Yahoo! News: Iraq

---

• Islamic State claims responsibility for detaining Japanese man: Kyodo
• Wall St. rallies on M&A blitz and homebuilder data
• Obama: Iraq has regained control of Mosul dam
• Obama Triangulates Ferguson Crisis Before Midterm
• Questions, answers about Guard's role in Ferguson
• Ferguson protests: Day 9 [live updates]
• The National Guard, America's citizen soldiers
• Obama urges Iraqis to unite because 'the wolf's at the door'
• Backed by U.S. strikes, Iraq Kurds retake strategic dam: officials
• Iraqi Kurds assault IS positions as Obama vows support
• Obama to host UN summit on foreign fighters threat
• Obama: Iraq forces retake Mosul Dam from militants
• Obama will send Holder to Ferguson, says police should not be militarized
• Obama to send Attorney General Holder to Ferguson, urges restraint
• US stocks gain; Dollar General jumps after bid
• Pope OKs protecting Iraq minorities, wants UN OK
• Obama promises 'long-term' strategy against IS
• Islamic State message to America: 'we will drown all of you in blood'
• Obama Didn't Wear A Tie During Today's Press Conference
• Obama to chair UN meeting on Syria, Iraq foreign fighters
• Oil prices fall on easing geopolitical fears
• McCain campaigns in New Hampshire for Scott Brown
• Pope calls for UN rather than US action in Iraq
• A Weary President Obama Addresses Ferguson and Iraq
• Obama's break from vacation: How unusual is that?
• Obama to speak on Iraq, Ferguson unrest
• Syria bombs jihadist positions in Raqa for second day
• Obama to speak about Iraq, Ferguson at 4 p.m.: White House
• Obama to speak about Iraq crisis and situation in Ferguson on Monday afternoon
• Yazidi fleeing Iraq jihadists has quintuplets: UN
• A buyer's market at gun bazaar in Kurdish town
• Pope says legitimate for world to stop Islamist aggression in Iraq
• Yazidis haunted by cries for help as militants bury victims alive
• As US steps up air campaign in Iraq, Kurdish forces seize strategic dam
• IRAQ ISIL
• Why Military Personnel Costs Have Soared Since 9/11
• Pope Francis Is Cool With Killing ISIL If the United Nations Is
• Why Obama just escalated in Iraq — and how it could backfire
• 15 new US airstrikes in northern Iraq
• US adds IS spokesman, al-Nusra Front rebel to terrorist list

Islamic State claims responsibility for detaining Japanese man: Kyodo Posted: 18 Aug 2014 04:38 PM PDT The Islamic State militant group has claimed responsibility for detaining a Japanese man in Syria in a post on the Internet, Kyodo news agency reported on Tuesday. The Japanese foreign ministry said on Monday Japan was investigating whether one of its citizens had been captured in northern Syria by Islamic State fighters. The man responded by saying his name was Haruna Yukawa and that he was both a journalist and a doctor.

Wall St. rallies on M&A blitz and homebuilder data Posted: 18 Aug 2014 04:33 PM PDT The Nasdaq Composite ended above 4,508, marking the first time since March 31, 2000, that the tech-heavy index closed above 4,500 points. The youth-oriented clothing retailer beat analysts' estimates on earnings, but said comparable retail segment net sales were flat in its latest quarter.

Obama: Iraq has regained control of Mosul dam Posted: 18 Aug 2014 04:28 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama hailed the recapture of Mosul dam Monday as a "major step forward" as a barrage of U.S. airstrikes helped Kurdish and Iraqi forces score the biggest victory of its counteroffensive against the Islamic State militants.

Obama Triangulates Ferguson Crisis Before Midterm Posted: 18 Aug 2014 04:16 PM PDT President Barack Obama called for calm in Ferguson, but he also spiked media coverage by announcing that Attorney General Eric Holder would visit the town on Wednesday a part of a new civil rights investigation. He distanced himself from the crisis by saying he could not prejudge investigations of the Aug. 9 shooting of a young black man by a white cop. The dispute began with the Aug. 9 shooting of an African-American youth, Michael Brown shortly after he robbed a convenience store.

Questions, answers about Guard's role in Ferguson Posted: 18 Aug 2014 04:14 PM PDT The National Guard is a regular presence in responding to natural disasters, but it also has a long history in helping curb civil disturbances.

