on federal spending], which has served the economy so well historically, is now an albatross," Stephen Fuller, an economist at George Mason University's Center for Regional Analysis, said during a seminar in Northern Virginia last week sponsored by Capital One, according to The Post.


Qatar aims to prove its role against radical Islam: experts

Posted: 25 Aug 2014 09:58 AM PDT

Peter Theo Curtis, a 45-year-old author and freelance journalist, has been released on August 24, 2014, after being held hostage for 22 months by an Islamic rebel group in SyriaQatar, which mediated the release of a US hostage held by Al-Qaeda in Syria, seeks to prove its role in confronting the Islamist radicals it has been accused of supporting, experts say. The Qatari foreign ministry, in a statement, said the tiny gas-rich nation had "succeeded in releasing American journalist Peter Theo Curtis," after he spent 22 months in captivity. Doha "exerted relentless efforts" to obtain the release of the freelance journalist held by Al-Nusra Front in Syria "out of Qatar's belief in the principles of humanity and its keenness on the lives of individuals and their right to freedom and dignity," it said. In June, Qatar brokered a deal under which five Taliban militants were freed in return for the release of US Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, who was captured by Afghan militants.


Five Best Monday Columns

Posted: 25 Aug 2014 09:55 AM PDT

Five Best Monday ColumnsRon Prosor in The New York Times on how Qatar is threatening stability in the Middle East. Israel's ambassador to the United Nations claims that the oil-rich nation of Qatar has become one of the largest funders of terrorist groups in the world. "Today, the petite petroleum kingdom is determined to buy its way to regional hegemony, and like other actors in the Middle East, it has used proxies to leverage influence and destabilize rivals. Qatar's proxies of choice have been radical regimes and extremist groups." He contends that Qatar's continued financing of Hamas is the largest barrier to lasting peace in Gaza. "Qatar's continued sponsorship of Hamas all but guarantees that, whatever happens in this round of hostilities, the terrorist group will rearm and renew hostilities with Israel. Cass Sunstein in Bloomberg View on why the public won't listen to economists when they say that immigration reform will help the economy. Sunstein argues that the broad economic consensus on immigration won't translate to political action.


Damascus wants coordination in any air strikes on Islamic State in Syria

Posted: 25 Aug 2014 09:05 AM PDT

The Syrian government said on Monday it must be involved in coordinating any air strikes against Islamist militants in Syria, after the United States said it was considering extending the fight against Islamic State into Syrian territory. Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem said air strikes alone would not be adequate to deal with Islamic State, which has taken control of large areas of Syria and neighboring Iraq. Moualem also said neighboring states needed to exchange intelligence with Syria.

U.N. reports improved aid access in Syria, but outlook bleak

Posted: 25 Aug 2014 08:48 AM PDT

By Louis Charbonneau UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Humanitarian access in Syria has improved since the U.N. Security Council last month authorized the delivery of emergency aid across the Syrian border without the government's consent, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a new report. "All parties to the conflict continue to deny access to humanitarian assistance in an unjustifiable manner," Ban said.

Iran deputy foreign minister to visit Saudi Arabia

Posted: 25 Aug 2014 08:40 AM PDT

Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Iran's envoy to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, speaks during a news conference in CairoDUBAI/RIYADH (Reuters) - Iran's deputy foreign minister will visit Saudi Arabia on Tuesday for the first bilateral talks between the Middle East's most intractable Muslim rivals since Iran's political landscape shifted in 2013, media in both countries reported. Shi'ite Muslim Iran and Sunni Saudi Arabia are enmeshed in a struggle for influence across the Middle East and they support opposing sides in wars and political disputes in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Bahrain and Yemen.


Ukraine Today jumps into the Ukraine-Russia media war

Posted: 25 Aug 2014 08:25 AM PDT

This is the world's newest 24-hour English-language network, Ukraine Today, which launched on Ukraine's Independence Day yesterday. Amid the ongoing information war between Russia and Ukraine, the new channel promises to take viewers "beyond the headlines" with commitment to "Honesty," "Freedom," and "Rule of Law." But even with a Ukrainian perspective largely absent from the English-speaking media, it is unclear whether there is space for yet another player on an already crowded playing field. Ukraine Today promises to offer a fresh and deep look at Ukraine with a focus on European Union integration as well as relations with Russia. The channel features punchy music between segments and has aired pieces on the difficulty Russian tourists face getting to Crimea and NATO accusations of Russia sending its troops to fight in Ukraine.

