Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• Obama warns Karzai on security deal
• Joe Biden says he's 'uniquely' positioned to run for president. His evidence?
• Vets benefits bill clears initial Senate hurdle
• U.S. lawmakers seek to revive stalled Iran sanctions bill
• Congress signals tough fight for Pentagon plan
• Veterans healthcare bill advances in U.S. Senate
• Iraqi leaders give conflicting answers on reported Iran arms deal
• Moazzam Begg, 'radicalization,' and blowback. Why worry?
• Syrian al Qaeda group gives rival Islamists ultimatum
• US Congress should reconsider Iraq helicopters after Iran report: McCain
• Bombings and shootings kill 26 around Iraq
• A summary of rebel groups fighting in Syria
• Fifty years after world shook, Ali hits Twitter
• White House says raised concerns with Iraq about report of arms deal with Iran
• Leader of Syrian militant group challenges rivals
• Vets benefits bill should win initial Senate vote
• Gunfire erupts near Iran embassy in Baghdad
• Syrian exporters try to revive businesses
• Iraq attacks kill 14 people, most security personnel
• Iraq: Baghdad car bombing kills at least 15 people
• Congress skeptical about plan to shrink military
• NPC Newsmakers: Women Break Silence on Gender-Based Violence, Expose Pervasiveness of "Honor Violence" in US, UK, Canada
• Iraq: Baghdad car bombing kills at least 8 people
• Syria Qaeda group gives ultimatum to jihadist rivals
• Angola's Sonangol to pull out of two oilfields in Iraq
• Dozens of veterans priorities rolled into 1 bill
• UN: Palestinians in Syrian camp are 'traumatized'
• Pentagon Proposes Cutting the Army to Pre-WWII Level
• US presses Iraq on reports of arms deal with Iran

Obama warns Karzai on security deal Posted: 25 Feb 2014 03:15 PM PST President Barack Obama told Hamid Karzai on Tuesday that he is now planning a full US troop withdrawal because of the Afghan leader's continued refusal to sign a security pact. But in a telephone call with the Afghan president, Obama also held out the possibility of agreeing a post-2014 training and anti-terror mission with the next government in Kabul. The US threat was the latest twist in a long political struggle with Karzai, who appears intent on infuriating Washington until the day he leaves office, sometime after elections in April. The Obama administration is open to leaving behind a residual US force when its combat teams leave Afghanistan after America's longest war at the end of this year.

Joe Biden says he's 'uniquely' positioned to run for president. His evidence? Posted: 25 Feb 2014 02:32 PM PST In an appearance Tuesday on ABC's "The View," Mr. Biden pointed in particular to his experience in foreign policy and his engagement with world leaders as his value-added qualities. President Obama has loaded him with foreign assignments, Biden said, such as figuring out how to get the United States out of Iraq. Plus, before Mr. Obama tapped him as veep, Biden was chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, so he's got lots of experience in this area.

Vets benefits bill clears initial Senate hurdle Posted: 25 Feb 2014 02:23 PM PST A sprawling Democratic bill expanding health, education and other benefits for veterans easily cleared an early Senate hurdle on Tuesday. But the election-year measure still faces an uncertain fate as ...

U.S. lawmakers seek to revive stalled Iran sanctions bill Posted: 25 Feb 2014 02:05 PM PST By Patricia Zengerle and Richard Cowan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican U.S. senators sought to revive a bill on Tuesday that would impose new sanctions on Iran despite President Barack Obama's insistence that the measure would endanger delicate negotiations seeking to curb Tehran's nuclear program. Senator Mitch McConnell, the party's leader in the Senate, told reporters Republicans wanted to include the sanctions package as an amendment to a bill expanding healthcare and education programs for veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. "We've been trying for months to get a debate and a vote on the Kirk-Menendez sanctions bill," McConnell told reporters on Tuesday, calling the sanctions bill a "very time-sensitive matter." Fifty-nine of the 100 U.S. senators, including 16 of Obama's fellow Democrats, co-sponsored a bill introduced in December that would impose new sanctions on Iran if international negotiations on a nuclear agreement falter. The lead authors of the bill were New Jersey Democrat Robert Menendez, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Republican Illinois Senator Mark Kirk.

