Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• Top Republicans back Obama's plan to fight Islamic State
• Obama addresses plight of Christians in Mideast
• Top Asian News at 12:00 a.m. GMT
• Obama waits for Congress on Syria rebel aid
• Obama's Islamic State speech: 3 things for Congress to consider
• IS has 20,000-31,500 fighters in Iraq and Syria: CIA
• THE RUTHLESS, ROOTLESS BOYS OF THE WORLD NEED REINING IN
• Republican lawmakers see U.S. Ex-Im extension despite pressure
• Arab allies pledge to fight Islamic State group
• Pentagon to send 500 more troops to Iraq, prepare for 'direct action' in Syria
• Saudi Arabia Hosts Historic Meeting to Rally U.S. and Regional Allies in Fight against ISIS and Extremism in Iraq and Syria
• George W. Bush Never Wanted To Be a 'Wartime President'
• WILL OBAMA'S STRATEGY SUCCEED?
• Across the years, Obama's 9/11 message varies
• Reid predicts unity behind Obama's plan
• APNewsBreak: Court martial eyed in Iraq vanishing
• CIA: Islamic State group has up to 31,500 fighters
• Kerry ridicules Russia talk of international law in anti-IS fight
• AP PHOTOS: US marks anniversary of 9/11 attacks
• What 475 New US Troops Headed to Iraq Won't Do
• Silent Europe aghast at possible breakup of Britain
• John Bolton PAC Makes Contributions To Montana GOP Candidates
• Obama's multiple fronts to preserve countries
• Retired general to coordinate Iraq, Syria effort
• Americans Want ISIS Destroyed, But Do They Want Another War?
• As Obama seeks allies against Islamic State, Lebanon is already in the fight
• Incumbent's loss upends Massachusetts' House race
• Obama's counter-terror fight faces high risk
• White House insists Obama authorized to strike IS
• Iraq car bomb attacks kill 17
• Syria warns against foreign intervention after Obama speech
• US war planes to fly from Iraqi air base: Pentagon
• House, Senate weigh bills that are going nowhere
• Arabs back anti-IS move as Syria warns on 'attacks'
• Cameron not ruling out Syria action: official
• Cameron's office overrules UK minister on Syria
• Battle Against ISIS Could Boost the Pentagon’s Budget
• Kerry downplays talk of 'war' against IS
• 9/11 commemoration held in open plaza
• Syrian regime air raids kill 28

Top Republicans back Obama's plan to fight Islamic State Posted: 11 Sep 2014 04:50 PM PDT House of Representatives voiced support on Thursday for President Barack Obama's expanded campaign against Islamic State militants, but members of his party questioned whether the plan was forceful enough. Obama sent a panel of top administration officials to make the case to Congress for broadening operations against the Sunni militants, including U.S. In a televised address on Wednesday night, the Democratic president declared he would lead an alliance to root out Islamic State, plunging the United States into two conflicts in which nearly every country in the Middle East has a stake. The White House argued that Obama does not need Congress' formal authorization, but wants legislators' support to show a united front against opponents and to coalition members.

Obama addresses plight of Christians in Mideast Posted: 11 Sep 2014 04:48 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama says it's important to protect Christians and other religious minorities in the Middle East as the U.S. and its partners fight the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria.

Top Asian News at 12:00 a.m. GMT Posted: 11 Sep 2014 05:02 PM PDT BEIRUT (AP) — Al-Qaida-linked militants released 45 Fijian peacekeepers captured two week ago in Syria, ending the U.N.'s fourth crisis over abducted soldiers in the Golan Heights since March 2013 amid questions about the future of its 40-year-old monitoring mission there. The Fijians were captured on the Syrian-controlled side of the Golan Heights by fighters from the Nusra Front, who have been battling Syrian government forces in the contested buffer zone between Syria and Israel. The 1,200-strong U.N. force that has patrolled the zone since 1974 has increasingly been caught in the spillover from Syria's civil war.

