Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• Sen. John Walsh leaves race amid plagiarism probe
• US Begins Humanitarian Airdrop Mission in Iraq
• UN council condemns minority attacks in Iraq
• UN Security Council urges world to help Iraqi government  
• Iraqi militants seize country's largest dam
• No military strikes 'yet' on Iraqi Islamists: Iraqi ambassador
• U.N. Security Council calls for international help for Iraq
• Experts Warn of Ebola ‘Apocalypse’
• US weighs airstrikes and humanitarian aid in Iraq
• Sen. Walsh drops out of race amid plagiarism probe
• Conflicting reports on if U.S. has begun airstrikes in Iraq to fend off jihadists
• After Gammy, International Community Examines 'Rent-A-Womb' Industry
• Islamic State surges in North Iraq, near Kurdistan border
• 27 troops, 11 jihadists killed in attack on Syria base
• Jets Bomb ISIS Targets in Iraq, but Pentagon Denies Involvement
• Pentagon: No U.S. air strikes have taken place in Iraq
• IRAQ
• Control of Iraq dam a life or death matter for 500K people
• The Dramatic Gains ISIS Has Made in Iraq
• Boost for vets' health: Obama signs new law
• U.S. may fly aid soon to civilians trapped on Iraq mountain: official
• U.N. chief urges international community to help Iraq government, people
• US stocks fall on Iraq worries
• US mulls action in Iraq, warns of 'catastrophe'
• Oil prices gain as US eyes possible action in Iraq
• Stocks decline on concerns about global growth
• Iraq jihadist advances spark Christian exodus, Western alarm
• Walsh Quits Montana Senate Bid After Plagiarism Scandal
• Turkey gives sanctuary to hundreds of Yazidis fleeing Iraq
• With Iraq in Ruins, ISIS Turns to Genocide
• Obama signs bill to fix delays in veterans healthcare
• US weighs airstrikes, humanitarian aid in Iraq
• Abu Dhabi's Etihad suspends flights to north Iraq
• Syria militants leave Lebanese border town
• Micah Clark offers injured vets an outdoor challenge – and new friendships
• Kurds use well-oiled lobbying to plead for help in Washington
• Palestinian shift brings war crimes case closer to Israel
• White House won't comment on possible airstrikes in Iraq
• Iraq's Yazidis cling to a mountaintop as Islamic State advances
• France says it is ready to support Iraqi Kurdish forces against Islamists

Sen. John Walsh leaves race amid plagiarism probe Posted: 07 Aug 2014 04:42 PM PDT HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Montana U.S. Sen. John Walsh dropped his election campaign Thursday amid allegations he plagiarized large portions of a 2007 research project, leaving fellow Democrats to scramble for a replacement with the election less than three months away.

US Begins Humanitarian Airdrop Mission in Iraq Posted: 07 Aug 2014 04:39 PM PDT The United States is sending cargo planes to drop pallets of humanitarian aid and supplies to stranded Iraqi citizens threatened by the militant Islamic group ISIS, the White House announced today.

UN council condemns minority attacks in Iraq Posted: 07 Aug 2014 04:37 PM PDT UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council on Thursday condemned attacks on minorities in Iraq and urged international support for the Iraqi government.

UN Security Council urges world to help Iraqi government   Posted: 07 Aug 2014 04:32 PM PDT The UN Security Council on Thursday urged governments to help Iraq cope with a humanitarian crisis sparked by a jihadist offensive that has left hundreds of thousands of Iraqis on the run. The 15-nation Council met behind closed doors at UN headquarters in New York, as the United States was weighing action including possible airdrops to trapped civilians. "The first item is immediate humanitarian help for Iraq, inside of Iraq.

Iraqi militants seize country's largest dam Posted: 07 Aug 2014 04:31 PM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — Residents living near Iraq's largest dam say Sunni militants from the Islamic State group have overrun the complex.

No military strikes 'yet' on Iraqi Islamists: Iraqi ambassador Posted: 07 Aug 2014 04:09 PM PDT United Nations (United States) (AFP) - Iraq's Ambassador to the United Nations, Ali al-Hakim, denied Thursday that air strikes had been carried out against Islamic State fighters.

U.N. Security Council calls for international help for Iraq Posted: 07 Aug 2014 03:45 PM PDT The U.N. Security Council condemned on Thursday recent attacks by Islamic State militants in Iraq and called for international support for the country after the 15-member body held an emergency meeting on the situation. "The members of the Security Council call on the international community to support the government and people of Iraq and to do all it can to help alleviate the suffering of the population affected by the current conflict in Iraq," said Britain's U.N. Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant, president of the council for August. This is the third council statement related to the offensive by Islamic State, which is considered more extreme than al Qaeda.

