Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• Near Fort Hood, church service honors fallen
• Drugmaker GSK investigates alleged bribery in Iraq
• U.S. lawmaker urges easing gun rules on bases after Fort Hood shooting
• Gazprom Neft CEO says Russian oil company could look eastward if sanctions hit
• Will Guns and Therapy Stop Military Base Killings?
• Does labeling Fort Hood shooter with PTSD stigmatize combat vets?
• Blast kills at least 29 Syrian rebels in Homs: monitoring group
• Obama to travel to army base to honor shooting rampage victims
• End of Boeing line won't damage key suppliers-US
• UN alarmed by deadly Syrian protest in Jordan camp
• Attacks across Iraq kill at least 15 people
• Iraq polio case prompts Mideast mass vaccine campaign
• Two killed by mortar fire on Damascus opera house -state media
• Attacks across Iraq kill at least 11 people
• Gunmen kidnap, kill 6 men near Iraq's capital
• Iraq attacks kill 10 with elections due in weeks
• U.S. cautions citizens against travel via Baghdad airport due to 'specific threat'
• ISIL jihadists open new front in Baghdad push
• Report: Gov't files lacking for $6B in contracts
• Daughter of Iraqi-American man cross-examined at California murder trial
• Fort Hood reveals identities of 3 soldiers killed
• North Korea tells world 'wait and see' on new nuclear test
• Fort Hood gunman's motivation 'may never be known'
• U.S. finalizing plan to boost support for Syrian rebels: sources
• Acclaimed photographer Anja Niedringhaus dies

Near Fort Hood, church service honors fallen Posted: 06 Apr 2014 04:33 PM PDT KILLEEN, Texas (AP) — The church program pictured an empty road being enveloped by the dark clouds of a sweeping thunderstorm, and the service's lesson was from Isaiah 35:4, "Be strong, fear not." The preacher implored those gathered Sunday that they would find hope in God, but also acknowledged the question on everyone's mind: Why Fort Hood — again?

Drugmaker GSK investigates alleged bribery in Iraq Posted: 06 Apr 2014 04:24 PM PDT By Ben Hirschler LONDON (Reuters) - Drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline, already facing corruption accusations in China, is now investigating allegations of bribery in Iraq, the British company said on Sunday. The latest controversy centers on claims that the company hired government-employed physicians and pharmacists in Iraq as paid sales representatives to improperly boost use of its products. "We are investigating allegations of improper conduct in our Iraq business. We have zero tolerance for unethical or illegal behavior," a company spokesman said.

U.S. lawmaker urges easing gun rules on bases after Fort Hood shooting Posted: 06 Apr 2014 04:22 PM PDT By Jon Herskovitz AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers should look at arming commanders and easing restrictions for carrying weapons on military posts in the United States in the wake of a deadly shooting at the Fort Hood base in Texas, a prominent congressman said on Sunday. The remarks came as the Fort Hood Army base set up a mental health hotline over the weekend for those who carry emotional scars or feel traumatized after suspected gunman Ivan Lopez, 34 and under psychiatric evaluation, shot dead three people, wounded 16 and then turned the gun on himself in the second deadly rampage at the post in five years. They defend us overseas and abroad and defend our freedom abroad," U.S. Representative Michael McCaul, a Republican from Texas and chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, told Fox News Sunday. The shooting at Fort Hood was the third such incident at a military base in the United States in about six months.

Gazprom Neft CEO says Russian oil company could look eastward if sanctions hit Posted: 06 Apr 2014 04:18 PM PDT By Katya Golubkova ST PETERSBURG, Russia (Reuters) - Gazprom Neft has not been affected by Western sanctions over Russia's annexation of Crimea but is ready to move away from dollars in its contracts and to redirect oil flows to Asia if needed, the CEO of Gazprom's oil arm said. Alexander Dyukov told reporters that Western banks are unlikely to stop cooperating with Gazprom Neft and that Western oil majors do not want geopolitical tension to affect their partnerships, but said the company is prepared to step up contacts with Asian lenders and also raise money in Russia. The United States and European Union have imposed visa bans and asset freezes on allies of President Vladimir Putin, and are threatening broader measures that could affect entire economic sectors if Moscow escalates tension over Ukraine. "As for sanctions, they have not affected the company's business in any way," Dyukov said in St. Petersburg, where Gazprom Neft is now based.

