Yahoo! News: Iraq

---

• Obama orders review of U.S. police use of military hardware
• Bombings kill 42 in Iraq after Sunni mosque attack
• Kurds protest in Paris against Islamic State group
• Lack of prospects, financial lure pushing youth to IS: Vatican
• Saudi Arabia to host Arab meeting on Syria, IS crisis
• Obama again faces tug of military action in Syria
• Bombs kill at least 35 across Iraq a day after mosque shooting
• US ready to 'take action' in Syria if Americans threatened
• Bomb explodes in Iraqi Kurdish capital Arbil : local TV
• Qatar condemns Islamic State and rejects funding accusations
• Car bombs kill 21 in Iraq's Kirkuk
• Iraq family's flight reveals depth of Sunni grief
• Jihadis release video of captured Lebanese troops
• Canada's intelligence head says returning Islamist militants pose threat
• Jihadists killed in new push to take Syria air base
• U.S. considering taking fight against Islamic State into Syria
• Britain plans tougher laws to tackle UK jihadists
• Ann Summers says sorry over Isis underwear
• Iraq officials say suicide bomber hits Interior Ministry office in Baghdad, kills 11 people
• GOP chairman condemns Obama's vacation during crises
• A look into heart of jihadist 'caliphate' in Syria, Iraq
• HILLARY CLINTON'S HAWKISHNESS MAY BE HER UNDOING
• Imam receives death threat, says IS recruiting in the country
• Extorting ransoms has become a cash cow for ISIS
• Execution marks "point of escalation" in fight on ISIS
• Obama administration considering targeting ISIS in Syria
• US backs federal system in Iraq: Biden
• Facing new flight, Turkish Kurds in Iraq long for home
• U.S. hostage rescuers dropped from night sky: Syria activist
• Six dead as suicide bomber hits Iraq intelligence HQ
• US won't let borders hamper fight vs. extremists
• Obama officials talk of 'defeating' Islamic State, but what steps will US take?
• Biden: US would help Iraq pursue federal system

Obama orders review of U.S. police use of military hardware Posted: 23 Aug 2014 04:28 PM PDT President Barack Obama has ordered a review of the distribution of military hardware to state and local police out of concern at how such equipment has been used during racial unrest in Ferguson, Missouri. The president ordered the examination of federal programs and funding that enable state and local law enforcement to purchase such equipment, a senior Obama administration official said on Saturday. Images of police wielding military-style guns and armor have shocked many Americans following clashes that were triggered by the fatal shooting of a black teenager, Michael Brown, by a white police officer in Ferguson two weeks ago.

Bombings kill 42 in Iraq after Sunni mosque attack Posted: 23 Aug 2014 01:49 PM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — Bombings in Baghdad and the northern city of Kirkuk killed at least 42 people in Iraq on Saturday as the government investigated a deadly attack on a Sunni mosque the day before that has heightened sectarian tensions amid a fragile political transition.

Kurds protest in Paris against Islamic State group Posted: 23 Aug 2014 01:17 PM PDT PARIS (AP) — Hundreds of ethnic Kurds marched in Paris on Saturday to demand more international support for civilians in Iraq facing assaults by Islamic State militants.

Lack of prospects, financial lure pushing youth to IS: Vatican Posted: 23 Aug 2014 12:20 PM PDT Young Syrians are gravitating towards the radical Islamic State due to a lack of prospects and the lure of financial support more than "ideological conviction", the pope's Syria envoy said Saturday. IS militants, which have been active in the Syrian conflict for several years, have made headlines in recent months after grabbing large swathes of northern Iraq and declaring a caliphate spanning the territory they hold in both countries. In an interview with Radio Vatican, Mario Zenari -- who has remained in Syria throughout the bloody conflict -- said he believed that young militants rushing to join their ranks did not as a rule do so out of "ideological conviction". The rise of IS has also sent alarm bells in the West as nationals from many European countries have gone to join the ranks of the jihadists.

Saudi Arabia to host Arab meeting on Syria, IS crisis Posted: 23 Aug 2014 12:02 PM PDT Saudi Arabia is to host a meeting of foreign ministers from several Arab states to discuss the Syrian conflict and the rise of Islamic State jihadists, Egypt's foreign ministry announced Saturday. It said Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia were to take part in Sunday's talks to be held in the kingdom's Red Sea city of Jeddah. The meeting will address "the growing presence in Iraq and Syria of extremists, notably the Islamic State (IS)," the ministry said in a statement.

Obama again faces tug of military action in Syria Posted: 23 Aug 2014 11:12 AM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — For three years, President Barack Obama has resisted the pull of potential U.S. military action in Syria.

