Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• Al-Qaida splinter declares new Islamic caliphate
• Obama picks ex-P&G head to lead Veterans Affairs
• Netanyahu calls for Jordan support, Kurdish autonomy
• Marine who disappeared in Iraq in 2004 back in US
• After Iraq gains, Qaeda offshoot claims Islamic "caliphate"
• Obama Aide Valerie Jarrett Open To Running For Office [VIDEO]
• Ex P&G head Obama choice to lead Veterans Affairs
• Israeli leader calls for independent Kurdistan
• Syria Threat Could Prompt Changes at Airports
• Supercooling Organs May Be The Future Of Transplants
• Obama: Battle-hardened militants pose threat to US
• Iraqi army presses Tikrit assault as lawmakers scramble to fill posts
• Who Made The Bigger Mistake In Iraq, Bush Or Obama?
• ISIL: jihadist group claiming world leadership
• Al-Qaida breakaway formally declares Islamic State
• Lois Lerner’s Attorney Calls Issa’s Questioning ‘Election Year Politics’ In CNN Interview [VIDEO]
• UAE starts drive to provide drinking water to 5 mn people
• Muslims mark start of Ramadan as deadly conflicts rage
• Iraqi Christians return to villages
• Iran, Qatar to cooperate against 'terror'
• Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi: The jihadist 'caliph'
• Citing chaos in Iraq, Israeli leader endorses Kurdish independence
• Obama: European jihadists threaten US
• Israel's Netanyahu calls for supporting Kurdish independence
• Chris Wallace Confronts Dem Congressman On Obama’s Executive Actions: ‘Is He Rewriting The Law?’ [VIDEO]
• In one Iraqi soldier's death, a portrait of an army in disarray
• Jihadists fighting in Syria, Iraq declare 'caliphate'
• Kuwait to send urgent aid to displaced Iraqis
• Thumbing Its Nose at U.S., Russia Sends Military Experts to Iraq
• Iraqi forces clash with militants in northern city
• Rise of jihadists in Iraq a boon for Damascus
• Sectarian genie is out of the bottle from Syria to Iraq
• Syria activists: 7,000 killed in rebel infighting
• Church Bells Fall Silent in Mosul
• ISIL crucifies eight rival fighters, says monitoring group
• Pope leads long Vatican Mass after health setbacks
• A Yosemite moment for nations in conflict
• Activists: 7,000 killed in Syrian rebel infighting
• Healthy-looking pope back in public after visit cancellation

Al-Qaida splinter declares new Islamic caliphate Posted: 29 Jun 2014 03:59 PM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — The al-Qaida breakaway group that has seized much of northeastern Syria and huge tracts of neighboring Iraq formally declared the establishment of a new Islamic state on Sunday and demanded allegiance from Muslims worldwide.

Obama picks ex-P&G head to lead Veterans Affairs Posted: 29 Jun 2014 03:57 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama plans to nominate former Procter & Gamble executive Robert McDonald as the next Veterans Affairs secretary, as the White House seeks to shore up an agency beset by treatment delays and struggling to deal with an influx of new veterans returning from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Netanyahu calls for Jordan support, Kurdish autonomy Posted: 29 Jun 2014 02:48 PM PDT Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked the international community on Sunday to support Jordan in the fight against "Islamic extremism" and to back the independence of Iraq's Kurds. "We need to support efforts by the international community to strengthen Jordan and support the aspirations of the Kurds for independence," Netanyahu said in a speech to the Institute of National Security Studies think-tank in Tel Aviv.

Marine who disappeared in Iraq in 2004 back in US Posted: 29 Jun 2014 01:54 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — A Marine who was declared a deserter nearly 10 years ago after disappearing in Iraq and then returning to the U.S. claiming he had been kidnapped, only to disappear again, is back in U.S. custody, officials said Sunday.

After Iraq gains, Qaeda offshoot claims Islamic "caliphate" Posted: 29 Jun 2014 01:48 PM PDT By Sylvia Westall BEIRUT (Reuters) - An offshoot of al Qaeda which has seized territory in Iraq and Syria has declared itself an Islamic "caliphate" and called on factions worldwide to pledge their allegiance, a statement posted on Islamist websites and Twitter said on Sunday. The move poses a direct challenge to the central leadership of al Qaeda, which has disowned it, and to conservative Gulf Arab rulers who already view the group as a security threat. The group, previously known as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and also known as ISIS, has renamed itself "Islamic State" and proclaimed its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as "Caliph" - the head of the state, the statement said.