Ferguson protests: Day 9 [live updates] Posted: 18 Aug 2014 03:48 PM PDT After another night of violent clashes between police and protesters in Ferguson, Mo., Gov. Jay Nixon issued executive order early Monday calling in the National Guard to maintain order as tensions over the fatal shooting an unarmed black teenager by a white police officer continue to rise.

The National Guard, America's citizen soldiers Posted: 18 Aug 2014 03:47 PM PDT The National Guard is a centuries-old militia network that has served crucial roles in several US security operations, testing its mettle in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as on riot-plagued streets back home. Whether rushing to help the hurricane-battered US Gulf Coast in 2005, conducting counter-terrorism or peacekeeping operations abroad, or facing off with deadly consequences against unarmed anti-war demonstrators in 1970, the National Guard has served important but often controversial roles. In 1933 Congress brought them under a nationalized system that formed the basis of a US military reserve force. Today's US Army and Air Force National Guard is 460,000 strong, mostly reservists -- teachers, farmers, engineers and the like who commit to serving "one weekend a month and two weeks a year."

Obama urges Iraqis to unite because 'the wolf's at the door' Posted: 18 Aug 2014 03:19 PM PDT President Barack Obama urged Iraqis on Monday to quickly form an inclusive government to unite against Islamic militants, warning "the wolf's at the door" and that U.S. Speaking to reporters at the White House, Obama vowed to avoid the kind of "mission creep" that could deepen the U.S. Obama emerged from talks with his top national security aides about Iraq to declare U.S. The president's meetings came on a brief stop in Washington before he returns to his two-week vacation on the Massachusetts island of Martha's Vineyard.

Backed by U.S. strikes, Iraq Kurds retake strategic dam: officials Posted: 18 Aug 2014 03:19 PM PDT By Ahmed Rasheed and Michael Georgy BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi and Kurdish forces recaptured Iraq's biggest dam from Islamist militants with the help of U.S. President Barack Obama said Iraqi and Kurdish forces had retaken the dam with U.S.

Iraqi Kurds assault IS positions as Obama vows support Posted: 18 Aug 2014 03:15 PM PDT Kurdish fighters, backed by Iraqi forces and a new wave of US air strikes, pressed their offensive against jihadist rebels Monday as President Barack Obama urged a joint counterterrorism effort. Securing the dam was the biggest prize yet clawed back from the so-called "Islamic State" since it launched a major offensive in northern Iraq in June, sweeping aside Iraqi security forces. Obama said that Iraq's new premier Haidar al-Abadi should rush to build an inclusive government to undercut support for extremists and underpin international action against the Islamic State. In Iraq, "the planes are striking and the peshmerga are advancing," a Kurdish fighter told AFP near the shore of the lake formed by the vast Mosul dam.

Obama to host UN summit on foreign fighters threat Posted: 18 Aug 2014 03:07 PM PDT UNITED NATIONS (AP) — President Barack Obama will host a summit meeting of the U.N. Security Council next month to focus on the threat posed by foreign terrorist fighters like the ones now taking part in combat in Iraq and Syria, the U.S. administration announced Monday.

Obama: Iraq forces retake Mosul Dam from militants Posted: 18 Aug 2014 03:06 PM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi and Kurdish forces recaptured Iraq's largest dam from Islamic militants Monday following dozens of U.S. airstrikes, President Barack Obama said, in the first major defeat for the extremists since they swept across the country this summer.

Obama will send Holder to Ferguson, says police should not be militarized Posted: 18 Aug 2014 02:38 PM PDT President Obama announced Monday that he is sending Attorney General Eric Holder to Ferguson, Missouri, to take stock of the tense situation there and predicted that Congress will re-evaluate the merits of federal programs that arm local police with military gear.

Obama to send Attorney General Holder to Ferguson, urges restraint Posted: 18 Aug 2014 02:35 PM PDT President Barack Obama said on Monday he was sending Attorney General Eric Holder to Ferguson, Missouri, on Wednesday to investigate the fatal shooting of a black teenager by a white policeman, and urged restraint on the part of both law enforcement and protesters. "To a community in Ferguson that is rightly hurting and looking for answers, let me call once again for us to seek some understanding rather than simply holler at each other," Obama told a news conference. "Let's seek to heal rather than to wound each other." Obama said that anger over the death of the youth, Michael Brown, was understandable, but condemned the violence and theft that had taken place during the protests.

