Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• Germany to send anti-tank weapons, rifles to Iraqi Kurds
• US launches air strikes on IS rebels near dam, Amerli
• 'Hundreds' of Americans linked to IS: lawmaker
• 'Too Cautious' Obama Pressed to Take Action on ISIL
• Iraqi forces break militant siege of Shiite town
• Germany to send rifles, tank busters to aid Kurds
• Obama Hammered on Ukraine, ISIS Delays
• Germany to send Iraqi Kurds enough weapons for 4,000 fighters
• Iraq breaks months-long jihadist siege
• Obama faces bipartisan criticism over his foreign policy
• 'Recruiter' for Syrian jihad arrested in France
• Jubilant Iraqi forces break two-month siege of Amerli: officials
• U.S., foreign fighters in Syria pose 'very serious threat' to U.S.: lawmaker
• 13 killed in bomb attacks on Iraq forces in Ramadi
• Suicide bomber kills 37 in western Iraq: police officers, medical official
• As Islamic State fighters begin to blend in, defeating them no easy matter
• Obama ponders action against Islamic State extremists. What do Americans think?
• Feinstein Takes Obama to Task for Caution on ISIS
• House, Senate intel chiefs flag Islamic State risk
• France arrests suspected jihadist minor before departure to Syria
• German security official warns of terror threat
• What ISIS Really Wants (Besides Your Head)
• Australia to join multinational weapons drop into Iraq
• The Key to Solving Both ISIS and Russian Aggression
• Iran FM says ready to meet Saudi counterpart
• Obamas attend wedding of their longtime chef
• Australia to fly guns and ammunition into Iraq
• Australia to join US in arming Kurds in Iraq
• Top German spy says Islamic State's brutality eclipses al Qaeda
• ​An Iraqi émigré's new life in America
• U.S. planes strike militants near Iraq's Amreli, airdrop aid
• African extremists: Islamic State offers grim inspiration
• Airstrikes and aid provide relief for Iraqi town
• Impatience grows in Turkey over Syrian 'guests'
• US drops humanitarian aid in besieged Iraq town: Pentagon
• Obama's cool head in a crisis -- asset or growing liability?
• U.S. conducts air strikes on militants near besieged Iraqi town
• US cyber-warriors battling Islamic State on Twitter

Germany to send anti-tank weapons, rifles to Iraqi Kurds Posted: 31 Aug 2014 02:44 PM PDT Germany will send anti-tank rocket launchers, rifles and hand grenades to support Iraqi Kurds battling jihadist militants fighting for the Islamic State, the defence ministry announced Sunday. The move followed a meeting of ministers led by Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin to discuss what Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen described as an "extremely critical" situation in Iraq. Islamic State (IS) militants are acting with "merciless brutality", she told a joint press conference with Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, adding the international community had to support the persecuted. The equipment, which will be delivered in three stages, will include 30 anti-tank missiles, 16,000 assault rifles, 8,000 pistols as well as portable anti-tank rocket launchers, the defence ministry said.

US launches air strikes on IS rebels near dam, Amerli Posted: 31 Aug 2014 02:33 PM PDT The US military launched new strikes on Islamic State forces in Iraq, using fighter and attack aircraft to carry out strikes near the Mosul dam and Amerli, the Pentagon said on Sunday. "The strike near Amerli damaged an ISIL tank and the strike near Mosul Dam destroyed an ISIL armed vehicle. All aircraft exited the strike area safely," a US Defense Department statement said, referring to the IS forces also known as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). "The strikes were conducted under authority to protect US personnel and facilities, support humanitarian efforts, and support Iraqi forces that are acting in furtherance of these objectives," added the statement put out by US Central Command, based in Tampa, Florida.