Obama Aide Valerie Jarrett Open To Running For Office [VIDEO] Posted: 29 Jun 2014 01:48 PM PDT Valerie Jarrett, the senior aide to President Barack Obama, indicated in an interview that aired Sunday that she is open to running for office someday herself.

Ex P&G head Obama choice to lead Veterans Affairs Posted: 29 Jun 2014 01:39 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama plan to nominate former Proctor & Gamble executive Robert McDonald as the next Veterans Affairs secretary, as the White House seeks to shore up an agency beset by treatment delays and struggling to deal with an influx of new veterans returning from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Israeli leader calls for independent Kurdistan Posted: 29 Jun 2014 01:20 PM PDT TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Seizing on the mayhem in Iraq, Israel's prime minister on Sunday called for the establishment of an independent Kurdistan as part of a broader alliance with moderate forces across the region, and asserted that Israel would have to maintain a long-term military presence in the West Bank to keep a jihadi juggernaut from powering its way to the outskirts of Tel Aviv.

Syria Threat Could Prompt Changes at Airports Posted: 29 Jun 2014 01:00 PM PDT Threat Is Called 'Different and More Disturbing Than Past Aviation Plots'

Supercooling Organs May Be The Future Of Transplants Posted: 29 Jun 2014 12:48 PM PDT U.S. researchers are claiming that a new preservation method for organs, called supercooling, will extend the viability period from the current sub-24-hours to up to three days. Supercooling involves chilling the organ to minus 6 Celsius (21.2 Fahrenheit) and pumping nutrients and oxygen through its blood vessels, BBC News reports. If the procedure works on human organs, organ donation may be revolutionized. Dr. Korkut Uygun, a Harvard Medical School researcher, explained the myriad of benefits supercooling will have.

Obama: Battle-hardened militants pose threat to US Posted: 29 Jun 2014 12:42 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is concerned that battle-hardened militants who have spent time in Syria and Iraq could present a rising threat to U.S. security because they would be able to enter the country without visas on European passports.

Iraqi army presses Tikrit assault as lawmakers scramble to fill posts Posted: 29 Jun 2014 12:32 PM PDT By Ahmed Rasheed and Alexander Dziadosz BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's army sent tanks and armored vehicles to try to dislodge insurgents from the northern city of Tikrit on Sunday, the second day of a pushback against a Sunni militant takeover of large stretches of Iraq. The hardline Sunni group leading the insurgency, until Sunday known as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), declared itself a "caliphate" on Sunday and called on factions worldwide to pledge their allegiance - a move analysts saw as a direct challenge to al Qaeda, which disowned ISIL in February, and to Gulf Arab rulers. In Baghdad, which is threatened by the rebel advance, top Shi'ite, Sunni and Kurdish lawmakers scrambled to agree cabinet nominations before parliament meets on Tuesday to try to prevent the rebel advance jeopardizing Iraq's future as a unitary state. They are racing against time as ISIL, which loathes Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's Shi'ite-led government, consolidates its grip on the north and west.

Who Made The Bigger Mistake In Iraq, Bush Or Obama? Posted: 29 Jun 2014 12:25 PM PDT On ABC's The Week this Sunday morning, The Nation editor Katrina vanden Heuvel and Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol argued over the United States' role in the current conflict in Iraq, and whether the current crisis stems from the policies of President George W. Bush or President Barack Obama. Vanden Heuvel believes that the central problem of foreign policy in the United States is the lack of a real solution for Iraq, and she believes that "the architects of this tragedy that have cost this country trillions of dollars and thousands of lives" should be held accountable. The liberal editor went on to criticize the conservative media's "arm chair warriors" and lack of accountability, stating that if Kristol feels so strongly about the war in Iraq, he should enlist in the army himself. Kristol calmly retorted that at the end of 2011, President Obama said, "We have a stable and peaceful Iraq, mostly due to the sacrifices of the American soldiers and the marines." This overly presumptive declaration of peace and stability by Obama is what has resulted in such colossal losses in the region.

