Yahoo! News: Iraq

---

• Virginia woman waives hearing on Islamic State charges
• VVA National President States Strong Support For H.R. 5484, the Toxic Exposure Research Act
• UN impose sanctions on Libya's Ansar al-Sharia
• AFCEA International Presents Its Most Prestigious Awards
• Top Obama aide won’t rule out unilateral easing of Cuba policy
• France identifies second national in IS execution video
• Jihad lures teens from unsuspected corners of France
• UN Security Council adds Libya Islamists to terror list
• Aide: Obama open to limits in war authorization
• US woman charged in terror case detained
• Trial set after vanishing Marine request is denied
• Vets' moms to Congress: Boost suicide prevention
• Virginia woman charged in terror case detained
• War in Iraq 'different' this time: US military chief
• US condemns IS bombing in Kurdish region of Iraq
• US renews strikes on Khorasan group in Syria
• US strategy against Islamic State: Iraq first, but not Iraq only, Dempsey says
• Biden, Morocco king focus on non-military aspects of terror war
• Secret Service says 'fell short' protecting White House
• Secret Service chief says agency 'severely damaged' by lapses
• U.S.-led air strikes target Islamic State, Khorasan in Syria: officials
• Egypt says it detains Nusra fighter returning from Syria
• Artists Must Be Delusional
• Obama thanks Saudi Arabia for helping fighting IS
• AP Exclusive: From IS militant to Iraq informant
• US airstrike hits al-Qaida-held town in Syria
• World terrorism deaths spiked last year – but only in five countries. Why?
• New Kurdish offensive targets Islamic State group
• Marine who vanished twice to face trial on desertion charge
• Second Frenchman identified on IS beheading video: prosecutor
• Erdogan raps US on Syria ahead of Biden visit
• Officer Christopher Nebbeling Receives Officer of the Month Award
• Knights of Columbus Sends $2.2 Million to Christian Refugees in Iraq and Syria
• Egypt sees 'new era' in Arab ties after Qatar thaw
• France says jets strike IS targets to break Kirkuk frontline
• Source: Cyprus on lookout for Syria-bound jihadis
• An Ahmadinejad comeback? Why rumors are a warning shot for Iran's Rouhani.
• Frustrated senators have questions about Obama’s Islamic State strategy. On Wednesday, they may get answers
• Egypt making slow progress on genital mutilation
• France to send six fighter jets to Jordan to target Islamic State

Virginia woman waives hearing on Islamic State charges Posted: 19 Nov 2014 05:22 PM PST By John Clarke (Reuters) - A Virginia woman on Wednesday waived a preliminary hearing on terrorism charges over allegedly lying to U.S. investigators about using social media to promote and recruit for the militant Islamic State group. Heather Coffman, 29, of Henrico, Virginia, was arrested on Monday after trying to recruit an undercover FBI agent for Islamic State, according to documents filed in the U.S. District Court in Richmond. Authorities began investigating Coffman, the mother of a 7-year-old child, in June after noticing her Facebook activity, according to the criminal complaint. ...

VVA National President States Strong Support For H.R. 5484, the Toxic Exposure Research Act Posted: 19 Nov 2014 04:37 PM PST WASHINGTON, Nov. 19, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Representatives Dan Benishek (R-MI) and Mike Honda (D-CA) have introduced the Toxic Exposure Research Act (H.R. 5484) that will, when enacted into law, establish a national center at a VA medical facility for research on the diagnosis and treatment of health conditions of descendants of veterans exposed to toxic substances during their service in the U.S. Armed Forces.On November 19, at 2:00 p.m. ...

UN impose sanctions on Libya's Ansar al-Sharia Posted: 19 Nov 2014 04:32 PM PST UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council imposed sanctions Tuesday on the Libyan Islamist militant group Ansar al-Sharia, which took part in the 2012 attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, for its ties to al-Qaida and other terrorist groups.

AFCEA International Presents Its Most Prestigious Awards Posted: 19 Nov 2014 03:51 PM PST WASHINGTON, Nov. 19, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Rep. Michael J. Rogers (R-MI) received AFCEA International's highest honor, the David Sarnoff Award, at the association's Honors night held at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington, D.C., on November 18. The award recognizes individuals who have made lasting and significant contributions to global peace and security. Previous Sarnoff Award winners include Gen. Keith B. Alexander, USA, commander, U.S. Cyber Command; director, NSA; and chief, Central Security Service; and James R. Clapper Jr., director of national intelligence. ...