'Hundreds' of Americans linked to IS: lawmaker Posted: 31 Aug 2014 02:26 PM PDT Several hundred US citizens may have had contact with Islamic State jihadists in Syria, the chairman of the powerful House Intelligence Committee said Sunday. Republican lawmaker Mike Rogers, a former FBI agent, told "Fox News Sunday" he was concerned about efforts to keep track of Americans who had links to the group. The US State Department has previously estimated that more than 100 US citizens had traveled to Syria to join radical groups such as the Islamic State. He also raised concerns about the estimated 500 British citizens and "several hundred" Canadians believed to have traveled to Syria, noting that passport holders from those countries could both enter the United States without a visa.

'Too Cautious' Obama Pressed to Take Action on ISIL Posted: 31 Aug 2014 02:21 PM PDT Democrats and Republicans took to the Sunday talk shows to send President Obama a bipartisan message that he needs to act swiftly on ISIL militants before it's too late.   Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Dianne Feinstein said President Barack Obama was "too cautious" when he said the U.S. Maybe in this instance, too cautious," Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Dianne Feinstein told NBC's Andrea Mitchell during an interview that aired Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press."

Iraqi forces break militant siege of Shiite town Posted: 31 Aug 2014 02:18 PM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi security forces and Shiite militiamen on Sunday broke a six-week siege imposed by the Islamic State extremist group on the northern Shiite Turkmen town of Amirli, as a suicide bombing killed 14 people in Anbar western province, officials said.

Germany to send rifles, tank busters to aid Kurds Posted: 31 Aug 2014 01:43 PM PDT BERLIN (AP) — Germany will send high-end rifles, tank-busting weapons and armored vehicles to aid Kurdish fighters battling Islamic extremists in Iraq, officials said Sunday.

Obama Hammered on Ukraine, ISIS Delays Posted: 31 Aug 2014 01:09 PM PDT There's precious little that Republicans and Democrats in Washington can agree on these days. But in a rare show of unity, members of both parties blasted President Obama Sunday morning for not being quicker ...

Germany to send Iraqi Kurds enough weapons for 4,000 fighters Posted: 31 Aug 2014 12:51 PM PDT By Sabine Siebold BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany will send enough weapons to arm 4,000 Kurdish fighters in northern Iraq battling against Islamic State (IS) insurgents, whose advances threaten to destabilize the Middle East, the defense minister said on Sunday. "The weapons delivery is enough to supply a brigade of 4,000 soldiers," said Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen. Breaking with a post-war policy of not sending arms to conflict zones, Chancellor Angela Merkel says northern Iraq is an "exception" because of the nature of Islamic State's violence. "The lives of millions of people, the stability of Iraq and the whole region and ... due to the high number of foreign fighters, our security in Germany and Europe are being threatened," read a government statement after Merkel met some of her ministers to discuss details of the aid to the Kurds.

Iraq breaks months-long jihadist siege Posted: 31 Aug 2014 12:48 PM PDT Iraqi forces broke through Sunday to the jihadist-besieged Shiite town of Amerli, where thousands of people have been trapped for more than two months with dwindling food and water supplies. It is the biggest offensive success for the Iraqi government since militants led by the Sunni jihadist group Islamic State (IS) overran large areas of five provinces in June, sweeping security forces aside. The breakthrough came as the United States carried out limited strikes in the area, the first time it has expanded its more than three-week air campaign against militants outside of Iraq's north. Aircraft from several countries also dropped humanitarian aid to Amerli.

Obama faces bipartisan criticism over his foreign policy Posted: 31 Aug 2014 12:44 PM PDT By Andrea Shalal WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama faced criticism over his foreign policy from both Democratic and Republican lawmakers on Sunday as he wrestled with crises in Iraq, Syria, Libya and Ukraine. Republican lawmakers seized on Obama's comment on Thursday when he said, "We don't have a strategy yet" for confronting the Islamic State militant group, saying it suggested indecisiveness. On Sunday, influential Democrats chimed in with their own critiques of Obama's foreign policy, chiding him for being "too cautious" on Syria, and urging him to do more to help Ukraine resist Russian advances.