ISIL: jihadist group claiming world leadership Posted: 29 Jun 2014 12:04 PM PDT The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant jihadist group, which spearheaded a sweeping militant assault that overran swathes of Iraq, is now claiming leadership of the world's Muslims. Known for its ruthless tactics and suicide bombers, ISIL has carried out frequent bombings and shootings in Iraq, and is also arguably the most capable force fighting President Bashar al-Assad inside Syria. ISIL is led by the shadowy Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and backed by thousands of Islamist fighters in Syria and Iraq, some of them Westerners, and it appears to be surpassing Al-Qaeda as the world's most dangerous jihadist group.

Al-Qaida breakaway formally declares Islamic State Posted: 29 Jun 2014 12:00 PM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — The al-Qaida breakaway group that has seized much of northern Syria and huge tracks of neighboring Iraq formally declared the creation of an Islamic state on Sunday in the territory under its control.

Lois Lerner’s Attorney Calls Issa’s Questioning ‘Election Year Politics’ In CNN Interview [VIDEO] Posted: 29 Jun 2014 12:00 PM PDT Embattled former IRS official Lois Lerner's attorney appeared on CNN's State of the Union With Candy Crowley to discuss an awkward subject — what mysteriously happened to Lerner's treasure trove of emails, and what he has to say to Republican House Oversight Chairman Rep. Darrell Issa's aggressive attitude towards investigating his client. "So what is her story — I know you're in frequent contact with her — what did she say happened to those emails?" host Candy Crowley started off asking. In his first TV interview, William Taylor said that it is "undisputed" what Lerner's story is.

UAE starts drive to provide drinking water to 5 mn people Posted: 29 Jun 2014 11:52 AM PDT Dubai (AFP) - The United Arab Emirates has launched a fundraising campaign to provide potable water to five million people facing shortages in Asia and Africa, local press said on Sunday.

Muslims mark start of Ramadan as deadly conflicts rage Posted: 29 Jun 2014 11:40 AM PDT Muslims began observing the holy fasting month of Ramadan on Sunday with Islamic leaders again concerned about entrenched conflicts as jihadists issued threats from Indonesia to Somalia. Ramadan is sacred for the world's estimated 1.6 billion Muslims because it is during that month that tradition says the Koran was revealed to the Prophet Mohammed. In that spirit the Jeddah-based Organisation of Islamic Cooperation launched a joint appeal with the Arab League for a ceasefire in Syria, where a deadly conflict has raged unabated for more than three years. The call came as Saudi King Abdullah, whose country is home to Islam's holiest sites, sharply criticised religious extremists and vowed not to let "a handful of terrorists... terrify Muslims".

Iraqi Christians return to villages Posted: 29 Jun 2014 11:34 AM PDT IRBIL, Iraq (AP) — Thousands of Iraqi Christians flocked back to their homes in the north on Sunday, days after they fled villages under attack by Sunni Muslim extremists.

Iran, Qatar to cooperate against 'terror' Posted: 29 Jun 2014 11:26 AM PDT The leaders of Shiite Iran and Sunni Qatar vowed Sunday to cooperate to fight "terrorism in the region", President Hassan Rouhani's office reported as Iraqi forces counter a militant onslaught. The pledge to play a "constructive role to establish security and stability" came in a phone call between Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and Rouhani, a statement from the Iranian president's office said. Iran is ready, he said, to do just that and "fight security problems and instability in the region" that benefit only "Zionists and the enemies of the Muslim world". Iranian media, however, have accused Qatar and Saudi Arabia of supporting the jihadist Sunni fighters.

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi: The jihadist 'caliph' Posted: 29 Jun 2014 11:14 AM PDT Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the shadowy jihadist fighting in Iraq and Syria, and newly declared leader of a "caliphate" encompassing all Muslims, is increasingly seen as more powerful than Al-Qaeda's chief. The leader of the powerful Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militant group was declared Sunday the "caliph" in an attempt to revive a system of rule that ended nearly 100 years ago with the fall of the Ottoman Empire. "The Shura (council) of the Islamic State met and discussed this issue (of the caliphate)... The Islamic State decided to establish an Islamic caliphate and to designate a caliph for the state of the Muslims," ISIL spokesman Abu Mohammad al-Adnani said in an audio recording distributed online.

Citing chaos in Iraq, Israeli leader endorses Kurdish independence Posted: 29 Jun 2014 10:29 AM PDT TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Citing chaos in Iraq, Israeli leader endorses Kurdish independence.