US stocks gain; Dollar General jumps after bid Posted: 18 Aug 2014 02:11 PM PDT NEW YORK (AP) — Corporate deal news gave the US stock market a lift on Monday as a bidding contest erupted for a discount retailer. Stocks also climbed amid reports of diplomatic efforts to broker a cease-fire in the conflict in Ukraine.

Pope OKs protecting Iraq minorities, wants UN OK Posted: 18 Aug 2014 02:10 PM PDT ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (AP) — Pope Francis on Monday said efforts to stop Islamic militants from attacking religious minorities in Iraq are legitimate but said the international community — and not just one country — should decide how to intervene.

Obama promises 'long-term' strategy against IS Posted: 18 Aug 2014 02:08 PM PDT President Barack Obama said Monday that the United States has embarked on a long-term mission to defeat the insurgents of the so-called "Islamic State" fighting in Iraq. Ten days after ordering air strikes against the jihadist fighters, Obama warned that IS remains a threat to Iraq and the wider region, telling Baghdad "the wolf is at the door." Previously, Obama has been at pains to describe the US operation as limited but, as American jets pound IS positions outside Mosul, he said it would form part of a broader political strategy.

Islamic State message to America: 'we will drown all of you in blood' Posted: 18 Aug 2014 02:05 PM PDT The Islamic State militant group that has seized large parts of Iraq and drawn the first American air strikes since the end of the occupation in 2011 has warned the United States it will attack Americans "in any place" if the raids hit its militants. The latest advance by the Islamic State, an al Qaeda offshoot, sent tens of thousands of members of the Yazidi ethnic minority and Christians fleeing for their lives and alarmed the Baghdad government and its Western allies. Unlike al-Qaeda, Islamic State has so far focused on seizing land in Iraq and Syria for its self-proclaimed caliphate, not spectacular attacks on Western targets. President Barack Obama said at a news conference on Monday that the Islamic State posed a threat to Iraq and the entire region.

Obama Didn't Wear A Tie During Today's Press Conference Posted: 18 Aug 2014 01:59 PM PDT President Barack Obama addressed the nation today about the crisis in Iraq and Ferguson, Missouri. Technically still on vacation, Obama decided not to wear a tie. The Internet, of course, had something to say about the untied president:

Obama to chair UN meeting on Syria, Iraq foreign fighters Posted: 18 Aug 2014 01:56 PM PDT US President Barack Obama will chair a special meeting of the UN Security Council next month on tackling the surge of foreign fighters in Iraq and Syria, US officials said Monday. It will be the second time that Obama chairs a meeting of the top world body. Obama is scheduled to speak at a session of the UN General Assembly on September 24 and to attend a UN climate summit hosted by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on September 23.

Oil prices fall on easing geopolitical fears Posted: 18 Aug 2014 01:45 PM PDT Oil prices slid lower Monday on easing concerns about conflicts in Ukraine and Iraq and increased output by Libya. US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for delivery in September finished trade at $96.41 a barrel, shedding 94 cents from Friday's closing level. The key European futures contract, Brent North Sea crude for October, sank by $1.93 to settle at $101.60 a barrel, its lowest level since June 2013. "The crude complex starts this week by being clobbered lower as Libya production has increased to 540,00 bpd (barrels per day) and Kurds have recaptured control of most of the Mosul dam in Iraq," said Matt Smith of Schneider Electric.

McCain campaigns in New Hampshire for Scott Brown Posted: 18 Aug 2014 01:41 PM PDT DERRY, N.H. (AP) — Senate hopeful Scott Brown again got help from a former Republican presidential nominee, as Sen. John McCain spoke to a crowd of GOP faithful at a town hall meeting Monday.

Pope calls for UN rather than US action in Iraq Posted: 18 Aug 2014 01:30 PM PDT Pope Francis called Monday for collective action through the United Nations to "stop unjust aggression" in Iraq, in an implicit criticism of unilateral US air strikes there. The pope, speaking to reporters aboard his flight back from a trip to South Korea, said he was ready to visit Iraq "if necessary", providing it would help people under threat there. "The idea of the United Nations came after World War II. That is where we should be having the discussion and saying, 'There is an unjust aggressor. Last week as thousands from Iraq's Yazidi and Christian minorities fled attacks by IS jihadists, Francis made a plea to the UN to do all it could to stop the violence.