'Recruiter' for Syrian jihad arrested in France Posted: 31 Aug 2014 12:16 PM PDT A 22-year-old man suspected of acting as a recruiter for jihadist groups in Syria has been arrested at an airport in the south of France, the interior ministry said Sunday. The man, who is said to be of Chechen origin, was stopped at the Nice airport on Saturday and taken into custody. He is suspected of having paid in cash for a 16-year-old girl to fly to Turkey with the intention of then crossing the border to Syria, a statement by Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said. Unconvinced by the girl's explanation that she was planning on visiting her grandmother in Istanbul, Turkish Airlines contacted French border police, who then called the security services.

Jubilant Iraqi forces break two-month siege of Amerli: officials Posted: 31 Aug 2014 11:51 AM PDT By Ahmed Rasheed and Isabel Coles BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi security forces backed by Shi'ite militias on Sunday broke the two-month siege of Amerli by Islamic State militants and entered the northern town, officials said. The mayor of Amerli and army officers said troops backed by militias defeated fighters from the Islamic State (IS) to the east of the town. Fighting continued to the north of Amerli in several villages. "Security forces and militia fighters are inside Amerli now after breaking the siege and that will definitely relieve the suffering of residents," said Adel al-Bayati, mayor of Amerli.

U.S., foreign fighters in Syria pose 'very serious threat' to U.S.: lawmaker Posted: 31 Aug 2014 11:30 AM PDT Hundreds of U.S., British and Canadian citizens who have trained with Islamic State fighters trying to carve out their own state in Iraq and Syria pose a "very serious threat" to the United States, a top Republican lawmaker said Sunday. Representative Mike Rogers, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, urged the Obama administration to aggressively prosecute U.S. He said an attack on the Jewish museum in Brussels in May had shown a new push by extremist groups to carry out attacks on Western targets, and growing efforts to recruit backers on social media. "I'm very concerned because we don't know every single person who has gone and trained and learned how to fight," Rogers told "Fox News Sunday." The United States carried out three air strikes on Saturday against Islamic State fighters near the besieged Shi'ite town of Amerli in northern Iraq and airdropped more than hundred additional bundles of humanitarian aid to civilians trapped there, the Pentagon said.

13 killed in bomb attacks on Iraq forces in Ramadi Posted: 31 Aug 2014 10:42 AM PDT Two suicide bombers detonated explosives-rigged vehicles near positions of security forces in the city of Ramadi on Sunday, killing 13 people and wounding 17, Iraqi police and a doctor said. One blast hit an under-construction building manned by Iraqi special forces in the city west of Baghdad, while the second struck a joint special forces-police checkpoint, the sources said. Iraqi forces have struggled to regain control of Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province, from militants who have held shifting areas of the city since early this year. Fallujah, a city east of Ramadi, has been completely out of government hands since January, while militants also seized other parts of Anbar during a sweeping jihadist-led offensive launched in June, when they overran chunks of five provinces.

Suicide bomber kills 37 in western Iraq: police officers, medical official Posted: 31 Aug 2014 10:37 AM PDT Thirty seven people were killed when a suicide bomber rammed an explosives-packed Humvee military vehicle into a construction site, used by the army and police, according to two police officers and a medical official. The blast killed 22 security personnel and 15 civilians, the medical and police sources said. The nine-story building under construction, used as a base by security personnel, was located in the center of Ramadi in western Anbar province.

As Islamic State fighters begin to blend in, defeating them no easy matter Posted: 31 Aug 2014 10:32 AM PDT By Isabel Coles and Peter Apps BAQIRTA Iraq/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - After their lightning takeover in June, flag-waving Islamic State militants paraded through the captured Iraqi city of Mosul in looted U.S.-built Humvees, armored cars and pickup trucks mounted with heavy machine guns. Today, many have ditched military-type vehicles that could make them easy targets of U.S. It is unclear how the Islamic State's tactics will further change as a result of the reclaiming of the strategic Mosul Dam by Iraqi government and Kurdish forces or Sunday's dramatic retaking of Amerli, where thousands had been cut off from food and water, but clearly battlefield strategies are involving on both sides.

