Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• Brady Campaign Launches National Effort To Stop "Bad Apple" Gun Dealers
• Strategy against Islamic State in hand, Obama now must make it work
• Syria raids on jihadist bastion kill 53, mostly civilians: NGO
• Somalia extremist group names new leader
• Congress' task: Act fast on spending, return home
• Islamic State beheads 2nd captive Lebanese soldier
• Obama, congressional leaders to meet on Tuesday
• Iraq air strike kills seven in hospital near Kirkuk
• Iraq welcomes US plan for coalition against jihadists
• UN Security Council condemns 'heinous' Sotloff murder
• Syrian strikes on Islamic State stronghold kill 29
• Boko Haram militants attack northeast town near Cameroon border
• Some Wyoming lawyers upset about Cheney speech
• US conducts two more strikes targeting jihadists in Iraq
• Islamic State says executes second Lebanese soldier
• Saudi builds northern border fence against infiltrators
• Jihadists among 35 dead in Syria air raids: NGO
• Nigeria: Officials reassure as extremists rampage
• In Ukraine flashpoint cities, residents doubt lasting peace
• Syrian warplanes hit Islamic State-run bakery, training camp: monitor
• Germany moves to tighten asylum rules
• Obama anti-jihadist plan 'strong message of support': Iraq FM
• AP Analysis: US wary over hitting Syrian militants
• Today in History
• Obama sets meeting with U.S. Congress leaders amid concern over Iraq crisis
• Somalia, Libya, and China on the backburner - but for how long?
• Iraq refiles case in U.S. court over disputed Kurdish crude
• Nigeria's military under fire over Boko Haram response
• Sotloff lauded at Florida service as journalist committed to truth

Brady Campaign Launches National Effort To Stop "Bad Apple" Gun Dealers Posted: 06 Sep 2014 03:19 PM PDT CHICAGO, Sept. 6, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, joined by community leaders, today launched a national initiative utilizing protests, petitions, a code of conduct and lawsuits to "Stop Bad Apple Gun Dealers" that turn a blind eye to gun traffickers, straw purchasers and criminals, and flood our nation's streets with guns used in crimes.  An astonishing 60 percent of crime guns come from just one percent of gun dealers. "These 'bad apple' gun dealers choose profits over people and are largely responsible for America's gun violence problem," said Dan Gross, president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.

Strategy against Islamic State in hand, Obama now must make it work Posted: 06 Sep 2014 03:01 PM PDT By Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) - It took President Barack Obama and his top aides a week to explain that he does in fact have a strategy for confronting the Islamic State militancy. Obama has embarked on building what is basically the third major U.S.-backed international coalition of the past 23 years to take on a challenge emanating from Iraq. The other two were constructed by former presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush against the late Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. Obama's vision became clearer in the week since he drew criticism for telling a White House news conference that "we don't have a strategy yet" for taking on the militant group's safe haven in Syria.

Syria raids on jihadist bastion kill 53, mostly civilians: NGO Posted: 06 Sep 2014 01:59 PM PDT Syrian air strikes against the northern jihadist bastion of Raqa on Saturday killed 53 people, a monitor said, updating an earlier toll and adding that at least 31 of the dead were civilians. "We have documented the deaths of 31 civilians, among them five women and three children, in Raqa and its surroundings," said Syrian Observatory for Human Rights director Rami Abdel Rahman. Another 15 jihadists were confirmed dead in a string of eight air strikes, as well as seven other unidentified people. Eight of the civilian victims were from one family, said Abdel Rahman.

Somalia extremist group names new leader Posted: 06 Sep 2014 01:48 PM PDT MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Somalia's Islamic extremist rebels, al-Shabab, named a new leader Saturday after confirming the killing of their previous leader by a U.S. airstrike, a commander of the group said.

Congress' task: Act fast on spending, return home Posted: 06 Sep 2014 01:43 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress returns to work Monday with a basic task — act fast to keep the government open and then race home to campaign.