A Weary President Obama Addresses Ferguson and Iraq Posted: 18 Aug 2014 01:01 PM PDT Monday at 4 p.m., President Barack Obama addressed the nation about the ongoing situation in Ferguson, Missouri as well as on the front lines in the fight against ISIL. "The perception was that Baghdad was not being inclusive," said Obama in the question portion of his speech.  Additionally, Obama hopes that the new government in place will be able to unite the nation against ISIL. In regards to Ferguson, Obama noted that he spoke with both Nixon and Holder.

Obama's break from vacation: How unusual is that? Posted: 18 Aug 2014 12:29 PM PDT The official reason is "meetings." Mr. Obama and Vice President Joe Biden had their regular daily briefing Monday morning, then met with the National Security Council to discuss Iraq. Then Obama and Mr. Biden had a private lunch. In the afternoon, Obama met with Attorney General Eric Holder to receive an update on the situation in Ferguson, Mo. No word yet on what Tuesday holds. Certainly that could wait until Obama's two-week vacation is over.

Obama to speak on Iraq, Ferguson unrest Posted: 18 Aug 2014 12:28 PM PDT President Barack Obama will discuss Monday developments in Iraq, where US air strikes are targeting militants, and in Missouri, where National Guard troops have been deployed to quell protests. In an update to Obama's schedule, the White House said: "The president will deliver a statement to provide an update on Iraq and the situation in Ferguson, Missouri," at 4:00 pm (2000 GMT). American warplanes and drones carried out 15 air strikes earlier against Islamic State militants battling for control of a major dam in northern Iraq, US Central Command said.

Syria bombs jihadist positions in Raqa for second day Posted: 18 Aug 2014 12:21 PM PDT Syrian warplanes bombed positions belonging to the jihadist Islamic State group in the northern province of Raqa for a second day on Monday, a monitoring group said. The bombing continued on Monday, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, with at least 16 raids targeting jihadist positions. Three raids targeted the area around the town of Tabqa in western Raqa and four hit near the Tabqa military airport, the only remaining regime-held position in the province. In Aleppo province on Monday, warplanes targeted several IS-held positions, with eight civilians reported killed at Menbej.

Obama to speak about Iraq, Ferguson at 4 p.m.: White House Posted: 18 Aug 2014 12:17 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will speak about developments in Iraq and civil unrest in Ferguson, Missouri at 4 p.m. EDT (2000 GMT), the White House said on Monday. (Reporting by Mark Felsenthal; Editing by Eric Walsh)

Obama to speak about Iraq crisis and situation in Ferguson on Monday afternoon Posted: 18 Aug 2014 12:03 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Obama to speak about Iraq crisis and situation in Ferguson on Monday afternoon.

Yazidi fleeing Iraq jihadists has quintuplets: UN Posted: 18 Aug 2014 12:00 PM PDT A Yazidi refugee fleeing the jihadist offensive in Iraq has given birth to quintuplets in northeast Syria, an official with the UN refugee agency said on Monday. "Tamam Ramadan had quintuplets on Thursday -- two boys and three girls -- after a caesarian section in hospital in Qamishli," the UNHCR official said, asking not to be identified by name. Tamam, 27, from Syria and married to an Iraqi, is a member of the Yazidi community whom jihadists of the Islamic State group regard as heretics. Twice the young mother had to flee as IS militants swept in a lightning offensive across northern Iraq.

A buyer's market at gun bazaar in Kurdish town Posted: 18 Aug 2014 11:29 AM PDT IRBIL, Iraq (AP) — There suddenly are deep discounts available at the once-thriving gun bazaar in Irbil.

Pope says legitimate for world to stop Islamist aggression in Iraq Posted: 18 Aug 2014 11:18 AM PDT By Philip Pullella ROME (Reuters) - Pope Francis said on Monday the international community would be justified in stopping Islamist militants in Iraq, but that it should not be up to a single nation to decide how to intervene in the conflict. The leader of the world's 1.2 billion Roman Catholics made his comments in an hour-long conversation with reporters aboard a plane returning from a trip to South Korea that ranged from international diplomacy to his health and future travel plans. During the encounter that has become a tradition at the end of his foreign journeys, Francis, 77, also said he planned to visit the United States next year and that he was ready to go to China "tomorrow" if the communist government allowed him. Francis was asked if he approved of U.S. strikes against Islamic State insurgents who have recently forced Christians and other minorities to flee their homes in Iraq.

