Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• How Obama decided on airstrikes in Iraq
• A warning on ‘torture report’ release
• Top Asian News at 11:30 p.m. GMT
• Democrats search for replacement in US Senate race
• A guide to daily developments in Iraq
• U.S. official: Iraq supplies Kurdish fighters with ammunition
• Top Asian News at 11:00 p.m. GMT
• Obama's Iraq aim: contain, not destroy, extremists
• US stocks gain despite Iraq, Ukraine uncertainty
• Obama faces doubts U.S. intervention can turn tide in Iraq
• Top Asian News at 10:30 p.m. GMT
• These Vets Are Going to Amazing Lengths to Fund-Raise Through Extreme Challenges
• US bombs militants in Iraq as crisis worsens
• U.S. military aircraft hit more Islamic State targets in Iraq: Pentagon
• Vice President Biden pledges U.S. support to Iraqi president
• 'Wish You Were Here': Western Jihadis Unmask to Lure Others to Fight
• US stocks buck turmoil weighing on global markets
• Bolstered by US, Kurds defiant to extremist threat
• US 'Extremely Concerned' About ISIS Takeover of Iraq's Most Dangerous Dam
• Top Asian News at 10:00 p.m. GMT
• Pentagon: New round of airstrikes near Iraq
• Major airlines avoid Iraqi skies after US airstrikes
• Wall Street rebounds, erases week's losses with Russia news
• Obama vacation plans unchanged after Iraq strikes
• US hits militants in northern Iraq again. How effective are air strikes?
• Top Asian News at 9:30 p.m. GMT
• Guest lineups for the Sunday news shows
• A Very Brief History of the Yazidi and What They're Up Against in Iraq
• Obama’s new Iraq mission: No end date, but not ‘prolonged’
• U.S. lawmakers laud Iraq strikes, question long-term strategy
• Kurds buy arms, fear infiltration as Islamic State eyes Arbil
• Top Asian News at 9:00 p.m. GMT
• Obama the unhappy warrior plunges back into Iraq
• U.S. bombs Islamic State after Obama call to prevent Iraq 'genocide'
• US jets strike jihadists in Iraq
• Pentagon: New round of airstrikes near Irbil
• ISIS, Walmart and junk bonds: What to watch next week
• Top Asian News at 8:30 p.m. GMT
• Easing Russia tensions spur Wall Street rally; bonds also gain
• IRAQ AIRDROP

How Obama decided on airstrikes in Iraq Posted: 08 Aug 2014 04:57 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — For much of the summer, President Barack Obama had watched with alarm as a brutal, al-Qaida-linked insurgency seized more and more territory in northern Iraq. But it wasn't until Thursday, when Obama learned that genocide could be imminent, that the president decided the U.S. military had to act.

A warning on ‘torture report’ release Posted: 08 Aug 2014 04:32 PM PDT An internal U.S. intelligence memo warns that the release of a Senate report on CIA interrogation techniques could inflame anti-U.S. passions in the Mideast, resulting in potentially violent street protests and threats to U.S. embassies and personnel, U.S. officials tell Yahoo News.

Top Asian News at 11:30 p.m. GMT Posted: 08 Aug 2014 04:32 PM PDT NAYPYITAW, Myanmar (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is in Myanmar seeking to calm tensions in the South China Sea between China and its smaller neighbors. Amid concerns about recent provocative steps taken by China and others regarding several disputed territories in the sea, Kerry arrived in Myanmar early Saturday for a Southeast Asian regional security forum, at which the conflicting claims are expected to be high on the agenda.

Democrats search for replacement in US Senate race Posted: 08 Aug 2014 04:21 PM PDT HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Montana Democrats were casting about Friday for a last-minute U.S. Senate candidate to take on Republican Rep. Steve Daines, after their hopes to hold the seat in November suffered a huge blow with the withdrawal of incumbent Sen. John Walsh amid plagiarism allegations.

A guide to daily developments in Iraq Posted: 08 Aug 2014 04:13 PM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — The U.S. military, three years after pulling out of Iraq, launched airstrikes against Islamic State targets in the country's northern region Friday, using drones and fighter jets to stem a Sunni insurgency led by the al-Qaida breakaway group.