Islamic State beheads 2nd captive Lebanese soldier Posted: 06 Sep 2014 01:15 PM PDT BEIRUT (AP) — The mother of a Lebanese soldier held captive by the militant Islamic State group said photographs posted online Saturday purporting to show his beheading appeared to be real.

Obama, congressional leaders to meet on Tuesday Posted: 06 Sep 2014 12:38 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama plans to meet with congressional leaders at the White House Tuesday — with the threat posed by Islamic State militants as a likely topic of discussion.

Iraq air strike kills seven in hospital near Kirkuk Posted: 06 Sep 2014 12:23 PM PDT Iraq's air force hit a hospital in a town controlled by Islamic State and other militant groups on Saturday, killing seven patients and wounding 22 others, including children, eyewitnesses said. Islamic State launched a lightning advance through northern and central Iraq in June, declaring an Islamic caliphate. Civilian deaths are hard to quantify due to security restrictions in the roughly third of Iraq that Islamic State controls.

Iraq welcomes US plan for coalition against jihadists Posted: 06 Sep 2014 12:22 PM PDT Iraq on Saturday welcomed US President Barack Obama's plan for an international coalition against jihadists as a "strong message of support", after repeatedly calling for aid against the militants. Obama outlined the plan at a NATO summit Friday for a broad coalition to defeat the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group, which led an offensive that overran chunks of five Iraqi provinces in June and also holds significant territory in neighbouring Syria. The United States has sent military advisers to Iraq and launched a campaign of air strikes against the jihadists, while it and a string of other countries have promised arms for Iraqi Kurdish forces battling IS militants.

UN Security Council condemns 'heinous' Sotloff murder Posted: 06 Sep 2014 12:07 PM PDT The UN Security Council on Saturday strongly condemned the "heinous and cowardly" murder of American journalist Steven Sotloff by Islamists and declared that ISIL must be defeated. Sotloff, 31, was beheaded by militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)in a video released Tuesday, two weeks after the similar video of US journalist James Foley's killing was posted online. Council members added that "such continued acts of barbarism perpetrated by ISIL do not intimidate them but rather stiffen their resolve that there has to be a common effort amongst governments and institutions, including those in the region most affected, to counter ISIL, Al-Nusra Front and all other individuals, groups, undertakings, and entities associated with Al-Qaeda."

Syrian strikes on Islamic State stronghold kill 29 Posted: 06 Sep 2014 11:48 AM PDT BEIRUT (AP) — Syria launched a series of airstrikes targeting a stronghold of the Islamic State extremist group on Saturday, killing at least 29 people, most of whom died when one of the missiles slammed into a crowded bakery, activists said.

Boko Haram militants attack northeast town near Cameroon border Posted: 06 Sep 2014 11:28 AM PDT Boko Haram militants early on Saturday attacked another town in northeast Nigeria, pushing southwards in an apparent strategy to carve out an Islamist enclave in the remote north of Africa's biggest economy, residents and local officials said. Fighters from the group, which has taken over several northeast towns and villages in recent weeks, stormed Gulak in the northern part of Adamawa state, near the hilly border with Cameroon where the militants are thought to have bases. An eyewitness to the attack, Sabo Lukas, who escaped to the Adamawa state capital Yola, told Reuters the militants had gone from house to house in Gulak shooting, and he had seen bodies of victims. Tanko Wazumtu, an aide to Adamawa state Acting Governor Alhaji Ahmed Umaru Fintiri, also confirmed the attack, saying his own father was among those killed.

Some Wyoming lawyers upset about Cheney speech Posted: 06 Sep 2014 11:17 AM PDT CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — Former Vice President Dick Cheney can be a polarizing figure even six years out of office.

US conducts two more strikes targeting jihadists in Iraq Posted: 06 Sep 2014 10:59 AM PDT The United States carried out two more airstrikes against Islamic State militants in northern Iraq, the military's Central Command said Saturday. The strikes destroyed four Humvees, one armored personnel carrier and two trucks belonging to IS fighters, according to Centcom. The strikes bring to 133 the total carried out across Iraq since August 8. At a NATO summit Friday, US President Barack Obama outlined a plan for a broad coalition to defeat the IS jihadist group, which led an offensive that over-ran chunks of five Iraqi provinces in June and also holds significant territory in neighboring Syria.