Congress signals tough fight for Pentagon plan Posted: 25 Feb 2014 01:49 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawmakers signaled a difficult battle ahead for the Obama administration's plan to dramatically overhaul the nation's military, voicing opposition Tuesday to proposed cuts in benefit packages, long-standing weapons programs and bases that mean money and jobs across America.

Veterans healthcare bill advances in U.S. Senate Posted: 25 Feb 2014 01:47 PM PST By Richard Cowan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An expansion of healthcare and education programs for veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan cleared its first procedural hurdle on Tuesday, as Democrats in the U.S. Senate attempted to win passage of the legislation this week. By a vote of 99-0, the Senate laid the groundwork for debating a bill that would create 27 new medical facilities in 18 states and Puerto Rico to help meet the growing needs of veterans of the long combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. "This is the most comprehensive piece of veterans' legislation to be offered in decades and addresses many of the challenges facing service members, veterans and their families," said Senator Bernard Sanders of Vermont, the chief sponsor of the bill. Republicans also were trying to attach a controversial provision unrelated to veterans programs: possible new sanctions on Iran, which the Obama administration opposes as a potential threat to diplomatic efforts that are aimed at stopping that country's suspected nuclear weapons program.

Iraqi leaders give conflicting answers on reported Iran arms deal Posted: 25 Feb 2014 01:43 PM PST By Ahmed Rasheed BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi officials gave contradictory accounts on Tuesday about whether or not Baghdad had agreed to buy $195 million worth of arms and ammunition from Iran as reported by Reuters, a deal that if confirmed could damage Iraqi-U.S. relations. The Defence Ministry denied any such deal had been done, while a senior Iraqi government lawmaker who heads parliament's security and defence committee said Baghdad had bought "some light weapons and ammunition" from Tehran. The United States has demanded explanations from Iraq since such a deal would violate U.S. and U.N. sanctions imposed on Iran over its disputed nuclear program. An influential U.S. senator said the sale of 24 Apache attack helicopters to Iraq should be reconsidered until the matter was cleared up.

Moazzam Begg, 'radicalization,' and blowback. Why worry? Posted: 25 Feb 2014 01:06 PM PST Pakistan delivered him to that year into US custody. First, he was jailed at Bagram in Afghanistan; The US claimed he was training with Al Qaeda in Pakistan but his lengthy detention without charge or trial stirred outrage in the UK, and he was eventually released as a favor to the Blair government. Now, the UK has detained him along with three other men in Birmingham, allegedly for training with unspecified "terrorists" in Syria.

Syrian al Qaeda group gives rival Islamists ultimatum Posted: 25 Feb 2014 12:04 PM PST By Mariam Karouny and Dominic Evans BEIRUT (Reuters) - The head of al Qaeda's Syrian arm has given rival Islamist militants five days to accept mediation to end their infighting or face a war which will "eradicate" them, according to an audio recording posted on Tuesday. Abu Mohammed al-Golani, leader of the Nusra Front, called on the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) to agree to arbitration by religious scholars to end more than a year of feuding which has turned violent. Golani's ultimatum comes two days after senior al Qaeda member Abu Khaled al-Soury was killed in a suicide attack in Syria. Nusra accused ISIL of killing him, a charge sources close to the splinter group have denied.

US Congress should reconsider Iraq helicopters after Iran report: McCain Posted: 25 Feb 2014 11:56 AM PST By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senator John McCain said on Tuesday a proposed agreement to sell 24 Apache attack helicopters to Iraq should be reconsidered because of a Reuters report that Iran has signed a deal to sell Iraq arms and ammunition worth $195 million. We've got to discuss it," the Republican Arizona senator said when asked about whether the arms sale would affect the plan to sell the Boeing Co. helicopters to Iraq. "We've got to understand the ramifications of this arms deal. Reuters reported from Baghdad on Monday that Iran has signed a deal to sell Iraq arms and ammunition worth $195 million, according to documents seen by Reuters - a move that would break a U.N. embargo on weapons sales by Tehran.

Bombings and shootings kill 26 around Iraq Posted: 25 Feb 2014 11:35 AM PST By Kareem Raheem BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A parked car bomb blew up by a crowded Baghdad market on Tuesday night, killing at least 14 people and bringing the day's total death toll in political violence around Iraq to 26, security and medical sources said. The bomb went off in a side street in the Shi'ite district of Karaada in eastern Baghdad. Baghdad has been hit by wave after wave of bombings since April as the precarious peace enjoyed since the end of Iraq's sectarian war in 2008 has unraveled. In western Anbar province, where government forces are fighting rebellious Sunni tribes and an al Qaeda splinter group, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, three soldiers were killed and 18 others wounded when a car bomb rammed into the entrance of the governor's compound in the provincial capital Ramadi, according to medical and security sources.