Obama ponders action against Islamic State extremists. What do Americans think? Posted: 31 Aug 2014 10:31 AM PDT It's been the summer of his discontent for President Obama, at least in terms of how voters apparently see him. Gallup reported this past week that Americans are more than twice as likely to say they "strongly disapprove" of President Barack Obama's job performance (39 percent) as they are to say they "strongly approve" (17 percent), and  it's been trending in that direction. "The percentage of Americans who strongly disapprove of Obama has increased over time, while the percentage who strongly approve has dropped by almost half," writes Gallup's Justin McCarthy in an analysis of the polling organization's latest findings. "In the first year of Obama's presidency, the percentages of Americans who had strong views about the job he was doing were essentially tied [32-30 percent with a slight edge to "approve"], but the strongly negative responses now significantly outweigh the strongly positive ones."

Feinstein Takes Obama to Task for Caution on ISIS Posted: 31 Aug 2014 10:15 AM PDT President Obama is taking his time developing a strategy for dealing with the growing threat posed by ISIS – the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria – even as Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, Sens. John McCain (R-AZ) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and others have raised the alarm about the terror group's potential threats to the U.S. David Cameron, Britain's prime minister, has raised the terror level to high throughout the UK because an estimated 500 British Muslims have joined ISIS and could easily reenter the country. This morning on NBC's Meet the Press, Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said President Obama was "too cautious" this week when he said the U.S.

House, Senate intel chiefs flag Islamic State risk Posted: 31 Aug 2014 10:14 AM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Leaders of the House and Senate intelligence committees on Sunday prodded President Barack Obama to take decisive action against what they say are growing threats from Islamic State militants on U.S. soil.

France arrests suspected jihadist minor before departure to Syria Posted: 31 Aug 2014 09:17 AM PDT A 16-year-old girl suspected of trying to reach Syria to join Islamist rebels has been arrested in the southeastern city of Nice, France's interior minister said on Sunday. Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said in a statement that border police at Nice airport arrested the girl on Saturday, before her departure "for jihad". A man around the age of 20 was later arrested on suspicion of being her recruiter and of purchasing her airline ticket to Turkey, in order to reach Syria. Thousands of foreign fighters, many from Western Europe, have joined extremist Islamist groups fighting in Syria and Iraq, according to U.S.

German security official warns of terror threat Posted: 31 Aug 2014 04:53 AM PDT BERLIN (AP) — Germany's domestic intelligence agency expects that Islamic extremists who have traveled to Syria and Iraq will return and commit terror attacks.

What ISIS Really Wants (Besides Your Head) Posted: 31 Aug 2014 03:00 AM PDT President Obama continues to take heat for his comment Thursday, "We don't have a strategy yet" for dealing with ISIS, the Islamic State of Syria and Iraq. There's another controversy brewing that may be just as key – and it has to do with how Obama, other world leaders and the press refer to the extremist offshoot of al-Qaeda. The terror group currently occupying portions of Syria and Iraq changed its name this summer to the Islamic State, or IS. Rather than use that name or ISIS, however, Obama and some administration members have been calling the group ISIL, which stands for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

Australia to join multinational weapons drop into Iraq Posted: 31 Aug 2014 02:53 AM PDT Australia will drop military equipment and aid to Kurdish forces fighting Islamic State militants in northern Iraq in response to a request from the United States, Prime Minister Tony Abbott said on Sunday. Australia will join Canada, Italy, France, Britain and the United States in providing arms and humanitarian relief as part of a multinational effort to be coordinated by Iraq and other countries in the region, Abbott said.