Islamic State says executes second Lebanese soldier Posted: 06 Sep 2014 10:52 AM PDT Islamic State militants have beheaded a captive Lebanese soldier, images published on social media showed on Saturday, the second Lebanese soldier to be killed in captivity by the group since it raided a Lebanese border town last month. The men were among a group of 19 soldiers missing since the attack on Arsal by militants including fighters affiliated with Islamic State. A caption posted with the images on a Twitter account used to publish Islamic State statements named the soldier as Abbas Medlij, identifying him as a Shi'ite Muslim. A Lebanese security source said Medlij was one of 19 soldiers missing and believed taken captive by Islamic State and other Islamist insurgents who launched the incursion into the border town of Arsal in August.

Saudi builds northern border fence against infiltrators Posted: 06 Sep 2014 10:30 AM PDT Saudi Arabia has inaugurated a multilayered fence along its northern borders, as part of efforts to secure the kingdom's vast desert frontiers against infiltrators and smugglers, state media said. King Abdullah announced late Friday the launch of the first stage of a border security programme, covering 900 kilometres (560 miles) of the northern frontier, SPA state news agency reported. SPA did not name Iraq, Saudi Arabia's neighbour to the north, referring only to the northern frontier, but the two countries' common border stretches over 800 kilometres (500 miles). The project includes five layers of fencing which will cut the "number of infiltrators, drug, arms and cattle smugglers to zero," SPA said.

Jihadists among 35 dead in Syria air raids: NGO Posted: 06 Sep 2014 10:20 AM PDT Syrian air strikes in the jihadist-held northern city of Raqa on Saturday killed 35 people, including 15 Islamic State (IS) members, a monitoring group said. "Regime warplanes carried out eight air strikes targeting Raqa and its surroundings," said Syrian Observatory for Human Rights director Rami Abdel Rahman. The strikes come amid a stepped-up campaign by President Bashar al-Assad's regime targeting IS positions in northern and eastern Syria. The Islamic State group first emerged in Syria's war in late spring 2013, when it was named the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

Nigeria: Officials reassure as extremists rampage Posted: 06 Sep 2014 08:52 AM PDT MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AP) — Nigerian officials are trying to reassure citizens panicked about a spreading Islamic insurgency in the northeast even as fleeing residents report the extremists are urging people to join their fight and take their children out of school.

In Ukraine flashpoint cities, residents doubt lasting peace Posted: 06 Sep 2014 08:51 AM PDT In flashpoint cities of eastern Ukraine, uneasy residents voiced doubt Saturday that the ceasefire deal would bring lasting peace after five months of devastating conflict that has ruined the lives of so many. "It's only a matter of time (before the truce is broken) because our Russian 'brothers' won't stop until they finish their dirty work," Alexei Maximov, a metal factory worker in the strategic port city of Mariupol, said acidly. "Nothing has actually changed," 38-year-old Russian Vladyslav Lobzin told AFP in Mariupol, where residents had been bracing for a rebel onslaught until the guns were ordered silent. Nothing is going to be stopped," he said, referring to former Ukrainian president Leonid Kuchma, Kiev's representative at Friday's ceasefire talks in Minsk.

Syrian warplanes hit Islamic State-run bakery, training camp: monitor Posted: 06 Sep 2014 08:05 AM PDT BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian warplanes bombed a bakery run by Islamic State in the city of Raqqa, killing 25 people, in air raids on Saturday that also hit a major training camp used by the insurgent group for a second day running, a group monitoring the war said. The air strikes on Raqqa, Islamic State's stronghold some 400 km (250 miles) northeast of Damascus, also hit a building used as an Islamic court, and another of the group's offices, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Rami Abdulrahman, founder of the Observatory, said the bakery was run by the militant group. ...

