Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• Spanish journalists home after Syria kidnap ordeal
• 2 Spanish journalists kidnapped in Syria go free
• More than 50 Syria rebels, jihadists killed: NGO
• Iraq electoral commission retracts resignation before vote
• Iraq attacks kill nine, one month before elections
• Romania: soldier killed, 5 wounded in Afghanistan
• 2 Spanish journalists freed from kidnap in Syria
• Attacks kill 16 people in Iraq
• Two Spanish journalists freed after over six months in Syria
• Attacks kill 12 people in Iraq
• Report: 2 Spanish journalists freed in Syria
• Gunmen kill 7 soldiers in Iraq

Spanish journalists home after Syria kidnap ordeal Posted: 30 Mar 2014 11:37 AM PDT Two Spanish journalists taken hostage in Syria by an Al-Qaeda-linked group returned smiling to Spain on Sunday to greet their loved ones after six months in captivity. El Mundo correspondent Javier Espinosa, 49, and freelance photographer Ricardo Garcia Vilanova, 42, landed at a military airbase near Madrid from Turkey. Looking tired and drawn but happy, they appeared briefly before the cameras at the offices of El Mundo newspaper, Espinosa's employer, and hugged relatives and colleagues. As you can see, we are perfectly well," Espinosa said.

2 Spanish journalists kidnapped in Syria go free Posted: 30 Mar 2014 11:19 AM PDT MADRID (AP) — Two Spanish journalists freed after being held hostage for more than six months in Syria by a rogue al-Qaida group returned home Sunday to an emotional welcome from friends and colleagues.

More than 50 Syria rebels, jihadists killed: NGO Posted: 30 Mar 2014 10:55 AM PDT More than 50 rebels and jihadists were killed in fighting in northeast Syria's Hasakeh province as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) overran a town bordering Iraq, an NGO said Sunday. "The number of Al-Nusra Front and rebel fighters killed in battles (Saturday) against ISIL in the strategic town of Markada in the south of Hasake province has risen to 39," said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. "Markada is important because it provides ISIL with a supply route from Iraq into the road linking Hasake to Deir Ezzor," said the Observatory. Oil-rich Hasake and Deir Ezzor provinces border Iraq, where ISIL has its roots.

Iraq electoral commission retracts resignation before vote Posted: 30 Mar 2014 09:45 AM PDT Members of Iraq's electoral commission retracted their resignations on Sunday, having threatened to quit en masse in protest against political interference just one month before a nationwide vote. The entire board of the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) tendered its resignation last week, further complicating the outlook for polls that have already been clouded by violence across the country. In a statement following a visit by the United Nations' envoy to Iraq, IHEC said: "The decision has been taken to withdraw the resignations and resume our duties in full confidence". IHEC said it had found itself caught between conflicting rulings from parliament and the judiciary regarding the exclusion of certain candidates from the election, due on April 30.

Iraq attacks kill nine, one month before elections Posted: 30 Mar 2014 07:38 AM PDT Attacks in Sunni-majority areas of Iraq killed nine people Sunday, exactly a month before parliamentary polls with violence at its worst since the country emerged from a bloody sectarian conflict. The latest violence came hours after seven soldiers were shot dead at a checkpoint in a late-night attack by militants in the north, the latest in a surge in bloodshed that has killed more than 2,200 people already this year. A suicide bomber detonated a vehicle packed with explosives on a major bridge in Ramadi, a city west of Baghdad where security forces are still grappling to retain full control after militants took over several neighbourhoods two months ago. Ramadi originally had five bridges across the Euphrates River before a militant surge earlier this year.

Romania: soldier killed, 5 wounded in Afghanistan Posted: 30 Mar 2014 07:20 AM PDT BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Romania says one of its serviceman has been killed and five troops wounded by a roadside bomb in southeastern Afghanistan.

2 Spanish journalists freed from kidnap in Syria Posted: 30 Mar 2014 07:01 AM PDT MADRID (AP) — Two Spanish journalists who were freed after being kidnapped for six months in Syria by a rogue al-Qaida group are flying back home Sunday, Spain's Defense Ministry said.

Attacks kill 16 people in Iraq Posted: 30 Mar 2014 04:43 AM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — A series of attacks in Iraq, including a shooting at a security checkpoint and a suicide car bomb, killed 16 people and destroyed a bridge on Sunday, said officials.

Two Spanish journalists freed after over six months in Syria Posted: 30 Mar 2014 02:12 AM PDT Two Spanish journalists held hostage in Syria by an al Qaeda-linked militant group for 194 days have been freed and handed over to the Turkish military in good health, one of the men told his employer El Mundo newspaper. El Mundo Middle East correspondent Javier Espinosa called the newspaper's newsroom late on Saturday to say he and freelance photographer Ricardo Garcia Vilanova had been released and to inform their families. The journalists had been attempting to leave Syria after two weeks covering the conflict when they were taken, the newspaper said.

Attacks kill 12 people in Iraq Posted: 30 Mar 2014 02:02 AM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — An attack at a security checkpoint and a suicide car bomb in Iraq killed 12 people and destroyed a bridge on Sunday, said officials.

Report: 2 Spanish journalists freed in Syria Posted: 30 Mar 2014 01:50 AM PDT BEIRUT (AP) — Two Spanish journalists were freed after being held captive for six months in Syria by a rogue al-Qaida group, the newspaper for which one of the men worked said Sunday.

Gunmen kill 7 soldiers in Iraq Posted: 30 Mar 2014 01:08 AM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi authorities say gunmen killed seven soldiers during an attack at a security checkpoint near a northern city.

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