Obama waits for Congress on Syria rebel aid Posted: 11 Sep 2014 04:32 PM PDT President Barack Obama learned Thursday that he may have a wait on his hands before Congress signs off on his plan to train and equip Syrian rebels, a key plank in his strategy to destroy Islamic State radicals. Obama oversaw Thursday the 13th anniversary commemorations of the September 11 attacks in 2001 -- which fell, in a trace of bitter irony, hours after he steeled Americans for a new battle against Muslim fanaticism in the Middle East. At the same time, on Capitol Hill, the machinery of US government slowly slipped into gear, as lawmakers digested and considered how they would respond to Obama's plan to take on IS, which has overrun swaths of Iraq and Syria, beheading two American reporters in its brutal surge. Several House Republicans emerged from a meeting to say a quick vote on authorization to empower vetted, moderate Syrian rebels was looking unlikely.

Obama's Islamic State speech: 3 things for Congress to consider Posted: 11 Sep 2014 04:24 PM PDT Now that President Obama has laid out his strategy to degrade and destroy the terrorist Islamic State, it's Congress's turn to weigh in. Actually, members have been voicing their views all week, but now they've got something concrete to mull over – a long-term counter-terrorism campaign that calls for airstrikes in Iraq and Syria, help for Iraqi and Syrian opposition forces who will do the fighting, intelligence and diplomatic efforts, and burden-sharing through international coalitions. What role does Congress play in this? Here are three ways in which Congress is involved in this debate:

IS has 20,000-31,500 fighters in Iraq and Syria: CIA Posted: 11 Sep 2014 04:14 PM PDT Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria now have about 20,000 to 31,500 fighters on the ground, the Central Intelligence Agency said Thursday, much higher than a previous estimate of 10,000. "CIA assesses the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (IS) can muster between 20,000 and 31,500 fighters across Iraq and Syria, based on a new review of all-source intelligence reports from May to August," CIA spokesman Ryan Trapani said in a statement.

THE RUTHLESS, ROOTLESS BOYS OF THE WORLD NEED REINING IN Posted: 11 Sep 2014 04:01 PM PDT The Barack Obama the nation knew is gone, disappeared overnight, like a falling star. They had forgotten what barbarism can lie in the ambitious hearts of men.

Republican lawmakers see U.S. Ex-Im extension despite pressure Posted: 11 Sep 2014 04:00 PM PDT By Emily Stephenson and Amanda Becker WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Conservative groups kept up the pressure on Thursday to shut down the U.S. Export-Import Bank, but the agency's supporters and many lawmakers expect Congress to approve a deal next week to extend its charter for nine more months. Leaders in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives said this week they would reauthorize the Ex-Im Bank before its charter expires on Sept. 30, giving it until June 2015 as part of a package to fund federal agencies. Conservative groups, who say the bank's loans and loan guarantees represent "crony capitalism," slammed the move.

Arab allies pledge to fight Islamic State group Posted: 11 Sep 2014 03:54 PM PDT JIDDAH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Key Arab allies promised Thursday to "do their share" to fight Islamic State militants, but NATO member Turkey refused to join in, signaling the struggle the U.S. faces in trying to get front-line nations to put aside their regional animosities and work together to defeat a common enemy.

Pentagon to send 500 more troops to Iraq, prepare for 'direct action' in Syria Posted: 11 Sep 2014 03:38 PM PDT Minutes after President Obama endeavored to make his case to the American people about the dangers of the Islamic State and the need for stepped-up US military force to "destroy" them, the Pentagon released its latest plan of action.  In the next week, roughly 500 more US troops will be deployed to Iraq, bringing the total number added this summer to more than 1,500. To date, the US military has conducted about 150 airstrikes in Iraq – but this was when the US was on the defensive. This covers operations in Iraq – for now – but, a senior defense official notes, "The president has made it clear that he has the authority to strike ISIL wherever they are."

Saudi Arabia Hosts Historic Meeting to Rally U.S. and Regional Allies in Fight against ISIS and Extremism in Iraq and Syria Posted: 11 Sep 2014 03:32 PM PDT WASHINGTON, Sept.11, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, following a meeting chaired by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal and held in Jeddah, ministers from the Gulf Cooperation Council, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and the U.S. Secretary of State issued a communique reaffirming their commitment to combat terrorism. In addition to hailing the formation of the new, inclusive Iraqi government, participants strengthened their resolve in supporting that government's efforts to unite all Iraqis in combatting ISIS. The participating states agreed to do their share in the comprehensive strategy against ISIS, including, stopping the flow of foreign fighters through neighboring countries, countering financing of ISIS and other extremist groups, repudiating the ideologies of hate adopted by those terrorist groups, holding perpetrators of those hideousness acts accountable, ending their impunity trials and bringing them to justice, contributing to humanitarian relief efforts, assisting with the reconstruction and rehabilitation of communities brutalized by ISIS, supporting states that face the most acute ISIS threat, and, as appropriate, joining in the many aspects of coordinated military campaign against ISIS.

