Yahoo! News: Iraq

Obama to seek new war powers from Congress
US sends long-held Guantanamo prisoner to Kuwait
Obama digs in even as he vows to work with Republicans
Obama to seek authority from Congress for Islamic State fight
McConnell Vows a New Senate That Will Get Things Done
Obama warns of long road in anti-IS campaign
Officials fear al Qaeda grooming Indian militants for big attacks
Obama's midterm drubbing: the world weighs in
Four Tunisian soldiers killed in suspected Islamist attack
Election results sobering for gay-rights movement
Obama to ask Congress to approve force against IS
Iraq doesn't want foreign fighters against IS
New Republican Congress could counter Obama on Iran
Mounting death toll for Afghan troops: US general
Is sectarian strife in Mideast dimming Lebanon's 'beacon of democracy'?
Britain says will send more army trainers to Iraq to help fight Islamic State
Hiding under corpses - Iraqi tribesmen recount escape from Islamic State
Don't expect oil to rally anytime soon but Dan Dicker still sees "super spike" coming
Iraq top diplomat in Turkey to heal wounds post-Maliki
U.S. continues strikes against Islamic State in Syria, Iraq: U.S. Central Command
Election 2014: How the Polls and Forecasters Failed
Meet 9 Republicans Who Could Shake Up Things in the New Congress
Iran hardliners want nuclear deal but no ties with Washington
Moody's is Keeping the Turkish Cliff-Hanger Going
Britain to send more security personnel to train Iraqi forces
Britain sending more troops to train Iraqis
Turkey warns of Syrian threat to Aleppo, fears new refugee influx
Three Tunisian soldiers killed in suspected Islamist attack
When Service Members Need Mental Health Help
Iran general said to mastermind Iraq ground war
Mortar fire on Syria school kills 13 children
GOP Wave Election Leaves Obama Friendless in D.C.
French minister suggests UK police should be sent to Calais
Factbox: Republicans tighten grip on U.S. House of Representatives
Russell Brand's Revolution Isn't About Revolution
The world's most powerful people
Norway: Terror threat or attack on nation 'likely'
The Senate Baton Passes to McConnell and the GOP
10 Things to Know for Today

Obama to seek new war powers from Congress

Posted: 05 Nov 2014 03:53 PM PST

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama said Wednesday he would work with Congress on new war powers to fight Islamic State militants and expressed cautious optimism about whether the international face-off over Iran's nuclear program will be resolved — two issues that could prove harder for the White House to maneuver with Republicans in charge on Capitol Hill.

US sends long-held Guantanamo prisoner to Kuwait

Posted: 05 Nov 2014 03:40 PM PST

MIAMI (AP) — One of the longest-held prisoners at the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay was sent home to Kuwait on Wednesday, the first release based on the determination of a review panel that has been re-evaluating some men previously classified as too dangerous to release.

Obama digs in even as he vows to work with Republicans

Posted: 05 Nov 2014 02:54 PM PST

US President Barack Obama pledged Wednesday to work with Republican lawmakers after their midterm election win but warned he would act without them to protect his core agenda, starting with immigration reform. The US leader stopped short of accepting direct responsibility for his Democratic party's colossal defeat at the hands of opponents who successfully turned the election into a repudiation of his policies. The GOP snatched control of the Senate, tightened its grip on the House of Representatives and won key Democrat governorships, in an election Obama admitted was "a good night" for Republicans. Democrats suffering from the whiplash of their overwhelming defeat were left to contemplate what went wrong.

Obama to seek authority from Congress for Islamic State fight

Posted: 05 Nov 2014 02:36 PM PST

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama said on Wednesday he would seek fresh authorization from Congress in the next few weeks for the U.S. military campaign against Islamic State militants, taking a new approach to congressional backing for the fight. Obama made the announcement at a news conference after his Democratic Party suffered big losses in Tuesday's congressional elections, which left Republicans in charge of the U.S. Senate. "The world needs to know we are united behind this effort and the men and women of our military deserve our clear and unified support," Obama said. ...