Experts Warn of Ebola ‘Apocalypse’ Posted: 07 Aug 2014 03:45 PM PDT At an emergency hearing Thursday, leaders of the fight against Ebola gave updates on the situation in Africa and the future of the deadly disease's possible spread.

US weighs airstrikes and humanitarian aid in Iraq Posted: 07 Aug 2014 03:20 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is considering dropping humanitarian supplies by air to thousands of religious minorities in Iraq who are under siege from Islamic militants, possibly in combination with U.S. airstrikes, according to defense officials and others familiar with the administration's thinking.

Sen. Walsh drops out of race amid plagiarism probe Posted: 07 Aug 2014 03:18 PM PDT U.S. Sen. John Walsh of Montana is dropping his campaign for office amid allegations that he plagiarized large portions of a 2007 research project he wrote for a master's degree, a Democrat close to the former National Guard commander's campaign said Thursday.

Conflicting reports on if U.S. has begun airstrikes in Iraq to fend off jihadists Posted: 07 Aug 2014 03:09 PM PDT Kurdish officials claim the U.S. has already begun airstrikes against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in Northern Iraq, while the Pentagon denies the claims.

After Gammy, International Community Examines 'Rent-A-Womb' Industry Posted: 07 Aug 2014 03:05 PM PDT After heavily publicized abuses, Thailand is moving to ban commercial surrogacy, the process where women are paid to carry children of couples who can't conceive or don't want to carry their own child.   Police Colonel Panthana Nujchanart told CNN that the man wanted a "big family." A friend of the the couple refuted the claims, telling The Bunbury Mail  that David and Wendy Farnell left Thailand because they were worried about losing their second child, a girl, after the surrogate tried to keep her by mounting a legal battle.  Boonreung Trireungworawat, the head of Thailand's Health Department, said that while surrogacy isn't illegal in the country, one must first receive authorization.

Islamic State surges in North Iraq, near Kurdistan border Posted: 07 Aug 2014 02:58 PM PDT By Isabel Coles ARBIL Iraq (Reuters) - Islamist militants surged across northern Iraq toward the capital of the Kurdish region on Thursday, sending tens of thousands of Christians fleeing for their lives, in an offensive that prompted talk of Western military action. Reuters photographs showed what appeared to be Islamic State fighters controlling a checkpoint at the border area of the Kurdish semi-autonomous region, little over 30 minutes' drive from Arbil, a city of 1.5 million that is headquarters of the Kurdish regional government and many businesses. In Washington, a senior U.S. official said the Obama administration had approved military air drops of humanitarian supplies to help trapped religious minorities in Iraq and they could start at any time. U.S. officials, confirming a New York Times report, said President Barack Obama was also weighing carrying out the first U.S. airstrikes in Iraq since a 2011 pullout of troops.

27 troops, 11 jihadists killed in attack on Syria base Posted: 07 Aug 2014 02:41 PM PDT At least 27 Syrian regime forces have been killed in a jihadist assault on a military base in the northern province of Raqa, a monitoring group said on Thursday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 11 jihadists from the Islamic State were also killed in the attack on Brigade 93, including three who blew themselves up at the base. IS fighters now "control major parts of the base," the Observatory said. Some troops had already pulled out of Brigade 93 in July after IS captured Division 17, another base in the region where at least 85 people were killed in fighting or summarily executed shortly afterwards, it said.

Jets Bomb ISIS Targets in Iraq, but Pentagon Denies Involvement Posted: 07 Aug 2014 02:41 PM PDT A U.S.-led military and humanitarian intervention has begun in Iraq, as a coalition of forces works to repel the advance of Islamic State militants threatening to wipe out entire communities. President Barack Obama meets with his national security advisors in the Situation Room of the White House, Aug. 7, 2014.  (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza) After reports circulated throughout the day, that Washington was considering taking action to help thousands of stranded Iraqi citizens, news out of Iraq is that a two-pronged effort was now underway to assist those in northern Iraq who were under siege from militants. Although the Pentagon has denied direct involvment by U.S. forces, American planes are reportedly in the air providing support.