George W. Bush Never Wanted To Be a 'Wartime President' Posted: 11 Sep 2014 03:31 PM PDT Former President George W. Bush marked the 13th anniversary of 9/11 by speaking at a luncheon in Cleveland, where he voiced regret that the terrorist attacks turned him into a "wartime president." I became something I did not want to be, a wartime president. Appearing at a fundraiser for Cuyahoga County Community College, Bush offered up recollections from that fateful day in September 2001, which he began in Florida reading a storybook to schoolchildren. Repeating a story he has told frequently, Bush said he and his team initially thought the first plane that hit the north tower of the World Trade Center was an accident, according to WKYC: Within weeks, Bush ordered the start of a war in Afghanistan that continues to this day.

WILL OBAMA'S STRATEGY SUCCEED? Posted: 11 Sep 2014 03:30 PM PDT This is an evolving, morphing threat, which requires Obama to be smart and adaptable. Obama asked Congress "to provide additional authorities and resources to train and equip these fighters." They are so extreme that al-Qaida threw them out. If ISIL succeeds, there will no longer be an Iraq or a Syria -- or if they grow very strong, an Egypt, Jordan and who knows what else.

Across the years, Obama's 9/11 message varies Posted: 11 Sep 2014 03:27 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Six times, President Barack Obama has come before the American people to reckon with the legacy of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the anniversary of that awful day. Each time, he has tailored his message to the moment, at different points stressing themes of service, resilience, tolerance, reconciliation.

Reid predicts unity behind Obama's plan Posted: 11 Sep 2014 03:00 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Bending for once to the will of the White House, Republicans and Democrats coalesced Thursday behind President Barack Obama's call to train and arm Syrian rebels fighting Islamic State militants and pointed toward votes in the heat of a midterm election campaign.

APNewsBreak: Court martial eyed in Iraq vanishing Posted: 11 Sep 2014 02:55 PM PDT RALEIGH, North Carolina (AP) — A hearing officer has recommended a court martial for a Lebanese-born Marine accused of deserting his unit a decade ago in Iraq and later winding up in Lebanon for eight years, a defense lawyer said Thursday.

CIA: Islamic State group has up to 31,500 fighters Posted: 11 Sep 2014 02:46 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — A CIA spokesman says a new intelligence assessment estimates that the Islamic State group can muster between 20,000 and 31,500 fighters across Iraq and Syria, up from a previous figure of 10,000.

Kerry ridicules Russia talk of international law in anti-IS fight Posted: 11 Sep 2014 02:37 PM PDT US Secretary of State John Kerry labelled as laughable Thursday Russian claims that a US campaign against the Islamic State is unilateral and violates international law. "I must say if it weren't so serious what's happening in Ukraine one might almost laugh at the idea of Russia raising the issue of international law or any question of the UN," Kerry told reporters. He spoke at the end of a meeting in Saudi Arabia, at which 10 Arab states committed to do their share in the fight against IS, which seized large swathes in Iraq and Syria and committed atrocities. "I am really rather surprised that Russia would dare to assert any notion of international law after what has happened in Crimea and eastern Ukraine," Kerry added.

AP PHOTOS: US marks anniversary of 9/11 attacks Posted: 11 Sep 2014 02:31 PM PDT The United States marked the 13th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks against a troubling backdrop. The ceremonies came just hours after President Barack Obama told the country he is authorizing stepped-up airstrikes in Iraq and Syria against Islamic State extremists.

What 475 New US Troops Headed to Iraq Won't Do Posted: 11 Sep 2014 02:25 PM PDT The 475 additional U.S. military personnel headed to Iraq this week will assist Iraqi security forces as they take the offensive against ISIS fighters. They will be posted at Iraqi military headquarters to help coordinate military planning but will not see front-line action, according to U.S. officials. The...