McConnell Vows a New Senate That Will Get Things Done

Posted: 05 Nov 2014 02:30 PM PST

Looking every inch the man who had just realized a long-held dream, Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell, as of last night the prospective Senate Majority Leader for the 114th Congress, held an upbeat press conference in Louisville on Wednesday and promised major changes, both in the relationship between Republicans and Democrats in the chamber, and between the Senate and the president. He insisted that with a Republican Congress that will be able to pass a budget, the GOP has different forms of leverage now.

Obama warns of long road in anti-IS campaign

Posted: 05 Nov 2014 02:24 PM PST

President Barack Obama said Wednesday that it was too soon to say whether a US-led military coalition has the upper hand against the Islamic State jihadist group in Iraq and Syria. "I think it's too early to say whether we are winning because as I said at the outset of the ISIL campaign, this is going to be a long-term plan," said Obama, speaking to reporters after a crushing Republican victory in Tuesday's midterm elections. Obama, who approved military action against IS jihadists in Iraq in August before extending air strikes to Syria the following month, warned that a lengthy military campaign lay ahead.

Officials fear al Qaeda grooming Indian militants for big attacks

Posted: 05 Nov 2014 02:07 PM PST

By Sanjeev Miglani NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Decrypted communications between Indian Mujahideen (IM) and al Qaeda and testimony from suspects have triggered alarm among intelligence officials in New Delhi: the groups appear to be working together to launch major attacks in the region. The officials told Reuters that plots they had uncovered included the kidnapping of foreigners and turning India into a "Syria and Iraq where violence is continuously happening". ...

Obama's midterm drubbing: the world weighs in

Posted: 05 Nov 2014 01:35 PM PST

Policymakers and business leaders from Toronto to Singapore woke up asking the same thing Wednesday morning: What does the Republican sweep in US midterm elections mean for me? Many international observers were quick to declare Tuesday's election the start of President Obama's lame-duck term, noting his unwanted distinction of having lost the most congressional seats of any president since World War II. ...

Four Tunisian soldiers killed in suspected Islamist attack

Posted: 05 Nov 2014 01:33 PM PST

TUNIS (Reuters) - Four Tunisian soldiers were killed and 11 others were wounded on Wednesday in an attack by suspected Islamist militants on a bus carrying soldiers in Kef near the Algerian border, the Defense Ministry said. The attack came while Tunisia was preparing its first free presidential election on Nov. 23 and only ten days after parliamentary elections won by secular party Nida Tounes. Tunisia has struggled to subdue hardline Islamists and jihadis opposed to the transition to democracy following the revolt against former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. ...

Election results sobering for gay-rights movement

Posted: 05 Nov 2014 01:30 PM PST

Massachusetts became the first state to elect an openly gay attorney general, while the gay candidate in Maine's gubernatorial race narrowly lost his chance to make history. Nationally, gay-rights activists worried that conservative gains in Congress would hamper their bid for federal anti-bias legislation.

Obama to ask Congress to approve force against IS

Posted: 05 Nov 2014 01:16 PM PST

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama asked Congress on Wednesday to work with him on a new authorization to use military force against the Islamic State group to replace the outdated authorization forged after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks against the U.S.

Iraq doesn't want foreign fighters against IS

Posted: 05 Nov 2014 01:08 PM PST

ISTANBUL (AP) — Iraq's foreign minister says Baghdad doesn't want foreign military personnel on Iraqi soil to combat Islamic State group extremists, but would accept training from abroad for its soldiers.

New Republican Congress could counter Obama on Iran

Posted: 05 Nov 2014 12:27 PM PST

After the election drubbing suffered by his Democrats, President Barack Obama will face a Republican-controlled Congress critical of his foreign policy -- and which could rebel against any eventual Iran nuclear accord. Aside from the war against the Islamic State (IS) group in Iraq and Syria, Tehran's nuclear program is undoubtedly the top foreign policy issue before Congress, with negotiations between the Islamic republic and world powers coming down to a November 24 deadline. Until now, the Obama administration has essentially had a free hand in its handling of the negotiations.