Will Guns and Therapy Stop Military Base Killings? Posted: 06 Apr 2014 04:02 PM PDT Providing better mental health services and arming base personnel will help prevent shootings like the one at Fort Hood last week, according to some lawmakers and former military officials.  Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, said that in the wake of last week's shooting at Fort Hood in Texas, lawmakers should consider ways to allow more military personnel to carry firearms on bases.

Does labeling Fort Hood shooter with PTSD stigmatize combat vets? Posted: 06 Apr 2014 01:39 PM PDT Immediately after the Fort Hood rampage last week, many were quick to label the shooter as a soldier with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). But to others – soldiers and mental health experts alike – this snap judgment stigmatizes combat veterans diagnosed with this signature ailment of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and it's a simplified and short-hand reading of a far more complicated issue. Medal of Honor recipient Sgt. Dakota Meyer, USMC, who struggled with post-traumatic stress after returning from Afghanistan and who once contemplated suicide, says, "Going out and shooting your own friends, your own people, that's not PTSD…. "PTSD does not put you in the mind set to go out and kill innocent people," Sgt. Meyer told FoxNews.com.

Blast kills at least 29 Syrian rebels in Homs: monitoring group Posted: 06 Apr 2014 12:02 PM PDT At least 29 Syrian rebels including two field commanders were killed when a vehicle exploded in the central city of Homs on Sunday, a monitoring group said. To the south, the capital Damascus saw heavy fighting as warplanes pounded an eastern suburb and a mortar strike hit the city's heavily defended center, killing two people at the Damascus Opera House. President Bashar al-Assad's forces are in firm control of the capital's center, but rebels have been able to launch mortar and rocket attacks into downtown districts, sometimes hitting heavily secured upmarket areas and embassy grounds. The explosion in Homs was at the al-Jaj market near a police base, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, adding that the death toll was expected to rise.

Obama to travel to army base to honor shooting rampage victims Posted: 06 Apr 2014 11:50 AM PDT President Barack Obama will travel on Wednesday to a Texas military base to honor the victims of a deadly shooting by a troubled US soldier, the White House said. Presidential adviser Dan Pfeiffer told CBS television on Sunday that president and First Lady Michelle Obama will attend a memorial service at the Fort Hood army base for three soldiers who died last week when Army specialist Ivan Lopez, 34, opened fire at the sprawling military facility.

End of Boeing line won't damage key suppliers-US Posted: 06 Apr 2014 09:28 AM PDT By Andrea Shalal WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Shutting down a Boeing Co fighter jet production line in St. Louis after 2016 would not drive any key suppliers out of business, a senior U.S. defense official said, citing a recent Pentagon review. The Defense Department decided it could skip further orders for Boeing's F/A-18 fighter jets and EA-18G electronic attack planes after concluding that a halt in their production would not jeopardize suppliers for other big weapons programs, said Elana Broitman, the Pentagon's top industrial base official.

UN alarmed by deadly Syrian protest in Jordan camp Posted: 06 Apr 2014 09:00 AM PDT AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — The United Nations said Sunday it is alarmed at the "violent nature" of a demonstration in a massive Syrian refugee camp in Jordan that killed one person and wounded dozens.

Attacks across Iraq kill at least 15 people Posted: 06 Apr 2014 08:49 AM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — Gunmen near Iraq's capital kidnapped and later shot to death six men, the deadliest of a series of attacks Sunday that killed at least 15 people across the country, authorities said.