Top Obama aide won’t rule out unilateral easing of Cuba policy Posted: 19 Nov 2014 03:37 PM PST A year after President Barack Obama said the United States must "update our policies" on Cuba, his pick for the No. 2 job at the State Department, Tony Blinken, refused to rule out unilateral steps by the president in the next two years — provided Alan Gross goes free.

France identifies second national in IS execution video Posted: 19 Nov 2014 03:34 PM PST France on Wednesday identified a second national who appeared unmasked in a grisly Islamic State execution video and announced it was sending more jets to the region to step up air strikes. He said French aircraft in Iraq had pummelled trenches used by IS fighters around the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk on Tuesday night. Currently France is using nine Rafale jets based in the more distant United Arab Emirates as part of a US-led international campaign to provide air support to Iraqi and Kurdish forces fighting the group. Meanwhile, Nozad Hadi, the governor of Arbil, the capital of Iraq's Kurdistan region, blamed IS jihadists for a suicide car bombing which left four dead on Wednesday.

Jihad lures teens from unsuspected corners of France Posted: 19 Nov 2014 03:27 PM PST For the French public, the idea is deeply jarring: youngsters from everyday backgrounds with names like Maxime, Helene and David joining the jihad or turning up in brutal Islamic State execution videos. One was identified as Maxime Hauchard, 22, from a village in Normandy in northern France, seen with a knife to the neck of one of the 18 Syrian prisoners decapitated in the video. Meanwhile, the picture of a smiling, young David Drugeon -- the 24-year-old killed by a US drone in Syria this month -- is hard to square with reports that he was a senior bomb-maker for the Khorasan group, an Al-Qaeda offshoot planning attacks in the West. She recently co-authored a report examining the backgrounds of 160 families who had contacted the centre seeking help with a child's radicalisation.

UN Security Council adds Libya Islamists to terror list Posted: 19 Nov 2014 03:19 PM PST The UN Security Council on Wednesday added to its terror list a Libyan Islamist group accused of involvement in the 2012 attack on the US mission in Benghazi that killed the ambassador and three other Americans. The council blacklisted Ansar al-Sharia for its ties to Al-Qaeda, slapping an arms embargo, assets freeze and global travel ban on the extremists at the request of Britain, France and the United States. The measure targets Ansar al-Sharia Benghazi and its sister group Ansar al-Sharia Derna, which both have links to Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and other violent radical outfits. In October, Ansar al-Sharia Derna pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS), the Islamist group that has seized control of territory in Iraq and Syria.

Aide: Obama open to limits in war authorization Posted: 19 Nov 2014 03:15 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration is open to limits on the duration of its military efforts in Iraq and Syria and on the potential use of ground forces in a new war authorization against the Islamic State, a top presidential adviser said Wednesday.

US woman charged in terror case detained Posted: 19 Nov 2014 03:04 PM PST RICHMOND, Virginia (AP) — A woman charged with lying to federal investigators about supporting the Islamic State militant group softly answered yes-or-no questions from the judge Wednesday in agreeing to remain in jail until her trial.

Trial set after vanishing Marine request is denied Posted: 19 Nov 2014 02:56 PM PST RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A judge has declined a request for a new hearing on evidence against a U.S. Marine accused of deserting his unit a decade ago in Iraq and later winding up in Lebanon, a military spokesman said Wednesday.

Vets' moms to Congress: Boost suicide prevention Posted: 19 Nov 2014 02:41 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — Marine Corps veteran Clay Hunt was just 26 when he committed suicide, following tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Virginia woman charged in terror case detained Posted: 19 Nov 2014 02:34 PM PST RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A Virginia woman charged with lying to federal investigators about supporting the Islamic State militant group softly answered yes-or-no questions from the judge Wednesday in agreeing to remain in jail until her trial.

