Yahoo! News: Iraq

---

• Pentagon cuts by third places where U.S. troops get danger pay
• 5 Doctors Without Borders staffers seized in Syria
• Al-Qaida sweep in Iraq cities revives battleground
• Syrian Rebels Are Turning on the Jihadists That Used to Help Them
• Al Qaeda-linked insurgents, with ties to Syria, fight for control of Iraqi cities
• Pentagon cuts list of places where U.S. troops get danger pay
• Lebanon IDs commander of al-Qaida-linked group
• Syria rebels take on jihadists in fierce fighting
• Americans Who Fought in Fallujah Watch al Qaeda Make Comeback
• The American Association of Equine Sports Preservation Makes Continued Push to Save Hollywood Park Racetrack
• Turkish court orders jailed Kurdish lawmakers be freed
• Iraq army, tribes join forces against al Qaeda
• Israel, US carry out missile test during Kerry visit
• Five Doctors Without Borders Staffers 'Taken' in Syria
• Iraqi troops press battle in west with al-Qaida
• Michael Scheuer’s Meltdown
• Jailed Kurdish lawmakers seek freedom after Turkish court ruling
• Italian navy rescues over 1000 migrants from boats in 24 hours
• China to centralize military command to improve operations

Pentagon cuts by third places where U.S. troops get danger pay Posted: 03 Jan 2014 02:41 PM PST The Pentagon said on Friday it had cut by about a third the list of places where U.S. troops get imminent danger pay, dropping locations like Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf in a move expected to reduce costs by about $100 million a year. "The imminent threat of physical harm to U.S. military personnel due to civil insurrection, civil war, terrorism, or wartime conditions has been significantly reduced in many countries. Among the more than 20 locales dropped from the new list, which takes effect June 1, is Bahrain, headquarters to the U.S. Fifth Fleet, plus the waterways of the neighboring Gulf, Arabian Sea and Red Sea, where the Navy regularly deploys its ships. Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan also were removed as countries where U.S. forces receive imminent danger pay.

5 Doctors Without Borders staffers seized in Syria Posted: 03 Jan 2014 02:29 PM PST BEIRUT (AP) — Five staffers of the international aid organization Doctors Without Borders have been taken in for questioning in northern Syria, the group said Friday.

Al-Qaida sweep in Iraq cities revives battleground Posted: 03 Jan 2014 01:03 PM PST BAGHDAD (AP) — Two Iraqi cities that were strongholds of Sunni insurgents during the U.S. war in the country are battlegrounds once more after al-Qaida militants largely took them over, fending off government forces that have been besieging them for days.

Syrian Rebels Are Turning on the Jihadists That Used to Help Them Posted: 03 Jan 2014 12:54 PM PST The enemy of an enemy is not always an ally, at least not in Syria. Terrorist groups associated with al-Qaeda have faced a new wave of opposition in both Syria and Iraq this week, as rebel and tribal groups have turned on their sometime "friends." In Syria, The Guardian reports, groups opposed to Syrian president Bashar al-Assad have escalated their attack against Islamic State of Iraq in Syria (ISIS) in two of the jihadist group's strongholds. Most of the ISIS fighters, who are typically not Syrians, came to the country fight against Assad in the hopes of knocking out the government and establishing an Islamic state.

Al Qaeda-linked insurgents, with ties to Syria, fight for control of Iraqi cities Posted: 03 Jan 2014 12:38 PM PST Capitalizing on building Sunni Arab resentment of the Shiite-dominated central Iraqi government, Al Qaeda-linked militants have swept into two cities in Iraq's western Anbar province that the US fought fiercely to wrest from insurgents during the war. The two cities, Fallujah and Ramadi, were the focus of near continuous US military efforts between 2003 and 2010, but insurgents - among them militants who share the world-view of Al Qaeda and came to call themselves the Islamic State in Iraq - proved impossible to root out. While that process of disenfranchisement paused briefly towards the end of the US occupation of the country, when a US military strategy of outreach to Sunni Arab tribes with promises of jobs and a seat at the political table paid huge dividends, Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has persistently antagonized Sunni Arab politicians and citizens alike since the US military's departure at the end of 2011. Many of the Sunni Arabs of Anbar now view Maliki much as they did Iraq's interim American rulers and with a civil war in Syria raging next door, the local Al Qaeda franchise is finding the wind at its back once more.