U.S. official: Iraq supplies Kurdish fighters with ammunition Posted: 08 Aug 2014 04:08 PM PDT The Iraqi government delivered a planeload of ammunition to Arbil, the capital of Iraq's semi autonomous Kurdish region, on Friday in an unprecedented act of military cooperation between Kurdish and Iraqi forces, a U.S. official said. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Iraqi security forces, under the command of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, a Shi'ite Arab, delivered the mostly small-arms ammunition in a C-130 cargo plane to resupply the Kurdish Peshmerga forces as they fight militants from the Islamic State. The Obama administration is working with the Iraqi government to ensure that additional requests from the Kurdistan Regional Government, including mortars and AK-47s, are met "as quickly as possible," the official said.

Top Asian News at 11:00 p.m. GMT Posted: 08 Aug 2014 04:02 PM PDT NAYPYITAW, Myanmar (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is in Myanmar seeking to calm tensions in the South China Sea between China and its smaller neighbors. Amid concerns about recent provocative steps taken by China and others regarding several disputed territories in the sea, Kerry arrived in Myanmar early Saturday for a Southeast Asian regional security forum, at which the conflicting claims are expected to be high on the agenda.

Obama's Iraq aim: contain, not destroy, extremists Posted: 08 Aug 2014 04:02 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama's new military strategy in Iraq amounts to trying to contain, not destroy, the Islamic militant group that now controls much of the country's northern region. That leaves open the questions of how deeply the U.S. will be drawn into the sectarian conflict, and whether airstrikes alone can stop the militants' momentum.

US stocks gain despite Iraq, Ukraine uncertainty Posted: 08 Aug 2014 03:39 PM PDT New York (AFP) - Wall Street contended with rising tensions over Ukraine and Iraq, yet US stocks still finished in the black for the week following a big rally Friday.

Obama faces doubts U.S. intervention can turn tide in Iraq Posted: 08 Aug 2014 03:34 PM PDT By Matt Spetalnick WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Even as warplanes dropped the first U.S. bombs on Islamic militant targets in northern Iraq, President Barack Obama faced doubts inside his administration and out that the limited mission he circumscribed was enough to shift the balance in a conflict threatening to tear Iraq apart. Backed into a corner after months of steadfastly avoiding direct U.S. military action in the Iraq crisis, Obama has reluctantly ordered intervention in a country that Americans thought they had left behind long ago. "Two FA-18s dropping some 500-pound bombs on (militant) artillery is not going to turn the tide of this conflict," said Ryan Crocker, who served as the U.S. ambassador in Baghdad from 2007 to 2009.

Top Asian News at 10:30 p.m. GMT Posted: 08 Aug 2014 03:33 PM PDT NAYPYITAW, Myanmar (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is in Myanmar seeking to calm tensions in the South China Sea between China and its smaller neighbors. Amid concerns about recent provocative steps taken by China and others regarding several disputed territories in the sea, Kerry arrived in Myanmar early Saturday for a Southeast Asian regional security forum, at which the conflicting claims are expected to be high on the agenda.

These Vets Are Going to Amazing Lengths to Fund-Raise Through Extreme Challenges Posted: 08 Aug 2014 03:30 PM PDT Recently, U.S. Navy Air Traffic Controller 2nd Class Mike McCastle did what a lot of members of our armed forces are known to do: He pushed himself to the very limit of his physical abilities in the best interest of his friends in uniform. He did it to raise awareness and money for the Wounded Warrior Project.

US bombs militants in Iraq as crisis worsens Posted: 08 Aug 2014 03:30 PM PDT The U.S. launched two more airstrikes against Islamic State targets in northern Iraq on Friday, hitting a vehicle convoy and two mortar positions, the Pentagon said.

U.S. military aircraft hit more Islamic State targets in Iraq: Pentagon Posted: 08 Aug 2014 03:25 PM PDT The U.S. military carried out two more air strikes against Islamic State forces near the city of Arbil in northern Iraq on Friday, the Pentagon said. The attacks, which followed the dropping of two 500-pound bombs on Islamic State positions earlier on Friday, included a drone strike on a mortar position and an attack by four F/A-18 jets on a convoy and a mortar position, a Pentagon statement said. U.S. and European security officials said Islamic State convoys had been heading towards Arbil, capital of the semi-autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan, from south and northeast of the city.