War in Iraq 'different' this time: US military chief Posted: 19 Nov 2014 02:19 PM PST US military action in Iraq has a better chance of success than the last war there because American troops are playing a supporting role to local forces from the start, top officer General Martin Dempsey said Wednesday. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff also voiced cautious optimism that Iraqi forces were gaining strength and predicted they would make progress on the battlefield in the coming months against the Islamic State group. As an example, Dempsey cited an episode that played out during his recent visit to Iraq over the weekend.

US condemns IS bombing in Kurdish region of Iraq Posted: 19 Nov 2014 02:09 PM PST The United States on Wednesday condemned a suicide bombing by Islamic State extremists in the usually safe Kurdish region of Iraq that killed at least four people and left more than two dozen injured. "The United States strongly condemns the continued terrorist attacks in Iraq, including the suicide car bomb attacks today in Basrah and the Iraqi Kurdistan Region in front of the Arbil Provincial Council Building that took a number of innocent lives," the US State Department said in a statement. "The Iraqi people are determined to stand against the violence and horrific ideology of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)," the US government said, using an alternate acronym for IS.

US renews strikes on Khorasan group in Syria Posted: 19 Nov 2014 02:01 PM PST American warplanes have carried out another air strike on the Khorasan group in northwest Syria, the latest of several raids on the Al-Qaeda offshoot, the US military said Wednesday. US aircraft "struck and destroyed a storage facility associated with a network of veteran Al-Qaeda operatives, sometimes called the 'Khorasan Group,' whose members are plotting external attacks against the United States and its allies," Central Command said in a statement. The group has been hit by US forces in three previous strikes -- once in September at the start of air raids in Syria against the Islamic State group, and twice this month, according to Central Command, which is overseeing the air war. The Khorasan group had been an obscure cell until US intelligence officials called attention to it in September, days before dozens of Tomahawk cruise missiles were launched from naval ships against the militants near Aleppo.

US strategy against Islamic State: Iraq first, but not Iraq only, Dempsey says Posted: 19 Nov 2014 01:38 PM PST America's top military officer is pushing back against criticism of President Obama for not having a clear strategy against the Islamic State (IS).

Biden, Morocco king focus on non-military aspects of terror war Posted: 19 Nov 2014 01:37 PM PST Rabat (AFP) - US Vice President Joe Biden and Moroccan King Mohammed VI discussed Wednesday their countries' strategic alliance and efforts to achieve peace and security in Africa and the Middle East, Biden's office said.

Secret Service says 'fell short' protecting White House Posted: 19 Nov 2014 01:34 PM PST The Secret Service admitted Wednesday to an "inexcusable" series of failures that allowed a disturbed veteran to make it deep into the White House armed with a knife. Joseph Clancy, acting director of the Secret Service, told the House Judiciary Committee that the front door of the presidential mansion had been unlocked, allowing Omar Gonzalez to make his way unchallenged into the building on September 19 after scaling the White House fence. Clancy, who took over after director Julia Pierson resigned that month amid an outcry over several security lapses at the White House, said the Gonzalez incident was "simply inexcusable" and vowed a "comprehensive, bottom-to-top assessment" to improve protection of President Barack Obama and his family. "While we strive for perfection, we have, on limited occasions, fallen short of that goal," he said, adding that he was working to improve communication between Secret Service agents and management and had met agents at the White House and listened to their concerns.

Secret Service chief says agency 'severely damaged' by lapses Posted: 19 Nov 2014 12:26 PM PST By Will Dunham WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The acting head of the U.S. Secret Service said on Wednesday that the agency charged with protecting the president had been "severely damaged" by harmful lapses, including allowing a knife-carrying man to jump a fence and run into the White House in September. Joseph Clancy told the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee he had sought to establish a culture of trust within the Secret Service since replacing Julia Pierson, who resigned under fire as director on Oct. 1. ...

U.S.-led air strikes target Islamic State, Khorasan in Syria: officials Posted: 19 Nov 2014 12:24 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S.-led forces conducted six air strikes against Islamic State militants and one against the al Qaeda-affiliated Khorasan Group in Syria since Monday and 24 air strikes in Iraq during the same period, the U.S. military said. In Syria, the military said on Wednesday that five strikes by U.S. and partner forces hit near Kobani, the contested border city near Turkey that Islamic State militants are fighting to control. Those damaged three buildings and hit two tactical and one large Islamic State unit, U.S. Central Command said. ...