Bombs kill at least 35 across Iraq a day after mosque shooting Posted: 23 Aug 2014 09:44 AM PDT By Ahmed Rasheed and Isabel Coles BAGHDAD/ARBIL Iraq (Reuters) - Bombings across Iraq killed at least 35 people in attacks that appeared to be revenge for an assault on a Sunni mosque that has deepened sectarian conflict. A bomb also exploded in the northern city of Arbil on Saturday, a rare attack unsettling the relative stability the capital of the semi-autonomous Kurdish region has enjoyed. In Baghdad, a bomber rammed a vehicle into an intelligence headquarters, killing at least eight people, police and medical sources said. Near Tikrit, a suicide bomber driving a military Humvee packed with explosives attacked a gathering of soldiers and Shi'ite militias overnight, killing nine.

US ready to 'take action' in Syria if Americans threatened Posted: 23 Aug 2014 09:41 AM PDT The White House said it was ready to "take action" against any threat to America as it indicated serious consideration of US military strikes against Islamic State militants in Syria. The Pentagon has warned of the dangers of IS and said operations against it in Syria may be needed, after weeks of air strikes have slowed the advance of the Sunni militant group in Iraq and as the West reeled from the grisly killing of American journalist James Foley. The White House also said late Friday that air strikes in Syria may be necessary, as deputy national security advisor Ben Rhodes agreed that "any strategy to deal with the ISIL organization has to deal with both sides of the border, Iraq and Syria."

Bomb explodes in Iraqi Kurdish capital Arbil : local TV Posted: 23 Aug 2014 09:35 AM PDT A bomb exploded on Saturday in Arbil, the capital of Iraq's Kurdistan region, a relatively stable region which has recently come under threat from advancing Islamic State militants, local television network Rudaw reported. TV footage from the scene showed firefighters dousing the charred remains of a car, which blew up outside a technical college on the road from Arbil to Kirkuk. Kurdish security forces have been on high alert since Islamic State militants overran large swathes of Iraq, opening a more than 1,000 km-long (600-mile) front with the semi-autonomous region. The last major attack in Arbil was in September, when militants launched a coordinated suicide and car bomb attack on the headquarters of the security services.

Qatar condemns Islamic State and rejects funding accusations Posted: 23 Aug 2014 09:35 AM PDT Qatar condemned on Saturday the Islamic State's "barbaric" murder of U.S. Foreign Minister Khaled al-Attiyah's comments came a day after the German government apologized for remarks by a minister accusing Qatar of financing Islamic State militants. "Qatar does not support extremist groups, including ISIS, in any way. "The vision of extremist groups for the region is one that we have not, nor will ever, support in any way." Qatar has previously denied supporting Islamist insurgents who have seized wide areas of northern Iraq, northern and eastern Syria.

Car bombs kill 21 in Iraq's Kirkuk Posted: 23 Aug 2014 09:31 AM PDT Three near-simultaneous car bombs exploded in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk on Saturday, killing 21 people and wounding 118, a senior police officer and a doctor said. Two of the bombs exploded near buildings under construction that were used as observation positions by security forces, while the third struck the entrance to a market. In the early days of the onslaught, Iraqi soldiers left their positions in oil-rich Kirkuk province, the capital of which is the city of the same name.

Iraq family's flight reveals depth of Sunni grief Posted: 23 Aug 2014 09:25 AM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — For nearly a decade Abu Omar has been fleeing Iraq's many conflicts, but they always seem to catch up to him.

Jihadis release video of captured Lebanese troops Posted: 23 Aug 2014 08:22 AM PDT BEIRUT (AP) — Al-Qaida's Syrian affiliate released a video Saturday showing Lebanese policemen and a soldier captured by the group earlier this month during the most serious cross-border attack since Syria's conflict began more than three years ago.

Canada's intelligence head says returning Islamist militants pose threat Posted: 23 Aug 2014 07:48 AM PDT Canadians who go abroad to join militant groups such as Islamic State pose a threat on their return home and could use their foreign contacts to set up networks in Canada, the country's intelligence director said on Saturday. Michel Coulombe, director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, wrote in a Globe and Mail article that "well over 100 Canadians," both men and women, have left the country to join groups such as al-Qaeda and al-Shabaab. "How many are coming back to Canada more radicalized than when they departed? "And, most importantly, will they use their terrorist training to attempt violent acts here in Canada?

Jihadists killed in new push to take Syria air base Posted: 23 Aug 2014 07:11 AM PDT At least 24 jihadists have been killed and 150 wounded in clashes with Syrian troops defending an air base in Raqa province, a monitoring group said on Saturday. The clashes came as the Islamic State group launched a new bid to capture the Tabqa base, the government's last bastion in the northern province, the rest of which is in the hands of the jihadists. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the attack began overnight when a suicide bomber blew himself up at the entrance to the base, prompting clashes that killed 14 IS fighters. Those deaths brought IS losses since it began its assault on Tabqa to at least 94, with more than 400 wounded, according to the Observatory.