Vice President Biden pledges U.S. support to Iraqi president Posted: 08 Aug 2014 03:24 PM PDT U.S. Vice President Joe Biden phoned Iraqi President Fuad Masum on Friday to discuss U.S. military strikes against Islamic State fighters in northern Iraq and to press Baghdad to quickly form a new government, the White House said. "The Vice President emphasized the threat ISIL presented to all Iraqis and affirmed the U.S. commitment to support Iraq and all of its citizens - from north to south – as they work to defend the country against this international threat," the White House said in a statement.

'Wish You Were Here': Western Jihadis Unmask to Lure Others to Fight Posted: 08 Aug 2014 03:23 PM PDT Ex-Military Official: Fighters Using US Hummers for Suicide Bombings

US stocks buck turmoil weighing on global markets Posted: 08 Aug 2014 03:22 PM PDT NEW YORK (AP) — A burst of buying Friday in U.S. stocks defied slumps in other markets and offered hope for investors shaken by geopolitical turmoil. Major U.S. stock indexes closed up around 1 percent, buoyed by signs that tensions in Ukraine might be easing.

Bolstered by US, Kurds defiant to extremist threat Posted: 08 Aug 2014 03:14 PM PDT KALAK, Iraq (AP) — Mounted machine-gun fire rattled in the distance as Kurdish soldiers in khaki and beige, and armed civilians in baggy pants, gathered Friday at a checkpoint that has become the newest frontline with extremist fighters seeking to conquer territory for their self-styled Islamic state.

US 'Extremely Concerned' About ISIS Takeover of Iraq's Most Dangerous Dam Posted: 08 Aug 2014 03:04 PM PDT Experts: Extremist Group Will Have to Work to Keep Dam From Busting, Flooding Millions

Top Asian News at 10:00 p.m. GMT Posted: 08 Aug 2014 03:02 PM PDT NAYPYITAW, Myanmar (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is in Myanmar seeking to calm tensions in the South China Sea between China and its smaller neighbors. Amid concerns about recent provocative steps taken by China and others regarding several disputed territories in the sea, Kerry arrived in Myanmar early Saturday for a Southeast Asian regional security forum, at which the conflicting claims are expected to be high on the agenda.

Pentagon: New round of airstrikes near Iraq Posted: 08 Aug 2014 02:57 PM PDT The U.S. launched two more airstrikes against Islamic State targets in northern Iraq on Friday, hitting a vehicle convoy and two mortar positions, the Pentagon said.

Major airlines avoid Iraqi skies after US airstrikes Posted: 08 Aug 2014 02:44 PM PDT International airlines steered clear of Iraq on Friday after Washington banned American air carriers from Iraqi skies in the immediate wake of US air strikes on Islamist fighters. Flights to and from the Gulf and beyond, which typically would have taken airways through Iraq, favored parallel routes via Iran instead, according to real-time flight tracking websites. Flightradar24.com indicated a long stream of airliners Friday evening Middle East time, flying single file through western Iranian -- and virtually none over Iraq, in a complete reversal from a month ago. "We're still seeing some non-US carriers that are overflying Iraq," notably regional and domestic ones, added Daniel Baker of US-based FlightAware.com.

Wall Street rebounds, erases week's losses with Russia news Posted: 08 Aug 2014 02:41 PM PDT By Akane Otani NEW YORK (Reuters) - The S&P and Dow both posted their best day since March on Friday, with the market buoyed by news that Russia was ending military drills near the Ukrainian border, while investors overlooked U.S. air strikes in Iraq. The CBOE market volatility index fell 5.7 percent to 15.71 in a sign of reduced investor uncertainty. Stocks have been under pressure of late as investors, worried about high valuations and uncertainty around the world, pulled back from riskier assets. Markets rallied after Russia's Defense Ministry said Friday it had finished military exercises in southern Russia, which the United States had criticized as a provocative step amid the Ukraine crisis.