Egypt says it detains Nusra fighter returning from Syria Posted: 19 Nov 2014 12:24 PM PST CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's interior ministry said on Wednesday it had arrested an Egyptian militant who had returned from fighting in Syria with a group linked to the al Qaeda affiliate Nusra Front in order to train Egyptians in bombmaking. A statement posted to the ministry's Facebook page said Hany Shaheen Ali Shaheen confessed to receiving orders from the Islamist Furqan Brigade to train Islamists in Egypt's Gharbia province. ...

Artists Must Be Delusional Posted: 19 Nov 2014 11:56 AM PST The story told in Gruff Rhys's American Interior—a vast, interdisciplinary epic by the lead singer of acclaimed rock band Super Furry Animals—sounds outlandish, but is as true as life. The project chronicles the travels of John Evans, an 18th-century pauper who came to the United States looking for the descendants of Madog, a mythical Welsh hero said to have sailed to America three centuries before Columbus. For many years, it was said that a lost, Welsh-speaking tribe—proof of pre-Columbus contact—roamed the Great Plains. ...

Obama thanks Saudi Arabia for helping fighting IS Posted: 19 Nov 2014 11:44 AM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is thanking Saudi Arabia for its role in the U.S.-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group.

AP Exclusive: From IS militant to Iraq informant Posted: 19 Nov 2014 11:15 AM PST BAGHDAD (AP) — The former Islamic State group commander walked into the visitors' room of his Baghdad prison, without the usual yellow jumpsuit and shackles his fellow inmates wear. In slippers and a track suit, he greeted guards with a big smile, kissing them on the cheeks.

US airstrike hits al-Qaida-held town in Syria Posted: 19 Nov 2014 11:01 AM PST BEIRUT (AP) — An overnight American-led airstrike struck al-Qaida militants in northwestern Syria, the U.S. military and Syrian activists said Wednesday.

World terrorism deaths spiked last year – but only in five countries. Why? Posted: 19 Nov 2014 10:57 AM PST Terrorism is up – but concentrated in a handful of countries where an even smaller number of terror groups are carrying out the bulk of attacks.

New Kurdish offensive targets Islamic State group Posted: 19 Nov 2014 10:41 AM PST BAGHDAD (AP) — Kurdish forces, backed by U.S.-led airstrikes, launched a new offensive Wednesday targeting the Islamic State group in areas of Iraq that the extremists had captured this past summer.

Marine who vanished twice to face trial on desertion charge Posted: 19 Nov 2014 10:27 AM PST WINSTON-SALEM N.C. (Reuters) - A U.S. Marine accused of deserting the military after disappearing in Iraq and then again failing to report for duty in North Carolina nearly 10 years ago will face a court martial in December, the Marine Corps said on Wednesday. Corporal Wassef Ali Hassoun, an Arabic interpreter, was listed as a deserter for almost a decade before being taken into military custody earlier this year, according to the Marine Corps. ...

Second Frenchman identified on IS beheading video: prosecutor Posted: 19 Nov 2014 10:09 AM PST PARIS (Reuters) - French authorities have identified a second French militant who appears on a beheading video released by Islamic State (IS) at the weekend, a state prosecutor said on Wednesday. Officials said on Monday that one of the men shown herding prisoners to their execution was Maxime Hauchard, a Frenchman Muslim convert who left for Syria in 2013. In a statement, the state prosecutor said that a second Frenchman, Mickael Dos Santos - a 22-year-old man from a town east of Paris who converted to Islam and left for Syria in August 2013 - had been identified. ...

Erdogan raps US on Syria ahead of Biden visit Posted: 19 Nov 2014 09:58 AM PST President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday chided the United States for failing to meet Turkey's conditions to play a bigger role in the anti-jihadist coalition in Syria, in a new sign of strains ahead of a visit by US Vice President Joe Biden. Biden arrives in Istanbul on Friday for a key three-day visit aimed at finding some common ground with Turkey in the fight against Islamic State (IS) militants who have captured swathes of Iraq and Syria. Relations between the United States and Turkey, NATO's sole Muslim-majority member state, have hit a rocky period amid divergences on how best to resolve Syria's civil war.