Mounting death toll for Afghan troops: US general

Posted: 05 Nov 2014 12:06 PM PST

Afghan troops are dying on the battlefield in unprecedented numbers after having taken over from NATO-led forces, and the death toll is "not sustainable," a top US commander in Afghanistan said Wednesday. Afghan army and police have suffered a 6.5 percent spike in casualties this year, with 4,634 killed in combat in 2014, compared to 4,350 killed for all of 2013, said Lieutenant General Joseph Anderson, the number two ranking US officer in Afghanistan. Afghan forces are being outfitted with more protective gear and adopting more effective tactics to counter roadside bombs planted by Taliban insurgents, "but they do need to decrease their casualty rate," Anderson told reporters via video link from Kabul. The Kabul government's forces had improved their emergency medical care for wounded soldiers but there was more work to be done as the current casualty rate was untenable, he said.

Is sectarian strife in Mideast dimming Lebanon's 'beacon of democracy'?

Posted: 05 Nov 2014 11:37 AM PST

Lebanese lawmakers voted Wednesday to extend their parliamentary mandate for a second time, citing the difficult security climate in the country and spillover from the war ravaging neighboring Syria.

Britain says will send more army trainers to Iraq to help fight Islamic State

Posted: 05 Nov 2014 11:16 AM PST

By Michael Georgy BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Britain will boost the number of its army trainers in Iraq in the coming weeks to support the Iraqi armed forces' battle against Islamic State militants, the British defence secretary said on a visit to Baghdad on Wednesday. Britain said last month it had deployed a team of trainers to Iraq to help Kurdish peshmerga fighters maintain and use heavy machineguns against the radical militants who have taken over much of Iraq and Syria in a ruthless military onslaught. Britain planes have also participated in U.S. ...

Hiding under corpses - Iraqi tribesmen recount escape from Islamic State

Posted: 05 Nov 2014 11:16 AM PST

By Saif Hameed BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Muhammed Hilal and about 100 other members of Iraq's Albu Nimr tribe felt safe hiding from Islamic State militants in tall grass -- until the headlights of dozens of cars exposed them. "We know you are there, traitors," militants shouted, before opening fire on the tribesmen who had fought them for weeks. Most died. Some were taken prisoner. Shot in the arm and leg, Hilal survived, after smothering himself in blood and playing dead under corpses as the militants beat the wounded and called them "scum", he said. ...

Don't expect oil to rally anytime soon but Dan Dicker still sees "super spike" coming

Posted: 05 Nov 2014 10:44 AM PST

"What will happen is the supply constraints I saw coming when oil was at $92 become triply more important" as U.S. shale and offshore drilling, as well as Canadian sands production, become uneconomical, says MercBloc's Dicker.

Iraq top diplomat in Turkey to heal wounds post-Maliki

Posted: 05 Nov 2014 10:22 AM PST

Iraq's new Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari on Wednesday made a crucial visit to Turkey aimed at mending ties badly strained under the rule of former prime minister Nuri al-Maliki. Al-Jaafari is expected to meet all of Turkey's top leadership, including President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, during his three-day visit and started the trip by holding talks with Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. Relations between Ankara and Baghdad soured badly in the final years of al-Maliki's rule, with Erdogan accusing the former premier of bearing the blame for Iraq's security chaos.

U.S. continues strikes against Islamic State in Syria, Iraq: U.S. Central Command

Posted: 05 Nov 2014 10:05 AM PST

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States continued its assault on Islamic State militants this week, conducting 14 airstrikes in recent days in Syria and Iraq, U.S. Central Command said in a statement on Wednesday. From Monday through Wednesday, U.S. military forces launched three strikes near the Syrian border town of Kobani and one strike to the north in Sinjar. The strikes hit a small unit of militant fighters as well as two fighting positions, Central Command said. In Iraq, the U.S. ...