Iraq polio case prompts Mideast mass vaccine campaign Posted: 06 Apr 2014 08:38 AM PDT Authorities launched a massive polio vaccination campaign on Sunday in Iraq, Syria and Egypt after health officials found a suspected case of the virus in a young boy near Baghdad. The five-day campaign aims to vaccinate more than 20 million children, including 5.6 million in Iraq alone, UNICEF said, with confirmed cases in conflict-hit neighbouring Syria having sparked a region-wide alert. "Polio eradication is a global priority," UNICEF's representative in Iraq Marzio Babille said in a statement.

Two killed by mortar fire on Damascus opera house -state media Posted: 06 Apr 2014 07:28 AM PDT Two people were killed and eight wounded when mortar fire hit the grounds of the Damascus Opera House in the Syrian capital, state media said on Sunday. President Bashar al-Assad's forces are in control of central Damascus, but rebels have been able to launch mortar and rocket attacks into the city's centre, sometimes hitting heavily secured upmarket districts and embassy grounds. Elsewhere, at least 13 rebel fighters were killed in a vehicle explosion in the central city of Homs, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, adding that the death toll was likely to rise. The Observatory, which monitors violence through a network of sources in Syria, said at least five people including three children had also been killed in the Damascus suburb of Douma during shelling by government forces.

Attacks across Iraq kill at least 11 people Posted: 06 Apr 2014 06:04 AM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — Gunmen near Iraq's capital kidnapped and later shot to death six men, the deadliest of a series of attacks Sunday that killed at least 11 people across the country, authorities said.

Gunmen kidnap, kill 6 men near Iraq's capital Posted: 06 Apr 2014 05:17 AM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — Officials in Iraq say gunmen kidnapped six men from different homes in a town south of Baghdad and later shot them to death.

Iraq attacks kill 10 with elections due in weeks Posted: 06 Apr 2014 04:33 AM PDT Attacks killed 10 civilians in Iraq on Sunday while six militants also died as the country grapples with its worst bloodshed in years just weeks before parliamentary elections. Among those killed were six who died in a mass assassination south of Baghdad, in scenes reminiscent of the worst of Iraq's 2006-07 sectarian conflict in which tens of thousands were killed. The deadliest of the bloodshed on Sunday struck in Latifiyah, south of Baghdad within the confessionally mixed Triangle of Death, so called because of the brutal violence which plagued the area during the peak of Iraq's confessional war. Six Sunni Arabs were killed by militants, security and medical officials said, but accounts differed as to how they died.

U.S. cautions citizens against travel via Baghdad airport due to 'specific threat' Posted: 06 Apr 2014 02:59 AM PDT The U.S. Embassy in Iraq has cautioned its citizens against travelling via Baghdad airport through April 8 due to information regarding a "specific threat" to security, ahead of elections later this month. The statement said embassy personnel were prohibited from using Baghdad International Airport "at this time" and urged American citizens all across Iraq to remain on alert. Security officials expect more violence in Iraq in the run-up to elections on April 30 as insurgent groups who have been regaining ground seek to derail or overshadow the voting process.

ISIL jihadists open new front in Baghdad push Posted: 06 Apr 2014 02:53 AM PDT A powerful jihadist group inspired by Al-Qaeda has opened a new battlefront with Iraqi security forces that could see it try to push into Baghdad, officials and analysts warn. The latest clashes, just weeks before parliamentary elections, raise key questions over the capacity of the army and police to repel militant attacks. Anti-government fighters currently hold all of Fallujah, a town that is just a short drive from Baghdad, and other pockets of territory. The push by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) into the Abu Ghraib area, sparking clashes in nearby Zoba and Zaidan, as well as a failed assault on a military camp in Yusifiyah, illustrate the group's ambition, even with Fallujah under military siege.

Report: Gov't files lacking for $6B in contracts Posted: 05 Apr 2014 02:26 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — A government investigation has found that the State Department has incomplete files or is missing files for more than $6 billion in contracts over the last six years.