Germany moves to tighten asylum rules Posted: 06 Sep 2014 07:49 AM PDT Germany, which has for two years been Europe's leading destination for asylum seekers, is planning to toughen its immigration laws as it struggles to deal with a growing influx of new arrivals. While Greece and Italy have called for more European funding to help deal with the flow of immigrants arriving on their shores, Germany is readying steps to tighten rules for applicants from three Balkan states. The Bundesrat upper house of parliament is due to debate draft legislation later this month that would make it easier for authorities to deport asylum seekers from the formerly war-ravaged states of Serbia, Macedonia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Berlin says it wants to focus instead on refugees from more dangerous warzones such as Syria and Iraq.

Obama anti-jihadist plan 'strong message of support': Iraq FM Posted: 06 Sep 2014 02:26 AM PDT Baghdad (AFP) - US President Barack Obama's plan for an international anti-jihadist coalition is a "strong message of support" for Baghdad and its fight against militants, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said Saturday.

AP Analysis: US wary over hitting Syrian militants Posted: 06 Sep 2014 12:53 AM PDT BEIRUT (AP) — The U.S. and its allies are trying to hammer out a coalition to push back the Islamic State group in Iraq. But any serious attempt to destroy the militants or even seriously degrade their capabilities means targeting their infrastructure in Syria.

Today in History Posted: 05 Sep 2014 09:00 PM PDT Today is Saturday, September 6, the 249th day of 2014. There are 116 days left in the year.

Obama sets meeting with U.S. Congress leaders amid concern over Iraq crisis Posted: 05 Sep 2014 08:19 PM PDT President Barack Obama will meet with the four leaders of the U.S. Congress on Tuesday, a senior congressional source said on Friday, amid rising concern in Washington about the advances of the Islamic State. Lawmakers return to Washington on Monday from their five-week August recess. The meeting will include Harry Reid, the Democratic leader of the U.S.

Somalia, Libya, and China on the backburner - but for how long? Posted: 05 Sep 2014 07:00 PM PDT Iraq, Syria, and Ukraine have dominated the headlines, but emerging issues elsewhere could create real problems for the U.S.

Iraq refiles case in U.S. court over disputed Kurdish crude Posted: 05 Sep 2014 06:10 PM PDT By Anna Driver and Terry Wade HOUSTON (Reuters) - Iraq has refiled in U.S. Iraq, in court documents seen on Friday, widened its case to include potential buyers of the cargo and said the Kurdistan Regional Government has not stated if it currently owns it. The dispute over the United Kalavrvta tanker, carrying some 1 million barrels of crude, is also being litigated in Baghdad, but Iraq said the Kurds have yet to respond to at least one of their lawsuits there. The tanker has been stationed about 60 miles off Texas since late July, as the central government of Iraq wages a legal battle against Iraqi Kurdistan over who has the sole right to export crude.

Nigeria's military under fire over Boko Haram response Posted: 05 Sep 2014 05:19 PM PDT When Nigeria's new chief of defence staff was appointed earlier this year, he promised a swift end to the deadly violence being waged by Boko Haram Islamists. Eight months on, Boko Haram look stronger than ever, having seized towns and villages in Nigeria's northeast at a rate which has drawn comparisons to Islamic State militants' rapid gains in Iraq. "The reputation of Nigeria's military is at stake," she told a bilateral security meeting in Abuja. "But more importantly, Nigeria's and its children's future is in jeopardy.

Sotloff lauded at Florida service as journalist committed to truth Posted: 05 Sep 2014 05:09 PM PDT By Zachary Fagenson MIAMI (Reuters) - Nearly 1,000 people including relatives, friends and prominent Florida politicians attended a memorial service on Friday for Steven Sotloff, who was killed by Islamic State militants, recalling him as a journalist committed to revealing the truth. "I'm so proud of my son for living his dream," Sotloff's mother, Shirley, told those in attendance at the Jewish Temple Beth Am. The Islamic State released a video on Tuesday showing the killing of Sotloff, the second American journalist it has beheaded in its confrontation with the United States over American air strikes in Iraq on the militant group's forces. Speakers at the two-hour memorial service recalled Sotloff as a man who displayed empathy and courage.

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