Election 2014: How the Polls and Forecasters Failed

Posted: 05 Nov 2014 10:00 AM PST

Tuesday was a brutal night for the Democratic Party – yet as Republicans celebrate their impending takeover of the Senate and an increased majority in the House of Representatives, the Dems aren't the only ones licking their wounds. Nowhere was that more obvious than in the state of Virginia, where in the weeks leading up to Nov. 4, incumbent Sen. Mark Warner was enjoying polls that gave him with a double-digit lead over challenger Ed Gillespie. Proper respect, however, has to be shown to University of Virginia political scientist Larry Sabato and the staff at the school's Center for Politics. More than any other major election forecaster, Sabato's Crystal Ball team laid it on the line Tuesday.

Meet 9 Republicans Who Could Shake Up Things in the New Congress

Posted: 05 Nov 2014 09:44 AM PST

From Tom Cotton to Hog-Castrating Joni Ernst, Tuesday Night Was a GOP Wave

Iran hardliners want nuclear deal but no ties with Washington

Posted: 05 Nov 2014 09:39 AM PST

By Parisa Hafezi and Mehrdad Balali ANKARA/DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran may be ready to reach a nuclear deal with world powers to revive its economy, but is in no rush to go further by restoring relations with the United States, calculating this would imperil its domestic support. According to one official, hardline loyalists of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei have reached a compromise with supporters of the pragmatic president: Tehran should try to win relief from international sanctions by resolving the nuclear dispute, but not normalize ties with "the Great Satan". ...

Moody's is Keeping the Turkish Cliff-Hanger Going

Posted: 05 Nov 2014 09:30 AM PST

If suspense is your thing, Turkey is the place for you. Moody's Investors Service held its annual credit risk conference in Istanbul. Cue a hunt for signs that it might be preparing to push Turkey over the edge.

Britain to send more security personnel to train Iraqi forces

Posted: 05 Nov 2014 09:00 AM PST

Britain will send more security personnel to Iraq to help train forces for their battle against the Islamic State jihadist group, Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said on Wednesday. The United Kingdom, which is supporting US-led air strikes aimed at driving IS jihadists out of significant parts of Iraq, is already training Kurdish forces in the country. We're talking to our coalition partners about how the... additional training is going to be provided, in training centres in and around Baghdad," Fallon told journalists in the Iraqi capital. Britain already has a "small number of people" in Baghdad, and "will be looking now to see how we can strengthen that, the liason work that we're doing in the ministries and the security agencies here," he said.

Britain sending more troops to train Iraqis

Posted: 05 Nov 2014 08:04 AM PST

LONDON (AP) — Five years after Britain ended its combat mission in Iraq, the Ministry of Defense says it is sending more troops to train Iraqi and Kurdish fighters battling IS militants.

Turkey warns of Syrian threat to Aleppo, fears new refugee influx

Posted: 05 Nov 2014 07:37 AM PST

By Nick Tattersall ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has accused Syrian forces of committing massacres in and around Aleppo and said Turkey would face a major new refugee crisis if Syria's second city fell into their hands. As U.S. warplanes bomb Islamic State forces in parts of Syria, President Bashar al-Assad's military has intensified its campaign against some rebel groups in the west and north that Washington sees as allies, including in and around Aleppo. Ankara has been pushing for the U.S. ...

Three Tunisian soldiers killed in suspected Islamist attack

Posted: 05 Nov 2014 07:30 AM PST

TUNIS (Reuters) - Three Tunisian soldiers were killed and 12 others were wounded on Wednesday in an attack by suspected Islamist militants on a bus carrying soldiers in Kef near the Algerian border, the Defence Ministry said. The attack came while Tunisia preparing its first free presidential election on Nov.23 and just only ten days after parliamentary elections won by secular party Nida Tounes. Tunisia has struggled to subdue hardline Islamists and jihadis opposed to the transition to democracy following the revolt against former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. ...

When Service Members Need Mental Health Help

Posted: 05 Nov 2014 07:14 AM PST

Baghdad in 2007: Ryan Rigdon, then 24, held his life in his hands, but it was all in a day's work. As a Navy senior explosive ordnance disposalman, his job was using robotic technology to disarm roadside bombs. He had volunteered, received extensive training and was deployed to Iraq right after the U.S. military surge.