Pentagon: No U.S. air strikes have taken place in Iraq Posted: 07 Aug 2014 02:35 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Media reports that the United States has struck targets in Iraq are not accurate, a Pentagon spokesman said on Thursday, as Islamist militants advanced across northern Iraq. "Press reports that U.S. has conducted airstrikes in Iraq completely false," Rear Admiral John Kirby said in a post on his Twitter feed. "No such action taken." Kirby's statement came as U.S. officials said that the Obama administration has approved military air drops of humanitarian supplies in northern Iraq and is considering strikes against fighters from the Islamic State, an al Qaeda offshoot. ...

IRAQ Posted: 07 Aug 2014 02:28 PM PDT Map provides updates on violence in Iraq.; 2c x 4 inches; 96.3 mm x 101 mm;

Control of Iraq dam a life or death matter for 500K people Posted: 07 Aug 2014 02:10 PM PDT 'Catastrophic' Worst Case Scenario: 65-Foot Wall of Water Inundates Whole City

The Dramatic Gains ISIS Has Made in Iraq Posted: 07 Aug 2014 02:10 PM PDT US Working With Iraq on Emergency Humanitarian Aid

Boost for vets' health: Obama signs new law Posted: 07 Aug 2014 02:09 PM PDT FORT BELVOIR, Va. (AP) — Tens of thousands of military veterans who have been enduring long waits for medical care should be able to turn to private doctors almost immediately under a law signed Thursday by President Barack Obama.

U.S. may fly aid soon to civilians trapped on Iraq mountain: official Posted: 07 Aug 2014 02:05 PM PDT By Phil Stewart and Roberta Rampton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has approved military air drops of humanitarian supplies in northern Iraq for religious minorities fleeing attacks by Islamist militants and they could start at any time, a senior U.S. official said on Thursday. Officials said President Barack Obama was also weighing carrying out the first U.S. airstrikes in Iraq since a 2011 pullout of troops. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the officials said the United States was considering acting amid international concern over the fate of 40,000 members of religious minorities driven out of their homes and trapped on an Iraqi mountaintop under threat from the militants.

U.N. chief urges international community to help Iraq government, people Posted: 07 Aug 2014 02:05 PM PDT U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Thursday he was "deeply appalled" by reports of attacks by Islamic State militants in Kirkuk and Qaraqosh in Iraq and called on the international community to help the country's government. In a statement Ban called "on the international community, especially those with the influence and resources to positively impact the situation, to support the Government and people of Iraq and to do all it can to help alleviate the suffering of the population affected by the current conflict in Iraq." Sunni militants captured Iraq's biggest Christian town, Qaraqosh, prompting many residents to flee, while in Kirkuk two car bombs exploded and killed 11 people near a Shi'ite mosque holding displaced people, said security and medical sources.

US stocks fall on Iraq worries Posted: 07 Aug 2014 01:55 PM PDT New York (AFP) - US stocks finished lower Thursday as advances by jihadists in Iraq trumped encouraging labor-market data and spurred talk of possible military action by the US.

US mulls action in Iraq, warns of 'catastrophe' Posted: 07 Aug 2014 01:47 PM PDT The United States warned Thursday a jihadist offensive in northern Iraq could provoke a "humanitarian catastrophe," amid reports that President Barack Obama was considering US military action. A Pentagon official told AFP the US military is already helping the Baghdad government coordinate air drops of humanitarian aid to civilians and the White House did not rule out future direct action. "It is a situation that we are looking at very closely," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said, following reports that Obama was talking with military advisors about options for intervention. Earnest would not confirm the reports that US air strikes are on the table, but said American personnel were studying conditions on the ground in cooperation with Iraqi security forces.

Oil prices gain as US eyes possible action in Iraq Posted: 07 Aug 2014 01:42 PM PDT US oil prices Thursday rallied from a six-month low following reports that the Obama administration is considering air strikes in Iraq. US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for September delivery advanced 42 cents to $97.34 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. European benchmark Brent oil for September delivery rose 89 cents to $105.44 a barrel in London. The gains followed reports that President Barack Obama was weighing military strikes against Sunni extremists in Iraq after they attacked a city of predominantly Iraqi Yazidis, members of an ancient pre-Muslim religious minority.

Stocks decline on concerns about global growth Posted: 07 Aug 2014 01:38 PM PDT NEW YORK (AP) — Concerns about slowing global growth and the threat of rising tensions between Russia and the West pushed stocks lower on Thursday.