Daughter of Iraqi-American man cross-examined at California murder trial Posted: 04 Apr 2014 04:41 PM PDT By Marty Graham SAN DIEGO (Reuters) - An Iraqi-American man charged with murdering his wife in their California home in what was first investigated as a hate crime heard testimony from his daughter on Friday that showed deep conflict within the family. Kassim Alhimidi, 49, who prosecutors accuse of beating his wife to death, possibly with a tire iron, glared at his daughter during cross-examination on the fourth day of the trial and then began weeping. Shaima Alawadi, a 32-year-old mother of five, died of her injuries several days after her daughter found her bloodied body on the kitchen floor of their home in the San Diego suburb of El Cajon, California, in March 2012. The testimony of his 19-year-old daughter Fatima Alhimidi painted a picture of a family in turmoil in the months before the killing, as arguments erupted over whether she would wed a cousin in Iraq in an arranged marriage and over her relationship with a boyfriend.

Fort Hood reveals identities of 3 soldiers killed Posted: 04 Apr 2014 04:32 PM PDT FORT HOOD, Texas (AP) — The three soldiers killed in a shooting rampage at Fort Hood by another military man had served in the military for years and been deployed to Iraq as well as other places.

North Korea tells world 'wait and see' on new nuclear test Posted: 04 Apr 2014 04:22 PM PDT By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - North Korea said on Friday that the world would have to "wait and see" when asked for details of "a new form" of nuclear test it threatened to carry out after the United Nations Security Council condemned Pyongyang's recent ballistic missile launch. North Korea fired two medium-range Rodong ballistic missiles into the sea on March 26. Its first firing in four years of mid-range missiles that can hit Japan followed a series of short-range rocket launches over the past two months. North Korea (DPRK) reacted on Sunday with a threat to conduct what it called "a new form of nuclear test.

Fort Hood gunman's motivation 'may never be known' Posted: 04 Apr 2014 04:18 PM PDT Investigators said Friday they may never know exactly what drove a troubled US soldier to shoot dead three people and wound 16 earlier this week at Fort Hood. Army specialist Ivan Lopez, 34, went on the rampage on Wednesday at the sprawling Texas military base before turning the .45-caliber semi-automatic pistol on himself. On Thursday his base commander said Lopez may have argued with one or more colleagues before the shooting, and Lieutenant General Mark Milley also said that Lopez's troubled mental state was likely "the fundamental underlying causal factor." Chris Gray, spokesman for the CID, the Army's criminal investigation service, said Friday: "At this time, we have not established a concrete motive but we will do everything in our power to do so.

U.S. finalizing plan to boost support for Syrian rebels: sources Posted: 04 Apr 2014 04:16 PM PDT By Mark Hosenball and Missy Ryan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government is finalizing a plan to increase training and small-arms shipments for Syrian rebels, two U.S. security sources said on Friday, as Syrian government troops gain momentum following the collapse of U.S.-backed peace talks. The United States would increase assistance and send the shipments to moderate rebel factions mostly based in Jordan, along Syria's southern border, the officials familiar with the plan told Reuters. But the United States fears supplies of advanced weapons to pro-Western rebels could be diverted to Islamic militant groups, who could use them to attack allied, Israeli or civilian aircraft, the U.S. officials said, explaining why the surface-to-air missiles won't be included in the assistance. President Barack Obama has resisted becoming entangled in Syria's complex, two-year civil war, but has faced criticism for failing to take a tougher stand given the immensity of the humanitarian crisis.

Acclaimed photographer Anja Niedringhaus dies Posted: 04 Apr 2014 04:00 PM PDT Anja Niedringhaus faced down some of the world's greatest dangers and had one of the world's loudest and most infectious laughs. She photographed dying and death, and embraced humanity and life. She gave herself to the subjects of her lens, and gave her talents to the world, with images of wars' unwitting victims in Afghanistan, Iraq, Bosnia and beyond.

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