Pentagon cuts list of places where U.S. troops get danger pay Posted: 03 Jan 2014 12:10 PM PST The Pentagon said on Friday it had cut by about a third the list of places where U.S. troops would receive imminent danger pay, dropping locations like Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf in a move expected to reduce costs by about $100 million a year. Still on the list are countries like Afghanistan and Iraq, where the United States fought wars over the last decade, as well as Jordan and Turkey, which border Syria, where a civil war is raging. But gone from the list are Bahrain, which is headquarters to the U.S. Fifth Fleet, plus the waterways of the neighboring Gulf, Arabian Sea and Red Sea, where the Navy regularly deploys its ships. Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan also were removed from the countries where U.S. forces receive imminent danger pay.

Lebanon IDs commander of al-Qaida-linked group Posted: 03 Jan 2014 12:07 PM PST BEIRUT (AP) — DNA tests confirmed that a man in government custody is the alleged leader of an al-Qaida-linked group that has conducted attacks across the Middle East before shifting its focus to Syria's civil war, Lebanese authorities said Friday.

Syria rebels take on jihadists in fierce fighting Posted: 03 Jan 2014 11:57 AM PST Syrian rebels in opposition-held areas were engaged in fierce battles with Al-Qaeda-linked elements Friday in what activists say is growing resistance to the jihadists' brutal grip in many places. Elsewhere in northern Syria, an unidentified group seized five people working for Doctors Without Borders (MSF) from a house, the Paris-based humanitarian organisation said. Protesters turned out in rebel areas chanting the strongest slogans yet against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, as tensions soar between the opposition and the Al-Qaeda affiliate. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported fierce fighting between rebels and ISIL in flashpoints of Aleppo city and province.

Americans Who Fought in Fallujah Watch al Qaeda Make Comeback Posted: 03 Jan 2014 11:55 AM PST Iraqi forces fight Al Qaeda in Fallujah, site of two brutal American battles

The American Association of Equine Sports Preservation Makes Continued Push to Save Hollywood Park Racetrack Posted: 03 Jan 2014 10:47 AM PST ARCADIA, Calif., Jan. 3, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Association of Equine Sports Preservation (AAESP) and its allies in the U.S. horse racing industry, including legendary horse trainer Jack Van Berg, famed "horse whisperer" Monty Roberts, television personality and jockey Chantal Sutherland, trainers Tom Proctor and Doug O'Neill, Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith, and prominent California residents and horse fans worldwide, are requesting help from California Governor Jerry Brown to keep Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewood, CA open as a world-class entertainment complex, international horse training park and premier center for horse wellness programs benefiting U.S. military veterans and children with autism and special needs. "We would like to join forces with you to help showcase California's entertainment industry while continuing to provide billions of dollars in tax revenue to the state and providing much-needed jobs," stated Allison Booth, president and founder of AAESP, in a January 3, 2014 letter to Governor Brown.

Turkish court orders jailed Kurdish lawmakers be freed Posted: 03 Jan 2014 10:24 AM PST By Seyhmus Cakan DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (Reuters) - A Turkish court ordered the release from jail on Friday of two Kurdish lawmakers being tried for links to militants in a potential boost to a fragile peace process. Gulser Yildirim and Ibrahim Ayhan won seats for the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) in a 2011 election but have been held on remand for several years, accused of supporting the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group. A judge in the main southeastern city of Diyarbakir ruled in favor of freeing them after the constitutional court said their imprisonment infringed their rights as elected officials. The constitutional court ruled later on Friday that three other Kurdish deputies were also being held unjustly, paving the way for them too to be freed as their trials continue.

Iraq army, tribes join forces against al Qaeda Posted: 03 Jan 2014 09:55 AM PST By Suadad al-Salhy BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Dressed in black and waving al Qaeda flags, Islamist insurgents battled tribesmen for control of the Iraqi city of Ramadi on Friday, while in Fallujah they grabbed loudspeakers after weekly prayers to call for support. The militants, who have been tightening their grip on the Anbar region near war-torn Syria for months, stormed police stations in both cities on Wednesday. The next day, the Sunni tribesmen made a deal with Iraq's Shi'ite-led government to fight them. "There is no way to let al Qaeda keep any foothold in Anbar," said one tribal leader, who asked not to be named.