Iraq jihadist advances spark Christian exodus, Western alarm Posted: 07 Aug 2014 01:31 PM PDT Jihadists seized much of Iraq's Christian heartland and moved within striking distance of autonomous Kurdistan on Thursday in a push that stirred panic among residents and alarm in Western capitals. Amid reports Washington was pondering air strikes, the UN Security Council prepared for emergency talks following a sequence of attacks that saw Islamic State (IS) militants extend their writ over northern Iraq in less than a week. Jihadist fighters moved into Qaraqosh, Iraq's largest Christian town, and surrounding areas on Wednesday night after the withdrawal of Kurdish peshmerga troops, who are stretched thin across several fronts. "Qaraqosh, Tal Kayf, Bartella and Karamlesh have been emptied of their original population and are now under the control of the militants," Joseph Thomas, a Chaldean Catholic archbishop in northern Iraq, told AFP.

Walsh Quits Montana Senate Bid After Plagiarism Scandal Posted: 07 Aug 2014 01:26 PM PDT Sen. John Walsh on Thursday ended his campaign for a full term in the Senate amid a plagiarism scandal, leaving Democrats in Montana searching for a new candidate less than three months before the November election. While Democrats had hoped to hold onto the seat long occupied by Sen. Max Baucus, the Republican nominee, Rep. Steve Daines, is now heavily expected to win in November. "You deserve someone who will always fight for Montana, and I will.  "I know how important it is to continue the fight for these Montana values, and it is time for us all to return to the real issues of this election."

Turkey gives sanctuary to hundreds of Yazidis fleeing Iraq Posted: 07 Aug 2014 01:20 PM PDT Up to 800 people from Iraq's Yazidi community have fled across the border to Turkey after escaping a lightning offensive by jihadists from the Islamic State (IS) group, Turkish officials said on Thursday. The Yazidis are the latest victims of violence in the Middle East to find sanctuary in Turkey, after Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's open door policy resulted in the influx of over one million Syrian refugees into the country. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu also revealed that Iraqi military helicopters had dropped Turkish aid for the Yazidis in northern Iraq, but the Turkish military denied its jets had entered Iraqi airspace. Some "600 to 800 Yazidis have made their own way to Turkey since Wednesday," a government official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

With Iraq in Ruins, ISIS Turns to Genocide Posted: 07 Aug 2014 01:05 PM PDT The war for the future of Iraq took a tragic turn Thursday as the Islamic State (ISIS) expanded its operations into autonomous Kurdistan, sending thousands of Christians fleeing from the town of Qaraqosh. The group, which is waging a seemingly unstoppable campaign of terror across Iraq, chased these refugees, known as the Yazidis, to Mount Sinjar. The incident has drawn new attention to just how quickly ISIS has advanced, how much control of the country it has, and just how close Iraq is to breaking apart. The situation is so dire that the White House is reportedly considering air strikes to rescue to Yazidis or dropping supplies on the mountain.

Obama signs bill to fix delays in veterans healthcare Posted: 07 Aug 2014 12:35 PM PDT U.S. President Barack Obama signed a $16.3 billion bill on Thursday designed to provide veterans with more timely medical care and fix problems in the scandal-plagued Veterans Affairs department. The plan passed Congress last week and aims to address what Obama on Thursday called "outrageous" misconduct at VA hospitals and clinics that included modifying records of delayed care. The VA was thrust into the spotlight this spring after allegations surfaced that it had covered up the months-long wait times some veterans had to endure before receiving medical care. Former head of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki resigned in late May as the scandal mounted, and last week the Senate unanimously confirmed former Procter & Gamble Co Chief Executive Officer Robert McDonald.

US weighs airstrikes, humanitarian aid in Iraq Posted: 07 Aug 2014 12:27 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is weighing direct military strikes to stem an Islamic militant group's gains in Iraq, as well as humanitarian relief for thousands of displaced religious minorities in the country's north, according to U.S. defense officials and others familiar with the administration's thinking.

Abu Dhabi's Etihad suspends flights to north Iraq Posted: 07 Aug 2014 11:58 AM PDT One of the Middle East's largest airlines, Etihad Airways, says security concerns have prompted it to suspend all of flights to the northern Iraqi city of Irbil.

Syria militants leave Lebanese border town Posted: 07 Aug 2014 11:54 AM PDT LABWEH, Lebanon (AP) — Militants from Syria who overran a Lebanese border town mostly withdrew back across the rugged hills separating the two countries as a cease-fire appeared to hold Thursday, allowing Lebanese troops to free seven fellow soldiers and ambulances to evacuate dozens of casualties.