Obama: European jihadists threaten US Posted: 29 Jun 2014 10:20 AM PDT US President Barack Obama warned that "battle-hardened" Europeans who embrace jihad in Syria and Iraq threaten the United States because their passports mean they can enter the country without a visa. Nearly 800 French citizens have spent time fighting in Syria's civil war, according to latest estimates, and Belgium says 200 of its people have done the same. Those holding French, Belgian and British passports -- along with a host of other European countries -- do not need visas to visit the United States, meaning they can potentially avoid scrutiny. "We have seen Europeans sympathetic to their (militants') cause traveling into Syria and may now travel into Iraq, getting battle-hardened.

Israel's Netanyahu calls for supporting Kurdish independence Posted: 29 Jun 2014 10:16 AM PDT Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu voiced support for Kurdish statehood on Sunday, taking a position that appeared to clash with the U.S. preference to keep sectarian war-torn Iraq united. Israel has maintained discreet military, intelligence and business ties with the Kurds since the 1960s, seeing in the minority ethnic group a buffer against shared Arab adversaries. The Kurds have seized on recent sectarian chaos in Iraq to expand their autonomous northern territory to include Kirkuk, which sits on vast oil deposits that could make the independent state many dream of economically viable. "We should ... support the Kurdish aspiration for independence," Netanyahu told Tel Aviv University's INSS think-tank, after outlining what he described as the collapse of Iraq and other Middle East regions under strife between Arab Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims.

Chris Wallace Confronts Dem Congressman On Obama’s Executive Actions: ‘Is He Rewriting The Law?’ [VIDEO] Posted: 29 Jun 2014 10:07 AM PDT Things got heated on Fox News Sunday when host Chris Wallace forcefully demanded answers on the questionable executive actions of President Obama from California Democratic Rep. Xavier Becerra. In a segment that also featured Republican congressman Bob Goodlatte, Wallace discussed House Speaker John Boehner's recent lawsuit against the Obama administration over the actions it has taken without Congressional approval. After listing off specific actions the administration has taken without Congress — including deferred deportations and raising the minimum wage for federal contractors — Wallace turned to Becerra and asked, "What is the president's legal authority to take all of these unilateral actions without going back to Congress?"

In one Iraqi soldier's death, a portrait of an army in disarray Posted: 29 Jun 2014 10:01 AM PDT The dead soldier - his family's name is being withheld at their request - was killed as his unit rushed north to bolster Iraqi forces that were being driven from one defeat to the next by a combination of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIS), a jihadi group that was spawned by the old Al Qaeda in Iraq, and Sunni Arab Iraqi fighters fed up with what they view as central government and Shiite oppression. Sunni militants had been advancing for days across western and central Iraq. Now the son's Special Forces unit was being sent north to reinforce the city of Samarra from the Shiite shrine city of Karbala.

Jihadists fighting in Syria, Iraq declare 'caliphate' Posted: 29 Jun 2014 09:49 AM PDT Beirut (AFP) - Jihadists fighting in Syria and Iraq announced Sunday the establishment of an "caliphate", referring to the system of rule that ended nearly 100 years ago with the fall of the Ottomans.

Kuwait to send urgent aid to displaced Iraqis Posted: 29 Jun 2014 08:57 AM PDT Kuwait said on Sunday it is sending urgent humanitarian aid to thousands of Iraqis who have been displaced by ongoing fighting in the neighbouring Arab country. "The council of ministers decided to send urgent humanitarian aid to Iraqis who have been displaced as a result of deteriorating security situation," the cabinet said in a statement. The statement said the aid would be distributed through the United Nations. International organisations have urged the establishment of humanitarian corridors to provide aid amid the fighting, with 1.2 million people having been displaced by unrest this year in Iraq.

Thumbing Its Nose at U.S., Russia Sends Military Experts to Iraq Posted: 29 Jun 2014 08:51 AM PDT After the United States delayed a sale of fighter jets to Iraq, Russia sold planes to the Iraqi government. Now they've sent military experts to Baghdad.  Gen. Anwar Hama Ameen, who heads the Iraqi air force, explained that the secondhand jets would quickly be deployed in the government's fight against the Sunni extremist group ISIS. Ameen also said that the presence of Russian military experts would be short-lived.