The Key to Solving Both ISIS and Russian Aggression Posted: 31 Aug 2014 02:45 AM PDT The crises in Ukraine and Iraq have little to do with one another. In Ukraine, Russia is exerting its territorial ambitions, while in Iraq, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is attempting to build an Islamic caliphate. In Russia's case, money from the sale of energy to Europe has paid for Moscow's rise from the dark days after the fall of the Soviet Union. Right now, Russia supplies one-third of Europe's gas supplies, and European payments make up some 60 percent of the profits of Gazprom, Russia's state-owned energy giant.

Iran FM says ready to meet Saudi counterpart Posted: 31 Aug 2014 02:13 AM PDT TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran's foreign minister said Sunday he is ready to meet his Saudi Arabian counterpart on the sidelines of next month's UN General Assembly and to visit the Gulf powerhouse later this year.

Obamas attend wedding of their longtime chef Posted: 31 Aug 2014 01:44 AM PDT POCANTICO HILLS, N.Y. (AP) — Setting aside for a few hours the pressures of trying to calm the world's trouble spots, President Barack Obama assumed the role of spectator for something more joyous: the wedding of the first family's longtime chef and friend.

Australia to fly guns and ammunition into Iraq Posted: 30 Aug 2014 11:47 PM PDT CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — An Australian military aircraft will soon fly guns and ammunition to the northern Iraqi city of Irbil to help Kurds fight Islamic State militants as part of a U.S.-led multination mission, Australia's prime minister said on Sunday.

Australia to join US in arming Kurds in Iraq Posted: 30 Aug 2014 11:39 PM PDT Australia said Sunday it would help the United States in an international effort to transport weapons to Kurdish forces fighting Islamic State militants in Iraq. "The United States government has requested that Australia help to transport stores of military equipment, including arms and munitions, as part of a multi-nation effort," Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said in a statement. "Royal Australian Air Force C-130 Hercules and C-17 Globemaster aircraft will join aircraft from other nations including Canada, Italy, France, the United Kingdom and the United States to conduct this important task." The announcement came as Australia joined the US military in dropping humanitarian aid to the besieged Iraqi town of Amerli, where thousands of Shia Turkomen have been cut off by jihadist rebels from receiving food, water and medical supplies.

Top German spy says Islamic State's brutality eclipses al Qaeda Posted: 30 Aug 2014 11:17 PM PDT Some young Muslims are attracted to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria because of its brutality, which makes it appear "more authentic" than al Qaeda, the head of Germany's domestic intelligence agency said in an interview on Sunday. "There is a link between the successes IS has had so far in Iraq and the activities here in Germany and the propaganda and canvassing activities aimed at young jihadists," said Hans-Georg Maassen, head of Germany's BfV domestic intelligence agency.

​An Iraqi émigré's new life in America Posted: 30 Aug 2014 11:04 PM PDT Cameraman Atheer Hussein covered the war in Baghdad for CBS News, but faced new challenges after moving to the U.S.

U.S. planes strike militants near Iraq's Amreli, airdrop aid Posted: 30 Aug 2014 10:02 PM PDT By Raheem Salman and Matt Spetalnick BAGHDAD/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States carried out air strikes on Saturday against Islamic State fighters near the besieged Shi'ite town of Amerli in northern Iraq and airdropped humanitarian aid to civilians trapped there, the Pentagon said. President Barack Obama authorized the new military action, broadening U.S.

African extremists: Islamic State offers grim inspiration Posted: 30 Aug 2014 08:34 PM PDT Amid fears Islamic State fighters are inspiring jihadists outside the Middle East, analysts warn it has emboldened extremists in Africa operating in voids left by weak governments and rampant corruption. The United States has described the IS group in Iraq and Syria as the strongest-ever Islamist threat with its "apocalyptic end of days" ideology. Their advance has sparked concern in Africa, with leaders from across the continent meeting Tuesday in Kenya to discuss the threat, the first such conference organised by the African Union. Islamist groups who belong to the Al-Qaeda franchise have already firmly implanted themselves across swathes of territory: from Nigeria's Boko Haram, extremists in the Sahel to Shebab fighters in the Horn of Africa.