Israel, US carry out missile test during Kerry visit Posted: 03 Jan 2014 09:14 AM PST Israel and the United States carried out a joint missile test Friday, the defence ministry said, as US Secretary of State John Kerry pushed for a Middle East peace deal. The Israel Missile Defence Organisation and US Missile Defence Agency completed a "successful" launch of the Arrow-3 anti-ballistic missile system over the Mediterranean, an Israeli defence ministry statement said. The Arrow, designed to counter long-range missiles, has successfully intercepted missiles similar to Iran's Shihab-3 in a variety of test conditions. In November, Israel and the US tested David's Sling, a separate part of the Jewish state's missile defence system.

Five Doctors Without Borders Staffers 'Taken' in Syria Posted: 03 Jan 2014 09:04 AM PST Five staffers for the humanitarian group Doctors Without Borders (MSF) were taken from a Syrian home on Thursday night, "apparently for questioning," according to a statement from the organization on Friday. In October, the al-Qaeda-associated Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) was accused of kidnapping seven International Red Cross workers in the country. Some aid agencies have had to adapt their work, others are scaling back. "The security situation has got much worse in recent months, especially in August, given the rise of the influence of extremist groups directly linked to al Qaeda," said Jitka Škovránková, who works for the Czech People in Need, one of the few aid groups working in Aleppo city, in north Syria. She said fighting between al Qaeda-linked groups and other rebels as well as Kurdish groups along the Turkish border had made her organization change the way aid enters Syria.

Iraqi troops press battle in west with al-Qaida Posted: 03 Jan 2014 07:35 AM PST BAGHDAD (AP) — Under siege by government forces, al-Qaida militants tried to strengthen their hold on two of Iraq's main Sunni cities Friday, telling residents that they were defending them against the Shiite-led government.

Michael Scheuer’s Meltdown Posted: 03 Jan 2014 02:45 AM PST It's been a long way down for the former CIA hand and over-the-top Iraq War critic—right down to endorsing the assassinations of Barack Obama and David Cameron.

Jailed Kurdish lawmakers seek freedom after Turkish court ruling Posted: 03 Jan 2014 02:29 AM PST By Seyhmus Cakan DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (Reuters) - Turkey's top court has ruled that the lengthy detention of two Kurdish lawmakers while on trial for supporting militants violated their rights, raising the chances they could be freed in what would be a boost to the peace process. Gulser Yildirim and Ibrahim Ayhan won seats for the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) in a 2011 election but have been held on remand for several years, accused of supporting the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group.

Italian navy rescues over 1000 migrants from boats in 24 hours Posted: 03 Jan 2014 02:26 AM PST The Italian navy rescued more than 1,000 migrants in the 24 hours to Friday from boats trying to reach Europe, authorities said, as an immigration crisis that killed hundreds in the last year showed no signs of easing. The navy rescued 233 migrants from Eritrea, Nigeria, Somalia, Zambia, Mali and Pakistan in a separate operation and took them to a port near Syracuse on Sicily's eastern coast. Following an October shipwreck in which 366 Eritrean migrants drowned off the Italian island of Lampedusa, Italy launched a special operation combining ships, helicopters and drones to monitor the Mediterranean Sea. Italy is a major gateway into Europe for many migrants seeking a better life, and sea arrivals to the country from Northern Africa more than tripled in 2013, fuelled by refugees in Syria's civil war and strife in the Horn of Africa.

China to centralize military command to improve operations Posted: 02 Jan 2014 09:46 PM PST China's increasingly sophisticated military will establish a joint operational command structure for its forces to improve coordination between different parts of the country's defense system, the official China Daily reported on Friday. China has been moving rapidly to upgrade its military hardware, but military analysts say operational integration of complex and disparate systems across a regionalized command structure is a major challenge for Beijing. In the past, regional level military commanders have enjoyed major latitude over their forces and branches of the military have remained highly independent of each other, making it difficult to exercise the centralized control necessary to use new weapons systems effectively in concert. The English-language newspaper, citing the Defense Ministry, said that China will implement a joint command system "in due course" and that it has already launched pilot programs to that effect.

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., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610