Obama vacation plans unchanged after Iraq strikes Posted: 08 Aug 2014 02:41 PM PDT President Barack Obama will leave as planned on Saturday for a vacation at Martha's Vineyard, the White House said, just hours after the start of air strikes in northern Iraq. Obama and his family plan to spend two weeks on the upscale resort island off Massachusetts on the US east coast, where they have taken summer breaks since 2009. On Sunday August 17, Obama will return for two days to the White House, before heading back out for his holiday, traditionally dedicated to golf, beach picnics, and visits to restaurants. Asked whether the plan might change given the start of US bombings in Iraq, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said it hadn't been deemed necessary so far.

US hits militants in northern Iraq again. How effective are air strikes? Posted: 08 Aug 2014 02:37 PM PDT Within hours of President Obama's heads-up to the American public that he authorized the Pentagon to use military force in Iraq to counter the advance of Islamist militants there, the Pentagon did just that. As Washington woke up Friday morning, it learned that two US F-18 fighter jets had started their campaign, dropping 500-pound laser-guided bombs near Erbil, the de facto Kurdish capital of northern Iraq. A second round of strikes was carried out later in the day, the Pentagon said. "I know that many of you are rightly concerned about any American military action in Iraq, even limited air strikes like these.

Top Asian News at 9:30 p.m. GMT Posted: 08 Aug 2014 02:32 PM PDT NAYPYITAW, Myanmar (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is in Myanmar seeking to calm tensions in the South China Sea between China and its smaller neighbors. Amid concerns about recent provocative steps taken by China and others regarding several disputed territories in the sea, Kerry arrived in Myanmar early Saturday for a Southeast Asian regional security forum, at which the conflicting claims are expected to be high on the agenda.

Guest lineups for the Sunday news shows Posted: 08 Aug 2014 02:28 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Guest lineups for the Sunday TV news shows:

A Very Brief History of the Yazidi and What They're Up Against in Iraq Posted: 08 Aug 2014 02:20 PM PDT As the Islamic State militant group continues to seize more parts of Iraq, they also continue to drive out the members of the Yazidi community. In response, the Obama administration has authorized airstrikes in Iraq, in an effort to not just repel the Islamic State militants, but to address the humanitarian crisis involving the Yazidis.  "In recent days, Yazidi women, men, and children from the area of Sinjar have fled for their lives," President Obama said. The immediate question everyone's raised, of course, has been "Who are the Yazidis, and why are they being persecuted?" There's a long history behind the Yazidi community, and there are more than enough explainers out on the Internet ready to go.

Obama’s new Iraq mission: No end date, but not ‘prolonged’ Posted: 08 Aug 2014 02:16 PM PDT How long will American airstrikes pummel fighters belonging to the extremist Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)? The White House said Friday that the mission is open-ended but repeatedly promised that it will not be "prolonged."

U.S. lawmakers laud Iraq strikes, question long-term strategy Posted: 08 Aug 2014 02:16 PM PDT By Missy Ryan and Roberta Rampton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Lawmakers in Washington welcomed President Barack Obama's decision to attack advancing Islamist militants in Iraq, but some questioned whether his administration has a long-term strategy to arrest Iraq's disintegration. Two U.S. F/A-18 fighter jets dropped 500-pound, laser-guided bombs on Friday on an Islamic State mobile artillery piece used to shell Kurdish forces defending Arbil, the Pentagon said, and strikes later in the day involved a drone and four F/A-18s. The United States has a consulate and, since Iraq's latest security crisis erupted in June, a joint military operations center staffed by 40 U.S. servicemen in Arbil, capital of the semi-autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan region.

Kurds buy arms, fear infiltration as Islamic State eyes Arbil Posted: 08 Aug 2014 02:04 PM PDT By Isabel Coles ARBIL Iraq (Reuters) - With Islamist militants just 30 minutes drive away, foreign oil workers were flying out of Iraq's Kurdish capital by the hundreds and business was booming in the city's arms market. Spared a decade of sectarian conflict in the rest of Iraq, Kurds in Arbil were stocking up on weapons on Friday and keeping a wary eye on their Arab neighbors as they faced what a senior official called "an existential threat" from the Islamic State. "People in Arbil are quitting their jobs and coming to buy weapons so they can go to fight," said Alan, a 35-year-old gun merchant, who worked in a pizza shop during 12 years in the United Kingdom. Is Arbil threatened?