Silent Europe aghast at possible breakup of Britain Posted: 11 Sep 2014 02:15 PM PDT By Paul Taylor PARIS (Reuters) - Britain's international partners are aghast, mostly in silence, at the possibility that one of the leading Western powers could break up and turn in on itself if Scotland votes next week for independence from London. Many fear such a split would foreshadow a British exit from the European Union, on which Prime Minister David Cameron has promised a referendum in 2017, weakening the world's sixth largest economy and its continental partners. Some also fear it would set a precedent, boosting separatism in Catalonia and elsewhere in Europe. ...

John Bolton PAC Makes Contributions To Montana GOP Candidates Posted: 11 Sep 2014 02:15 PM PDT WASHINGTON, Sept. 11, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The John Bolton PAC makes $5,000 contributions to Senate candidate Rep. Steve Daines (MT- At- large), and House candidate Ryan Zinke. Danies is running for the Senate seat being vacated by Democrat Sen. Max Baucus, and Zinke is running for Montana's at-large House seat currently held by Daines. Daines is a congressman, while Zinke represented District 2 in the Montana State Senate. Bolton on Daines: "For the GOP to take over the U.S. Senate, it's important we win in Montana. ...

Obama's multiple fronts to preserve countries Posted: 11 Sep 2014 01:50 PM PDT President Obama decided to attack the extremist Islamic State in part to preserve the existing communities in both Iraq and Syria. Before that, he ratcheted up sanctions on Russia to prevent it from splitting up Ukraine. He may even secretly wish Scotland had not sought a referendum to break away from England. For all his lofty ideals, Mr. Obama is very American in the down-to-earth desire to preserve societies bound together by their shared experiences, a common sense of place, and overlapping customs and moral virtues.

Retired general to coordinate Iraq, Syria effort Posted: 11 Sep 2014 01:40 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) —

Americans Want ISIS Destroyed, But Do They Want Another War? Posted: 11 Sep 2014 01:38 PM PDT House Armed Services Committee Chairman Buck McKeon (R-CA), in a speech to the American Enterprise Institute on Thursday said that while he supports Obama's move against ISIS and hopes it will succeed, he believes the president has underestimated the difficulty of the task. "In this very time of hasty withdrawals, continuous disengagement, and such self- congratulation for all of it, we have also seen dramatic and devastating drawdowns in the military power of the United States," he said.

As Obama seeks allies against Islamic State, Lebanon is already in the fight Posted: 11 Sep 2014 01:30 PM PDT As President Barack Obama girds the nation for a new military campaign against the Islamic State, tiny Lebanon is already battling the group in the mountains flanking its border with Syria. In a little noticed sideshow to the well-publicized battles against IS in Iraq and Syria, the past month has seen Lebanese Army and Shiite fighters from Iran-backed Hezbollah arrayed against militants from IS and other Sunni jihadi groups in the barren, rugged mountains near Arsal in the northern Bekaa Valley. The fighting, which intensified in early August, has dominated the political agenda in Lebanon, a country of four million that is struggling with an influx of more than one million displaced Syrians.

Incumbent's loss upends Massachusetts' House race Posted: 11 Sep 2014 01:27 PM PDT BOSTON (AP) — For months, state and national Republican groups have been criticizing Democratic Rep. John Tierney in Massachusetts' 6th Congressional District as an extreme partisan on the far left, hoping to leave him politically wounded and vulnerable to GOP challenger Richard Tisei in the November election.

Obama's counter-terror fight faces high risk Posted: 11 Sep 2014 01:22 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama's decision to expand airstrikes in Iraq and extend them to Syria raises a host of questions about how an intensified military campaign can achieve his goal of destroying the Islamic State group.

White House insists Obama authorized to strike IS Posted: 11 Sep 2014 01:17 PM PDT The White House insisted Thursday that President Barack Obama was authorized to strike the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria under a law passed by Congress after the September 11 attacks in 2001. Obama believes he can act under the Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF), despite previously calling for the law to be revised, and ultimately repealed. "It is the view of this administration that the 2001 AUMF continues to apply," said White House spokesman Josh Earnest, on the somber anniversary of the attacks on New York and Washington.

Iraq car bomb attacks kill 17 Posted: 11 Sep 2014 01:17 PM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — Car bombs in three Shiite cities south of Baghdad and an explosion in the capital killed 17 people on Thursday, Iraqi officials said.