Boko Haram leader says ruling Nigerian town by Islamic law

Posted: 25 Aug 2014 08:23 AM PDT

A poster advertising for the search of Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau is pasted on a wall in BagaBy Isaac Abrak ABUJA (Reuters) - The leader of Nigeria's Islamist group Boko Haram said his fighters were now ruling the captured northeastern town of Gwoza "by Islamic law", in the first video to state a territorial claim in more than five years of violent insurrection. The Nigerian military denied Boko Haram had taken control of the town during fighting over the past week, although security sources and some witnesses said police and military there had been pushed out. Abubakar Shekau's forces have killed thousands since launching an uprising in 2009, and are seen as the biggest security threat to the continent's leading energy producer. In the latest video released late on Sunday, the militant who says he is fighting to create an Islamic state in religiously-mixed Nigeria, said his forces had taken control of the hilly border town of Gwoza, near the frontier with Cameroon.


U.N. rights boss condemns 'widespread' Islamic State crimes in Iraq

Posted: 25 Aug 2014 08:18 AM PDT

By Stephanie Nebehay GENEVA (Reuters) - United Nations human rights chief Navi Pillay on Monday condemned "appalling, widespread" crimes being committed by Islamic State forces in Iraq, including mass executions of prisoners and "ethnic and religious cleansing". The persecution of entire communities and systematic violations by the al-Qaeda offshoot, documented by U.N. human rights investigators, would amount to crimes against humanity and war crimes under international law, she said in a statement.

Boko Haram Becomes the Latest Terror Group to Declare an Islamic Caliphate

Posted: 25 Aug 2014 07:13 AM PDT

Boko Haram Becomes the Latest Terror Group to Declare an Islamic CaliphateAll eyes may be on ISIL in Iraq, which has recently undergone a rebranding as the Islamic State, but Nigeria's Boko Haram is reportedly getting into the caliphate game as well.   Boko Haram declares caliphate in Gwoza, a town in north Nigeria. In a 52-minute video, Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau crowed over the group's recent capture of Gwoza, a town with nearly 300,000 residents. Thanks be to Allah who gave victory to our brethren in Gwoza and made it part of the Islamic state." 


Iraq officials say car bombs hit Shiite towns south of Baghdad, kill at least 23 people

Posted: 25 Aug 2014 06:33 AM PDT

BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq officials say car bombs hit Shiite towns south of Baghdad, kill at least 23 people.

Black Terror Flag Flies Over Paris Anti-Israel Rally [VIDEO]

Posted: 25 Aug 2014 06:04 AM PDT

PARIS — At an anti-Israel protest next to the Eiffel Tower Sunday, one attendee flew a black flag of the type often used by Islamist terror groups.

Russia sees West changing tack on Syria, urges engagement with Assad

Posted: 25 Aug 2014 05:52 AM PDT

By Katya Golubkova MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Monday urged Western and Arab governments to overcome their distaste for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and engage with him to fight Islamic State insurgents. In comments likely to irritate Washington, Lavrov said the United States had made the same mistake with Islamic State as it had with al Qaeda, which emerged in the 1980s when U.S.-backed Islamist insurgents were fighting the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. "I think Western politicians are already realizing the growing and fast-spreading threat of terrorism," Lavrov said, referring to Islamic State advances in Syria and Iraq.

UN rights chief: Crimes against humanity in Iraq

Posted: 25 Aug 2014 05:34 AM PDT

FILE- This undated image posted by the Raqqa Media Center, a Syrian opposition group, on Monday, June 30, 2014, which has been verified and is consistent with other AP reporting, shows fighters from the al-Qaida linked Islamic State during a parade with a missile in Raqqa, Syria. The Gulf nation of Qatar is hitting back at suggestions that it supports the Islamic State extremist group, saying that GENEVA (AP) — Islamic State fighters reportedly killed up to 670 prisoners in Mosul and committed other horrific abuses in Iraq that amount to crimes against humanity, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said Monday.


Bishop: Slain US journalist Foley opened our eyes

Posted: 25 Aug 2014 04:50 AM PDT

Bishop: Slain US journalist Foley opened our eyesSlain U.S. journalist James Foley was living his faith by bringing images to the world of people suffering from war and oppressive regimes, a Roman Catholic bishop said Sunday at a Mass in his honor. Bishop ...


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