Top Asian News at 9:00 p.m. GMT Posted: 08 Aug 2014 02:02 PM PDT NAYPYITAW, Myanmar (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is in Myanmar seeking to calm tensions in the South China Sea between China and its smaller neighbors. Amid concerns about recent provocative steps taken by China and others regarding several disputed territories in the sea, Kerry arrived in Myanmar early Saturday for a Southeast Asian regional security forum, at which the conflicting claims are expected to be high on the agenda.

Obama the unhappy warrior plunges back into Iraq Posted: 08 Aug 2014 01:49 PM PDT He was elected on a promise to end America's "dumb war" in Iraq. Now, in launching US air strikes to counter a "barbaric" offensive by jihadist militants, a reluctant Barack Obama has reopened a chapter of recent American history he had once dared hope was finished. In 2012, he was proud to run for re-election as the man who a year previously had finally withdrawn US troops from a "stable, sovereign Iraq," eight long years after his predecessor had sent them in. Now he becomes the fourth US president in a row to take military action there, after George Bush drove Iraqi troops from Kuwait, Bill Clinton bombed its air defenses and George W. Bush invaded.

U.S. bombs Islamic State after Obama call to prevent Iraq 'genocide' Posted: 08 Aug 2014 01:43 PM PDT By Raheem Salman and Isabel Coles BAGHDAD/ARBIL Iraq (Reuters) - U.S. warplanes bombed Islamist fighters marching on Iraq's Kurdish capital on Friday after President Barack Obama said Washington must act to prevent "genocide". Islamic State fighters, who have beheaded and crucified captives in their drive to eradicate unbelievers, have advanced to within a half hour's drive of Arbil, capital of Iraq's Kurdish region and a hub for U.S. oil companies. They have also seized control of Iraq's biggest dam, Kurdish authorities confirmed on Friday, which could allow them to flood cities and cut off vital water and electricity supplies.

US jets strike jihadists in Iraq Posted: 08 Aug 2014 01:42 PM PDT US jets struck jihadist positions in northern Iraq on Friday, in what the federal and Kurdish governments vowed would allow them to start clawing back areas lost in two months of conflict. President Barack Obama's order for the first air strikes on Iraq since he put an end to US occupation in 2011 came after Islamic State (IS) militants made massive gains on the ground, seizing a dam and forcing a mass exodus of religious minorities. The Pentagon said US forces bombed an artillery position after fire against Kurdish regional government forces defending their capital Arbil.

Pentagon: New round of airstrikes near Irbil Posted: 08 Aug 2014 01:42 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. launched two more airstrikes against Islamic State targets in northern Iraq on Friday, hitting a vehicle convoy and two mortar positions, the Pentagon said.

ISIS, Walmart and junk bonds: What to watch next week Posted: 08 Aug 2014 01:38 PM PDT The Dow made a comeback Friday from losses earlier in the week, following two weeks of losses. What happens next could be determined by anything from headlines overseas, to Walmart, to junk bonds. Yahoo Finance's brightest explain.

Top Asian News at 8:30 p.m. GMT Posted: 08 Aug 2014 01:33 PM PDT NAYPYITAW, Myanmar (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is in Myanmar seeking to calm tensions in the South China Sea between China and its smaller neighbors. Amid concerns about recent provocative steps taken by China and others regarding several disputed territories in the sea, Kerry arrived in Myanmar early Saturday for a Southeast Asian regional security forum, at which the conflicting claims are expected to be high on the agenda.

Easing Russia tensions spur Wall Street rally; bonds also gain Posted: 08 Aug 2014 01:33 PM PDT By Chuck Mikolajczak NEW YORK (Reuters) - Wall Street rallied on Friday after Russia said it ended military drills near Ukraine, soothing investor nerves over regional tensions, but bond yields fell in key markets worldwide after U.S. President Barack Obama authorized air strikes in Iraq. Russia's Defense Ministry said it had finished military exercises in southern Russia, which the United States had criticized.

IRAQ AIRDROP Posted: 08 Aug 2014 01:32 PM PDT Graphic shows area of U.S. airdrop.; 2c x 5 inches; 96.3 mm x 127 mm;

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