Yazidis haunted by cries for help as militants bury victims alive Posted: 18 Aug 2014 11:07 AM PDT By Humeyra Pamuk DAYRABUN Iraq (Reuters) - Refugee Samo Ilyas Ali has nine children to feed but he can't focus on the future because the sounds of women and children crying out for help while being buried alive by Islamic State militants in northern Iraq often consume his mind. The refugees sit idle in camps in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq. Traumatized by Islamic State militants notorious for beheadings and mass executions, they have simply given up on Iraq and want to go as far away as possible; U.S. air strikes against Islamic State positions and vows by Kurdish commanders to recapture Yazidi villages provided no reassurances.

As US steps up air campaign in Iraq, Kurdish forces seize strategic dam Posted: 18 Aug 2014 11:03 AM PDT Iraq's Kurdish forces said Monday they have seized a strategic dam from the self-declared Islamic State (IS) after heavy US air strikes, a victory for the Kurdish peshmerga that may also suggest mission creep for Washington. "The peshmerga have complete control over the Mosul Dam," Kawa Edo Alxetare, a member of the Kurdish Democratic Party, told The Monitor. The hydroelectric dam was one of the jewels in the vast territory captured in recent months by IS fighters. The threat the radical Sunni group poses to strategic oil installations, religious minorities, and the stability of Iraq combined to spur the US and its allies back into Iraq.

IRAQ ISIL Posted: 18 Aug 2014 10:58 AM PDT Graphic shows recent events in Northern Iraq involving ISIL Kurdish forces and U.S. airstrikes; 3c x 5 1/4 inches; 146 mm x 133 mm;

Why Military Personnel Costs Have Soared Since 9/11 Posted: 18 Aug 2014 10:55 AM PDT In the years since the 9/11 attacks propelled the U.S. into war in Afghanistan – and the alleged threat of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq led the country to war there as well – it has become much more expensive for the U.S. to keep a soldier or sailor on active duty. According to a joint research project by the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) and the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), the Defense Department spends 43 percent more, on average, every year on service members' compensation, after adjusting for inflation. In 2001, the study finds, total compensation costs, including salary, health care, retirement programs, commissaries and other services were $88,000 per service member in today's dollars. The figures don't include funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs and other services delivered outside the DOD budget.

Pope Francis Is Cool With Killing ISIL If the United Nations Is Posted: 18 Aug 2014 10:53 AM PDT Aboard the papal plane, Pope Francis issued one of his more muscular decrees: It's okay to use force against the radical Sunni group ISIL. The reason he gave, according to the Associated Press, was to protect religious minorities in Iraq. Francis also said he and his advisers are considering whether he might go to northern Iraq to show solidarity with persecuted Christians, but are holding off on a decision for now. As it's been reported, religious minorities have been displaced, persecuted, and beheaded in recent months as ISIL forces have swept across northern Iraq.

Why Obama just escalated in Iraq — and how it could backfire Posted: 18 Aug 2014 10:40 AM PDT The US announced a major escalation in Iraq on Sunday. In a letter to Congress, President Obama said he would launch airstrikes in support of Iraqi forces fighting to reclaim the Mosul dam from the Islamic State (ISIS). The key phrase needed to understand why this is a big deal isn't "Mosul dam" — it's "Iraqi forces." In the White House's press release, that's defined as "Iraqi Security Forces," the name for Iraq's central military rather than the Kurdish fighters, which the US was already backing with airpower.

15 new US airstrikes in northern Iraq Posted: 18 Aug 2014 10:34 AM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — A new round of U.S. airstrikes in northern Iraq on Monday was aimed at helping Iraqi forces regain control of the Mosul dam and averting a potential dam failure, the Pentagon said.

US adds IS spokesman, al-Nusra Front rebel to terrorist list Posted: 18 Aug 2014 10:09 AM PDT The spokesman for the Islamic State and an Algerian member of the al-Nusra Front in Syria have been placed on the US terrorist list, the State Department said Monday. Abu Mohamed al-Adnani, the IS spokesman, was placed on the list after announcing June 30 the establishment of an Islamic caliphate in territory the group controls in northern Iraq and Syria. Adnani, whose real name is Taha Sobhi Falaha, also exhorted IS followers to take Baghdad in videos posted on the Internet.

You are subscribed to email updates from Iraq News Headlines - Yahoo! News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610