Syria warns against foreign intervention after Obama speech Posted: 11 Sep 2014 01:07 PM PDT Any foreign intervention in Syria would be an act of aggression unless it is approved by Damascus, a Syrian government minister said on Thursday, after the United States said it was prepared to strike against Islamic State militants in the country. Syria has repeatedly warned that any action on its soil needs its approval and has said it is willing to work with any country to tackle Islamic State fighters who have captured large areas of Syria and neighboring Iraq. "Any action of any type without the approval of Syrian government is an aggression against Syria," Ali Haidar, minister of national reconciliation affairs, told reporters in Damascus.

US war planes to fly from Iraqi air base: Pentagon Posted: 11 Sep 2014 01:06 PM PDT US combat aircraft will soon start flying out of a base in the Kurdish region of northern Iraq as part of a "more aggressive" air campaign against Islamic State jihadists, the Pentagon said Thursday. The use of Arbil air base reflects the broadening US offensive against the IS militants, though attack helicopters already have been flying out of bases in Iraq. Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby confirmed "armed and manned" US aircraft would fly from Arbil, capital of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region, but declined to provide more details. American fighter jets and other war planes bombing IS militants in Iraq previously have been flying out of bases and from aircraft carriers in the region outside Iraq.

House, Senate weigh bills that are going nowhere Posted: 11 Sep 2014 12:51 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — House and Senate leaders, usually proud sorts, staged showdown votes in their chambers Thursday on measures that are going nowhere. And in the logic that prevails during the weeks before crucial congressional elections, they want everyone to know about that futility.

Arabs back anti-IS move as Syria warns on 'attacks' Posted: 11 Sep 2014 12:49 PM PDT Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) (AFP) - Arab nations rallied Thursday behind US President Barack Obama's call to expand operations against jihadists in Iraq and Syria, as Damascus warned it would consider any action on its territory as an attack.

Cameron not ruling out Syria action: official Posted: 11 Sep 2014 12:48 PM PDT British Prime Minister David Cameron is not ruling out military action against Islamic State militants in Syria, a spokesman said on Thursday, after Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said Britain would not join any US air strikes in Syria. "The prime minister has not ruled anything out," the spokesman said, adding that Hammond's comments were in reference to a parliamentary vote last year on military action in Syria which the government lost. Speaking during a visit to Berlin earlier on Thursday, Hammond said: "Let me be clear, Britain will not be taking part in any air strikes in Syria".

Cameron's office overrules UK minister on Syria Posted: 11 Sep 2014 12:45 PM PDT BERLIN (AP) — Hours after Britain's foreign minister said the country wouldn't participate in any airstrikes on Syria, Prime Minister David Cameron's office overruled the comment Thursday and stressed that the government hadn't discarded the use of air power.

Battle Against ISIS Could Boost the Pentagon’s Budget Posted: 11 Sep 2014 12:45 PM PDT In formally unveiling his plans to "degrade and ultimately destroy" ISIS forces in the Middle East during his nationally televised speech Wednesday night, President Obama said nothing about what his long-term strategy would cost in terms of increased spending on defense, anti-terrorist activities, enhanced homeland security measures, assistance and training for friendly rebel forces in Syria and the many other related expenses. House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) said on Thursday that he and many other Republicans are skeptical that Obama's proposal will be enough to defeat the brutal jihadist terrorist organization and train and equip the Free Syrian Army rebel forces in Syria.

Kerry downplays talk of 'war' against IS Posted: 11 Sep 2014 12:43 PM PDT US Secretary of State John Kerry warned against "war fever" on Thursday and said the new American campaign against the so-called "Islamic State" should be understood as a counter-terrorism mission. Speaking the day after President Barack Obama announced a "relentless" campaign of air strikes against IS militants in Iraq and ultimately in Syria, Kerry declined to call the operation a war. "If somebody wants to think about it as being a war with ISIL, they can do so, but the fact is it's a major counter-terrorism operation that will have many different moving parts." Separately, CBS reporter Margaret Brennan tweeted that Kerry had told her: "I don't think people need to get into war fever on this."

9/11 commemoration held in open plaza Posted: 11 Sep 2014 05:05 PM PDT With the solemn toll of a bell and a moment of silence, the nation paused Thursday to mark the 13th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attack at the hallowed site that has been transformed into a bustling plaza.

Syrian regime air raids kill 28 Posted: 11 Sep 2014 12:23 PM PDT Beirut (AFP) - Air strikes by Syrian warplanes killed at least 28 people Thursday, including 11 civilians in a raid on Islamic State (IS) jihadists, a monitoring group said.

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