Airstrikes and aid provide relief for Iraqi town Posted: 30 Aug 2014 08:17 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Aircraft from the United States, Australia, France and Britain dropped food and water to the beleaguered Iraqi town of Amirli, which has been under siege by Islamic State militants for nearly two months, the Pentagon said Saturday night. U.S. airstrikes supported the humanitarian mission.

Impatience grows in Turkey over Syrian 'guests' Posted: 30 Aug 2014 08:16 PM PDT Cengiz, a street seller who plies his trade selling bread rings in the centre of Istanbul, is usually a fervent supporter of Turkey's newly-elected President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Erdogan has maintained an "open door" policy for all those fleeing Syria's civil war, with the result that there are now some 1.2 million Syrian refugees living in the country. It is these refugees who have become the source of an upsurge in tensions in Turkey, where local authorities appear to have been initially poorly prepared for the huge influx. The refugees have become an increasingly visible presence in cities including Istanbul, with entire families huddled together on carpets and begging in the middle of the pavement in the city centre.

US drops humanitarian aid in besieged Iraq town: Pentagon Posted: 30 Aug 2014 07:47 PM PDT The US military on Saturday dropped humanitarian aid to the besieged Iraqi town of Amerli, home to thousands of Shia Turkomen cut off by jihadist rebels from receiving food, water, and medical supplies. "At the request of the government of Iraq, the United States military today airdropped humanitarian aid to the town of Amerli," said Pentagon press secretary Rear Admiral John Kirby. The humanitarian aid was delivered in conjunction with "coordinated airstrikes against nearby ISIL terrorists in order to support this humanitarian assistance operation," the US military officer said, referring to the Islamic State (IS) forces also known as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

Obama's cool head in a crisis -- asset or growing liability? Posted: 30 Aug 2014 07:39 PM PDT He doesn't bluster and he doesn't strut and President Barack Obama certainly isn't panicking, though he admits it feels like the world is falling apart. With world crises bursting around him and political opponents apoplectic, Obama has yet to lash out in response, and refuses to act on anyone's timetable but his own. With Islamic State radicals dug into a caliphate in Iraq and Syria, and Russian President Vladimir Putin's shadow ever lengthening over Ukraine, Obama is shrugging off a whirl of hostile news cycles and political attacks on his leadership. A burst of honesty on Syria put the president in a new fix —- and raised the stakes for his trip to the NATO summit and Estonia beginning Tuesday.

U.S. conducts air strikes on militants near besieged Iraqi town Posted: 30 Aug 2014 07:29 PM PDT The United States carried out air strikes on Saturday against Islamic State fighters near the besieged Shi'ite town of Amerli in northern Iraq and dropped humanitarian supplies to civilians in the area, the Pentagon said. President Barack Obama authorized the operation to prevent an Islamic State attack on residents of Amerli. Amerli has been surrounded by Islamic State forces for more than two months. Iraqi army and Kurdish forces closed in on Islamic State fighters on Saturday in a push to break the Sunni militants' siege of the town.

US cyber-warriors battling Islamic State on Twitter Posted: 30 Aug 2014 06:59 PM PDT The United States has launched a social media offensive against the Islamic State and Al-Qaeda, setting out to win the war of ideas by ridiculing the militants with a mixture of blunt language and sarcasm. Diplomats and experts are the first to admit that the digital blitz being waged on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube will never be a panacea to combat the jihadists. For the past 18 months, US officials have targeted dozens of social network accounts linked to Islamic radicals, posting comments, photos and videos and often engaging in tit-for-tat exchanges with those which challenge America. At the US State Department, employees at the Center for Strategic Counterterrorism Communications (CSCC), created in 2011, manage an Arabic-language Twitter account set up in 2012 (https://twitter.com/DSDOTAR), an English-language equivalent (https://twitter.com/ThinkAgain_DOS) and a Facebook page, launched this week, (https://www.facebook.com/ThinkAgainTurnAway).

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