Iraqi forces clash with militants in northern city Posted: 29 Jun 2014 08:46 AM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi helicopter gunships struck suspected insurgent positions in Tikrit on Sunday as part of a government offensive to retake the predominantly Sunni hometown of former dictator Saddam Hussein from Sunni militants led by the al-Qaida breakaway Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, residents and officials said.

Rise of jihadists in Iraq a boon for Damascus Posted: 29 Jun 2014 08:20 AM PDT The rise of jihadists in Iraq has set the West on edge, but Damascus sees it is an opportunity to legitimise its battle against rebels and promote it as a war on "terror". President Bashar al-Assad's regime has repeatedly denied the existence of a revolt seeking political change in Syria, instead branding its opponents -- both peaceful and armed -- as "terrorists". For Damascus, the lightning Sunni offensive in neighbouring Iraq led by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) provides a chance to lend credence to its rhetoric. "The West must recognise it made a mistake by encouraging all these people to establish themselves in the region," said Waddah Abed Rabbo, editor-in-chief of pro-regime daily Al-Watan.

Sectarian genie is out of the bottle from Syria to Iraq Posted: 29 Jun 2014 08:11 AM PDT By Samia Nakhoul BEIRUT (Reuters) - As jihadists storm through the Sunni heartlands of Iraq towards Baghdad, where a Shi'ite government they regard as heretic clings on, they have lifted the veil on deep sectarianism which has also stoked the fires of Syria's civil war and is spilling over into vulnerable mosaic societies such as Lebanon. This indiscriminate encouragement of Sunni Salafism and Shi'ism encouraged "sectarian entrepreneurs who found it very profitable to mobilize people around religion or sect".

Syria activists: 7,000 killed in rebel infighting Posted: 29 Jun 2014 07:39 AM PDT BEIRUT (AP) — Up to 7,000 people, mostly rebels fighting to overthrow President Bashar Assad, have been killed in infighting among rival Islamic groups in Syria across opposition-held territory in the north, an activist group said in a report Sunday.

Church Bells Fall Silent in Mosul Posted: 29 Jun 2014 06:55 AM PDT The advance of ISIS has ended over a thousand years of Christian worship in Mosul—the latest chapter in the long decline of Christianity in the Middle East.

ISIL crucifies eight rival fighters, says monitoring group Posted: 29 Jun 2014 06:44 AM PDT Eight rebel fighters have been crucified in Syria by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) because they were considered too moderate, a monitoring group said on Sunday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which relies on contacts on the ground in Syria, said the men were crucified on Saturday in Aleppo province. The Observatory said clashes between rival Islamist groups in Syria had killed around 7,000 people since January, as militants from ISIL try to strengthen their grip on territory.

Pope leads long Vatican Mass after health setbacks Posted: 29 Jun 2014 06:20 AM PDT VATICAN CITY (AP) — Looking tired but relaxed, Pope Francis on Sunday led his first major public ceremony since health problems forced a spate of canceled appointments.

A Yosemite moment for nations in conflict Posted: 29 Jun 2014 06:15 AM PDT For those people whose countries are on the verge of divorce, such as in war-wracked Iraq or in Britain with its coming secession vote in Scotland, it may be helpful to note an important 150th anniversary in the United States. On June 30, 1864, at the height of the American Civil War, Abraham Lincoln took time from saving the Union to sign a two-paragraph law that set aside Yosemite valley and a nearby sequoia forest in California  "for public use, resort, and recreation ... inalienable for all time." This act of preservation later became the basis for the national parks, such as Yellowstone, the Smokies, and the Everglades. Today in their songs ("purple mountain majesty") and their tourism (273 million visitors a year to the parks), Americans are united in reverence for a shared landscape. This desire for common identity also derives from qualities found in landscape.

Activists: 7,000 killed in Syrian rebel infighting Posted: 29 Jun 2014 06:06 AM PDT BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian activists say up to 7,000 people, mostly rebels fighting to overthrow President Bashar Assad, have been killed in infighting among rival Islamic groups across the opposition-held territory in the north.

Healthy-looking pope back in public after visit cancellation Posted: 29 Jun 2014 03:59 AM PDT Pope Francis led a religious ceremony at the Vatican on Sunday, his first public appearance since concerns for his health were raised when he abruptly canceled a visit to a Rome hospital two days ago. He also gave 24 recently appointed archbishops a vestment known as a pallium, a small circular band worn around the neck which symbolizes their unity with the pope.

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