A summary of rebel groups fighting in Syria Posted: 25 Feb 2014 11:00 AM PST BEIRUT (AP) — Some of the main rebel groups fighting in Syria to overthrow President Bashar Assad:

Fifty years after world shook, Ali hits Twitter Posted: 25 Feb 2014 10:54 AM PST Muhammad Ali posted his first Twitter message on Tuesday, 50 years to the day after he stopped Sonny Liston at Miami Beach to win his first heavyweight boxing title. "I shook up the world against Liston, now 50 years later I'm taking it to Twitter," Ali wrote with the hashtag AliTweet showing it was from the Ali himself and a link to a photo of him screaming with his arms upraised seconds after the historic triumph. Ali, who was then named Cassius Clay, stopped Liston in the seventh round to claim the world heavyweight crown at age 22, launching a career that would see him become a global sports icon. Ali's official website prepared to launch a Twitter quote of the day, collecting the wit and poetry from Ali's amazing career, including such lines as "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee."

White House says raised concerns with Iraq about report of arms deal with Iran Posted: 25 Feb 2014 10:40 AM PST The U.S. government raised concerns about a reported arms deal between Iraq and Iran "at the highest levels" with Iraq's government, White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters on Tuesday. Carney said that the Iraq government has denied in a press release that any contracts were signed, and noted that the U.S. government will follow up with Iraq on the issue.

Leader of Syrian militant group challenges rivals Posted: 25 Feb 2014 10:25 AM PST BEIRUT (AP) — The leader of a powerful al-Qaida-linked group in Syria gave a rival breakaway group a five-day ultimatum to accept mediation by leading clerics to end infighting or be "expelled" from the region.

Vets benefits bill should win initial Senate vote Posted: 25 Feb 2014 10:17 AM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate seemed ready Tuesday to vote preliminary approval of a sprawling Democratic bill expanding health, education and other benefits for veterans. But the election-year measure faced conservative opposition and an uncertain fate as Republicans try to make it smaller and find ways to pay for it.

Gunfire erupts near Iran embassy in Baghdad Posted: 25 Feb 2014 09:38 AM PST Gunfire erupted near the Iranian embassy in central Baghdad Tuesday, with contradictory reports over whether the mission had been targeted and even a claim that a guard had committed suicide. An embassy employee who was in the area said the gunfire wounded a guard when it targeted the mission, near the heavily fortified Green Zone, where the Iraqi government is headquartered. But spokesman Ali Naraqi said the shooting had nothing to do with the embassy. Witnesses reported heavy gunfire, and said security forces closed roads and bridges in the area.

Syrian exporters try to revive businesses Posted: 25 Feb 2014 08:56 AM PST By Maha El Dahan DUBAI (Reuters) - Three years into Syria's war, some exporters who moved to neighboring countries to escape the violence that has devastated many businesses now want to return home. While production in Syria is running at a small fraction of pre-conflict levels, advances by forces of President Bashar al-Assad against rebels in the past year have improved security in some areas for entrepreneurs who largely lean towards the government side. On top of this, bosses such as olive oil exporter Antoun Betinjaneh have found that shifting production across the border to Lebanon makes little financial sense. Betinjaneh, a newly-appointed member of the Syrian Exporters Federation, said that for all the turmoil, the state offered cheaper utilities and land on attractive terms.

Iraq attacks kill 14 people, most security personnel Posted: 25 Feb 2014 08:43 AM PST Ramadi (Iraq) (AFP) - Attacks in Iraq, including a suicide bombing near the provincial council headquarters in the battleground city of Ramadi, killed 14 people Tuesday, most of them soldiers and police, officials said. In Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province west of Baghdad, a suicide bomber detonated an explosives-rigged vehicle near the council headquarters, killing three soldiers and wounding at least four. Since early January, anti-government fighters have occupied shifting areas of Ramadi and also control the city of Fallujah to its east -- a major security challenge for the government.