Iran general said to mastermind Iraq ground war

Posted: 05 Nov 2014 07:08 AM PST

BAGHDAD (AP) — When Islamic State militants retreated from the embattled town of Jurf al-Sakher last week, the Iraqi military was quick to flaunt a rare victory. State television showed tanks and Humvees parading through the town and soldiers touring government buildings that the Sunni extremist group had occupied since August.

Mortar fire on Syria school kills 13 children

Posted: 05 Nov 2014 07:07 AM PST

BEIRUT (AP) — Mortar rounds slammed into a school Wednesday in a rebel-held suburb east of Damascus, killing at least 13 children whose limp, bloodied bodies were later laid out on the floor of a crowded field hospital awaiting burial, activists said.

GOP Wave Election Leaves Obama Friendless in D.C.

Posted: 05 Nov 2014 06:26 AM PST

An angry electorate on Tuesday rewrote the script for the final two years of Barack Obama's presidency, punishing his party on every level at polls across the country, installing a new Republican majority in the U.S. Senate, and increasing the GOP's dominance of the House of Representatives. Obama, who has been able to count on at least one if not two friendly majorities in the House and Senate since taking office in 2009, will now spend the final two years of his term facing off with a Republican-dominated Congress whose members can make a strong argument that voters have handed them a mandate to change the way Washington operates. Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell, who won reelection handily and is expected to become the Senate Majority Leader when the 114th Congress convenes in January, said in his acceptance speech, "Tomorrow the papers will say I won this race.

French minister suggests UK police should be sent to Calais

Posted: 05 Nov 2014 05:13 AM PST

London (AFP) - British officials should be sent to the French port of Calais to deter a tide of illegal migrants hoping to cross the English Channel, France's interior minister suggested Wednesday.

Factbox: Republicans tighten grip on U.S. House of Representatives

Posted: 05 Nov 2014 05:02 AM PST

By Sharon Bernstein (Reuters) - Republicans tightened their grip on the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday with a blizzard of victories over rival Democrats that also gave the party control of the Senate. With all 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives up for election on Tuesday, Republicans expanded their majority amid dissatisfaction with President Barack Obama, whose approval ratings have dipped to 38 percent. Republicans, who currently control 233 out of 435 seats in the House, may pick up 10 or more once all votes are counted from Tuesday's balloting. ...

Russell Brand's Revolution Isn't About Revolution

Posted: 05 Nov 2014 04:31 AM PST

In Booky Wook 2, the follow-up to his widely acclaimed memoir, My Booky Wook, comedian and actor Russell Brand acknowledges on the very first page that he was "born to be famous," even if it "took decades for me to convey this entitlement to an indifferent world." Being anonymous, he writes, "was an inconvenience" and a "penitentiary," and when his "years of rancid endeavor" were eventually rewarded, Brand finally felt at ease in the universe. ...

The world's most powerful people

Posted: 05 Nov 2014 04:30 AM PST

Many of the leaders who made the top 10 on the inaugural list are still on today.

Norway: Terror threat or attack on nation 'likely'

Posted: 05 Nov 2014 04:01 AM PST

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Norwegian intelligence authorities said Wednesday that the Nordic country "likely" will be threatened by or hit with an act of terror in the next 12 months.

The Senate Baton Passes to McConnell and the GOP

Posted: 05 Nov 2014 03:45 AM PST

It was a bumpy trail, but Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky emerged Tuesday night as the new ringmaster of the Senate. As tens of millions of voters disgruntled with President Obama and the Democrats turned to the GOP to set the congressional course for at least the next two years, the taciturn, wily McConnell, 72, won reelection to a sixth term over Democratic challenger Alison Lundergan Grimes. Now he is s about to realize a long-standing dream to take charge of the Senate as the new Majority Leader. He will supplant his bitter rival, Democrat Harry Reid of Nevada whom he once called "the worst leader of the Senate ever."