U.S. considering taking fight against Islamic State into Syria Posted: 23 Aug 2014 05:57 AM PDT By Steve Holland EDGARTOWN Mass. (Reuters) - The United States is considering taking the fight against Islamic State militants into Syria after days of airstrikes against the group in Iraq and the beheading of an American journalist, the White House signaled on Friday. President Barack Obama, soon to end a two-week working vacation on the Massachusetts island of Martha's Vineyard, has not yet been presented with military options for attacking Islamic State targets beyond two important areas in Iraq, said White House deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes.

Britain plans tougher laws to tackle UK jihadists Posted: 23 Aug 2014 05:49 AM PDT By Belinda Goldsmith LONDON (Reuters) - Britain said on Saturday it planned tougher laws to deal with British Islamist militants after Islamic State (IS) fighters in the Middle East released a video showing a suspected Briton beheading U.S. British Muslims and politicians have expressed horror at the apparent involvement of a Briton in the murder, which has fed concerns about the number of Islamist militants from Britain joining conflicts overseas and then returning home radicalized. Home Secretary (interior minister) Theresa May said she was preparing new laws to tackle Islamist militants at home and to stop them going abroad to fight, adding that Britain faced a long struggle against a "deadly extremist ideology".

Ann Summers says sorry over Isis underwear Posted: 23 Aug 2014 04:57 AM PDT Adult retailer Ann Summers apologised Saturday after launching a range of lingerie named Isis -- but said it did not support jihadists in Iraq and Syria and had no plans to withdraw the line. Ann Summers' Isis range includes lacy black and white bras, thongs and suspenders and is for sale online and in its shops, which number over 100 across Britain. A spokeswoman for Ann Summers said that names for its ranges are chosen months before their launch. The United States has been waging air strikes against IS militants amid fears the territory they have seized in Syria and Iraq could become a launchpad for global terror attacks.

Iraq officials say suicide bomber hits Interior Ministry office in Baghdad, kills 11 people Posted: 23 Aug 2014 04:46 AM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq officials say suicide bomber hits Interior Ministry office in Baghdad, kills 11 people.

GOP chairman condemns Obama's vacation during crises Posted: 23 Aug 2014 01:04 AM PDT Republican National Committee head Reince Priebus slams the president for golfing on Martha's Vineyard, asking "Where are his priorities?"

A look into heart of jihadist 'caliphate' in Syria, Iraq Posted: 22 Aug 2014 10:58 PM PDT New York (AFP) - "What do you want to be? A jihadist, or to execute a martyrdom operation?" In the "caliphate" recently proclaimed by jihadists in Syria and Iraq, even young children are indoctrinated, and Sharia law is backed by the gun, according to a gripping documentary offering one of the first glimpses of life in Raqqa, power base of the so-called Islamic State (IS). Part 1 of a five-episode series, The Islamic State, filmed by Anglo-Palestinian journalist Medyan Dairieh was released Thursday by New York-based Vice News.

HILLARY CLINTON'S HAWKISHNESS MAY BE HER UNDOING Posted: 22 Aug 2014 10:01 PM PDT Even without a formal declaration of her intent to run, Hillary Clinton is the presumed Democratic nominee for president in 2016. She has earned that status through two decades of hard work on the national stage -- as first lady, as a senator from New York, and, especially, as a loyal and energetic secretary of state in the administration of her former rival, Barack Obama. Nothing better illustrates that presumption than her continued hawkishness, a trait on full display in her interview earlier this month with Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic Monthly. While Washington pundits focused on her curt dismissal of a few words the president allegedly spoke to reporters -- "Great nations need organizing principles, and 'Don't do stupid stuff' is not an organizing principle," she said -- the substance of her argument is much more troubling than that.

Imam receives death threat, says IS recruiting in the country Posted: 22 Aug 2014 08:46 PM PDT A Canadian imam known for his pacifist sermons warned that Islamist militant group IS was actively recruiting in Canada and said one member issued him a death threat. Syed Soharwardy, founder of the Islamic Supreme Council of Canada (ISCC), on Friday called on Canadian and Western authorities to intensify the fight against jihadist movements. Soharwardy added that a Muslim man from Ottawa who was fighting with IS in Mosul in northern Iraq had sent him a death threat on Facebook. "I get death threats from everybody," he said, adding that "just last month I had a death threat posted on a website."