Iraq: Baghdad car bombing kills at least 15 people Posted: 25 Feb 2014 08:23 AM PST BAGHDAD (AP) — A car bombing in Baghdad on Tuesday killed at least 15 people and wounded 36, officials said.

Congress skeptical about plan to shrink military Posted: 25 Feb 2014 07:59 AM PST The Obama administration's push for a smaller, nimbler military must now face the scrutiny of a Congress that has spent years battling the Pentagon's vision for a new security strategy. Defense Secretary ...

NPC Newsmakers: Women Break Silence on Gender-Based Violence, Expose Pervasiveness of "Honor Violence" in US, UK, Canada Posted: 25 Feb 2014 07:59 AM PST WASHINGTON, Feb. 25, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In an effort to draw attention to the prevalence of honor violence – including forced marriage, disfigurement and female genital mutilation – in advance of International Women's Day, and to promote passage of the International Violence Against Women Act now pending in the House of Representatives, two human rights activists will address the issue at a National Press Club Newsmakers news conference on Monday, March 3. Speaking will be author Raheel Raza, founder of Canada's Forum 4 Learning and Manda Zand Ervin, an Iranian political refugee who is dedicated to publicizing the plight of Iranian women under the Islamic Sharia laws. Raza speaks regularly at the UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva.

Iraq: Baghdad car bombing kills at least 8 people Posted: 25 Feb 2014 07:15 AM PST BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi officials say a car bombing in Baghdad has killed at least eight people and wounded 22.

Syria Qaeda group gives ultimatum to jihadist rivals Posted: 25 Feb 2014 06:52 AM PST Syria's official Al-Qaeda affiliate on Tuesday gave rival jihadists a five-day ultimatum to submit to a joint Islamic court after a top operative was killed in a suicide bombing. The ultimatum issued by Al-Nusra Front to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) comes after the killing of Abu Khaled al-Suri, the commander of an Islamist brigade who was close to Al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri. Rival rebels accuse ISIL of being behind the fatal attack and Al-Nusra's chief said his outfit would fight the group in Syria and neighbouring Iraq if it refused joint arbitration. Though both are rooted in Al-Qaeda in Iraq, relations between Al-Nusra and ISIL have collapsed in recent weeks as Syria's rebels have turned on ISIL, accusing it of kidnapping, torturing and killing activists and rival rebels.

Angola's Sonangol to pull out of two oilfields in Iraq Posted: 25 Feb 2014 04:47 AM PST Angolan state oil firm Sonangol has decided to exit Iraq due to security problems in a conflict region where it has operated two fields, a board member said on Tuesday. Sonangol in 2009 won the right to operate the Qayara and Najmah oilfields in the Nineveh province in Iraq's northwest, where Sunni Islamist insurgents remain active. Violence in Iraq climbed to its highest level in five years in 2013, with nearly 9,000 people killed, most of them civilians, according to the United Nations. "Our presence in Iraq was as an operator in an area with much conflict.

Dozens of veterans priorities rolled into 1 bill Posted: 25 Feb 2014 03:53 AM PST It's hard to vote against veterans these days. Majority Leader Harry Reid is counting on voters as well as lawmakers feeling that way in an election year as the Senate takes up legislation this week that ...

UN: Palestinians in Syrian camp are 'traumatized' Posted: 25 Feb 2014 03:50 AM PST DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — The chief of the United Nations relief agency supporting Palestinian refugees said Tuesday he is "deeply disturbed and shaken" by the despair and destruction he'd seen in a besieged camp in the Syrian capital.

Pentagon Proposes Cutting the Army to Pre-WWII Level Posted: 24 Feb 2014 06:55 PM PST WASHINGTON — Faced with tight budgets at the end of two lengthy wars the Pentagon is proposing cuts that could reduce the Army to its lowest level since just before the U.S. entered World War II. Budget proposals unveiled Monday by Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel...

US presses Iraq on reports of arms deal with Iran Posted: 24 Feb 2014 06:49 PM PST The United States pressed Iraq to explain media reports that it had signed a contract to buy arms from Iran, a move forbidden under a United Nations embargo. If true, this would raise serious concerns," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said. A deal signed in November in which Iraq would buy $195 million in arms from Iran was reported by Reuters in Baghdad Monday. Psaki said that "any transfer of arms from Iran to a third country is in direct violation" of the UN embargo.

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