Officer Christopher Nebbeling Receives Officer of the Month Award Posted: 19 Nov 2014 09:54 AM PST WASHINGTON, Nov. 19, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund has announced the selection of Officer Christopher Nebbeling, of the West Palm Beach (FL) Police Department, as the recipient of its Officer of the Month Award for November 2014.Located in the nation's capital, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund is a nonprofit organization dedicated to telling the story of American law enforcement and making it safer for those who serve. ...

Knights of Columbus Sends $2.2 Million to Christian Refugees in Iraq and Syria Posted: 19 Nov 2014 09:43 AM PST NEW HAVEN, Conn., Nov. 19, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Knights of Columbus Christian Refugee Relief fund has donated $2.2 million to help displaced Iraqi and Syrian Christians and other religious minorities who continue to face violent persecution and the very real prospect of extinction.Intended to help families living in very difficult situations as refugees, the funds will help provide permanent housing for the increasing number of displaced families in Iraq. ...

Egypt sees 'new era' in Arab ties after Qatar thaw Posted: 19 Nov 2014 08:44 AM PST Egypt on Wednesday hailed a "new era" in Arab solidarity after Gulf states agreed to welcome Qatar back to the fold following a row over its support for Islamists. The Egyptian army's overthrow last year of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi strained ties with Qatar, which had been a key Morsi backer. His overthrow led to differences among Gulf states, with the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia hailing his replacement, while Qatar repeatedly denounced it.

France says jets strike IS targets to break Kirkuk frontline Posted: 19 Nov 2014 07:48 AM PST PARIS (Reuters) - France said on Wednesday that Rafale jets had struck Islamic State targets alongside coalition planes near the northern Iraq city of Kirkuk to help breach the group's frontlines, and was sending six fighter jets to Jordan to ramp up its strikes. Two Dassault-built Rafale fighters, both armed with four missiles, targeted trenches used by Islamic State to besiege the oil city at around 0330 GMT (10:30 p.m. ET), the ministry said in a statement. ...

Source: Cyprus on lookout for Syria-bound jihadis Posted: 19 Nov 2014 07:40 AM PST NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Cyprus has intensified screening at its ports, airports and checkpoints that dot the island's dividing line to prevent Europeans from passing through en route to Syria to join the Islamic State group, an official said Wednesday.

An Ahmadinejad comeback? Why rumors are a warning shot for Iran's Rouhani. Posted: 19 Nov 2014 07:18 AM PST The morning is chilly and still dark at 6:25 a.m. when the first disciple arrives at "Square 72," the cramped, tree-lined roundabout in eastern Tehran where Iran's lightning-rod former president lives humbly – and plots an improbable political comeback.

Frustrated senators have questions about Obama’s Islamic State strategy. On Wednesday, they may get answers Posted: 19 Nov 2014 07:06 AM PST One day after the midterm elections, President Barack Obama declared that he wanted Congress to give him explicit legal authority to wage war on the so-called Islamic State. But lack of direction since then from the White House has frustrated Democrats and Republicans alike.

Egypt making slow progress on genital mutilation Posted: 19 Nov 2014 07:00 AM PST MANSHIET EL-IKHWA, Egypt (AP) — Raslan Fadl, the first doctor in Egypt to be put on trial for committing female genital mutilation, is still practicing even through a 13-year-old girl died after he performed the procedure. And in this Nile Delta Village, he has plenty of patients.

France to send six fighter jets to Jordan to target Islamic State Posted: 19 Nov 2014 06:59 AM PST PARIS (Reuters) - France will send six Mirage fighter jets to Jordan to strike Islamic State fighters in Iraq, Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Wednesday. "There were nine Rafale (jets) in the United Arab Emirates and they will be reinforced with six Mirage fighter jets to support our action," Le Drian told parliament. Two French diplomats told Reuters on Nov. 13 that putting the jets in Jordan would increase the number of missions against IS and help reduce costs at a time when the government is under pressure to cut spending. (Reporting By John Irish)

You are subscribed to email updates from Iraq News Headlines - Yahoo! News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States