Micah Clark offers injured vets an outdoor challenge – and new friendships Posted: 07 Aug 2014 11:45 AM PDT These injured military veterans, some of whom have lost a leg or an arm or their sight, also come for the camaraderie, the friendship. Camp Patriot, a nonprofit group started by Micah Clark in 2006, gives a hand up to injured US military veterans who are struggling by helping them make new friends while on outdoor adventures.  Mr. Clark, a US Navy veteran, sees Camp Patriot as a way of paying off a debt to those who were injured as they fought to protect the United States. The 140-plus veterans who have gone on Camp Patriot outings receive a psychological boost, a lift that leaves them saying in amazement "I can do that!" Then they ask themselves "What else can I do?"

Kurds use well-oiled lobbying to plead for help in Washington Posted: 07 Aug 2014 11:07 AM PDT By Missy Ryan and Mark Hosenball WASHINGTON (Reuters) - When radical Islamic forces threatening to dismember Iraq unexpectedly captured several towns from the Peshmerga Kurdish fighters last weekend, the Kurds' public relations machine quickly seized on the setback to boost their case in Washington. "This justifies all the reasons why the Pentagon should help beef up the Peshmerga forces by providing such sophisticated arms," Karwan Zebari, the Kurdish government spokesman in the United States, told Reuters. With high-powered lobbying firms and a savvy media campaign in Washington, the Kurds are pressing hard for U.S. money and guns to meet short-term needs and support for their longer-term goal of a sovereign state in the mountains of northern Iraq. According to U.S. government filings, the Kurdistan Regional Government is spending more than a million dollars a year on top Washington lobbyists, including the prominent firm Patton Boggs, to get its voice heard in top government circles and the media.

Palestinian shift brings war crimes case closer to Israel Posted: 07 Aug 2014 11:05 AM PDT By Anthony Deutsch and Dan Williams THE HAGUE/JERUSALEM (Reuters) - The possibility of a war crimes investigation into the conduct of Israeli forces in Gaza, until recently unthinkable, has grown after the Palestinians said this week they wanted to become a party to the International Criminal Court. The world's permanent war crimes court in The Hague declined two years ago to investigate allegations against the Israeli military in 2008-2009, citing the uncertain legal status of the Palestinian Authority. Fresh allegations of war crimes have flowed in recent weeks from fighting in Gaza, where Israel responded to a surge in rocket attacks by Hamas militants with air strikes and a ground incursion. The Palestinians this week unexpectedly said they are just one procedural step away from ICC membership.

White House won't comment on possible airstrikes in Iraq Posted: 07 Aug 2014 10:36 AM PDT The U.S. government and military are supporting Iraqi government and Kurdish efforts to protect people trapped on a mountain by Islamic State forces, a White House spokesman said on Thursday. White House spokesman Josh Earnest would not say if airstrikes were being considered, as the New York Times reported on Thursday. "There are no American military solutions to the problems in Iraq," he said. Earnest said the U.S. government is "supporting the ongoing efforts" of Iraqi and Kurdish officials as they face fighters from the Islamic State, who have trapped thousands of people from the ancient Yazidi community in mountains in northern Iraq.

Iraq's Yazidis cling to a mountaintop as Islamic State advances Posted: 07 Aug 2014 10:34 AM PDT By Raheem Salman and Michael Georgy BAGHDAD (Reuters) - After fleeing from Islamic State militants, thousands of ethnic Yazidis stranded on a mountain were clinging to rumours that Iraqi government planes would drop food to save them. Just a week ago, Yazidis living in their ancient homeland of Sinjar in northern Iraq felt protected by Kurdish peshmerga forces. Followers of an ancient religion derived from Zoroastrianism, the Yazidis are themselves Kurds. The peshmerga - "those who confront death" - had acquired reputations as fierce warriors who once took on Saddam Hussein's troops.

France says it is ready to support Iraqi Kurdish forces against Islamists Posted: 07 Aug 2014 10:33 AM PDT France said on Thursday it was ready to support the forces of the autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq to block the advance of Islamic State militants, but gave no details of what form this would take. French President Francois Hollande spoke on the telephone with Masoud Barzani, the Kurdish region's president, and the two agreed to cooperate, Hollande's office said in a statement. "They emphasized their desire to cooperate to block the Islamic State's offensive in northeast Iraq," it said. "The head of State confirmed that France was ready to support forces engaged in this fight." Turkish officials said on Thursday that thousands of Iraqis, most of them ethnic minority Yazidis, had fled to the Turkish border to escape the advance by Islamic State fighters into areas controlled by Iraqi Kurds.

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