Extorting ransoms has become a cash cow for ISIS Posted: 22 Aug 2014 08:40 PM PDT Expert says European governments may be encouraging terrorists by paying for hostages' release, but should the U.S. be more flexible in its no-negotiation policy?

Execution marks "point of escalation" in fight on ISIS Posted: 22 Aug 2014 08:27 PM PDT Senior administration official tells CBS News that murderous group's threats against U.S. have to be taken seriously

Obama administration considering targeting ISIS in Syria Posted: 22 Aug 2014 08:12 PM PDT Despite previous statements that U.S. military action against ISIS would be limited to Iraq, the fight against ISIS now "knows no borders"

US backs federal system in Iraq: Biden Posted: 22 Aug 2014 07:28 PM PDT Vice President Joe Biden said the United States would back a federal system in Iraq, as he pressed for unity in the sharply divided country amid a growing terror threat. Writing in a Washington Post opinion piece, publised Friday, Biden said the United States was ready to "further enhance" its support of Iraq's fight against the Islamic State, and would urge its international partners to do so as well. He pointed to "functioning federalism" as an approach to breach the divisions in Iraq. Biden is a longtime supporter of the plan under which Iraq would be divided into three semi-autonomous regions for Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds, respectively.

Facing new flight, Turkish Kurds in Iraq long for home Posted: 22 Aug 2014 07:17 PM PDT Families who once fled a Turkish crackdown on Kurdish rebels in the 1990s now languish in a mosque in northern Iraq after escaping from brutal jihadists, longing to return home. They lived as refugees in Makhmur, a town in northern Iraq, until the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group, which spearheaded a militant offensive that has overrun large areas of Iraq, forced them to leave. Hundreds of thousands of people across northern Iraq have fled violence which has seen members of minority groups face kidnapping and death, but for these Kurdish families, it is not the first time they have been displaced. I've been a refugee for 20 years," says Ramazan Mohammed Khalil, a 47-year-old father of six who lived in Makhmur alongside some 10,000 other Kurds from Turkey.

U.S. hostage rescuers dropped from night sky: Syria activist Posted: 22 Aug 2014 05:54 PM PDT Before they landed to search for American hostages including journalist James Foley, they destroyed a crucial target: anti-aircraft weapons at a jihadist base about 3 miles (5 km) southeast of the city, a stronghold of Islamic State militants seeking to build a monolithic Islamic state. The above account and other details of the raid have emerged from witnesses who spoke with a member of a Syrian opposition activist group, who identified himself as Abu Ibrahim al Raqaoui. Raqaoui told the information to Reuters in an interview via Skype from inside Syria. The White House publicized details of the raid on Wednesday, a day after Islamic State jihadists posted a video showing Foley being beheaded.

Six dead as suicide bomber hits Iraq intelligence HQ Posted: 22 Aug 2014 05:42 PM PDT A suicide bomber blew up a vehicle packed with explosives at the interior ministry's intelligence headquarters in central Baghdad on Saturday, killing at least six people, security officials said. The headquarters is protected by concrete blast walls, but the security forces on guard at its entrance on an often-crowded intersection are easy targets for attack. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast, but suicide bombings are a hallmark of Sunni jihadists, including those loyal to the Islamic State (IS) group. IS-led militants launched a major offensive across Iraq in June, overrunning large areas of five provinces and sweeping security forces aside.

US won't let borders hamper fight vs. extremists Posted: 22 Aug 2014 05:30 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — A senior White House official raised the possibility Friday of a broader American military campaign that targets an Islamic extremist group's bases in Syria, saying the U.S would take whatever action is necessary to protect national security.

Obama officials talk of 'defeating' Islamic State, but what steps will US take? Posted: 22 Aug 2014 05:24 PM PDT President Obama says the United States will be "relentless" in going after the Islamic State, the militant organization that brutally executed American James Foley this week and whose advances in northern Iraq from its base in Syria prompted the president to order airstrikes earlier this month. Instead, Mr. Obama appears set to stick with a two-step strategy that abides by his deep reluctance to plunge the US military into Syria. More long term, the US will move to defeat IS – also known as ISIS or ISIL, the administration's preferred acronym for the group – but only in conjunction with the local forces whom the US will expect to take the lead on the ground: the Iraqi military and Kurdish peshmerga in Iraq, and the moderate rebel forces in Syria that the US is beginning to arm. "Absolutely in the long term we want to see an organization like ISIL defeated," Mr. Rhodes said, after defining Obama's "strategy" for confronting IS in Iraq with three terms: evict, squeeze, and push out.

Biden: US would help Iraq pursue federal system Posted: 22 Aug 2014 05:10 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Joe Biden says the U.S. is prepared to help Iraq pursue a federal system that would decentralize power away from Baghdad.

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