Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• Iraq PM says he will protect civilians after U.S.-Iraq air strikes against IS
• Islamic State claims beheading of British hostage: SITE
• Family of British hostage appeal to Islamic State to make contact
• Egypt says global action needed to counter Islamic State
• Islamic State video purports to show beheading of UK hostage David Haines
• New ISIS Video Reportedly Shows the Execution of British Hostage
• Arizona candidate gives GOP's weekly radio address
• Power shift expected in Swedish election
• Germany sending 40 soldiers to Iraqi Kurdistan
• Kerry seeks Cairo's support for 'war' on jihadists
• Iraq PM orders halt to shelling of civilian areas
• Egypt seeks broader alliance with US over Libya
• Iraqi military failings pose challenge for anti-IS war
• UN says funding needed for Iraq response
• AP Enterprise: al-Qaida's Syrian cell alarms US
• Iran says Paris anti-jihadist meeting just for show
• Islamic State destroys Sufi shrines in eastern Syria: watchdog
• Prominent Muslim Brotherhood figures to leave Qatar
• Iraq PM says halting air strikes on IS-held civilian areas
• Americans OK with 'military action' against ISIS, but not another long war
• Kerry Attempts to Build Middle East Coalition Against ISIL Without Iran
• Jewish leader: far-right votes risk nations' name
• Obama: Combating Islamic State not US fight alone
• Pope Francis marks 100 years from start of WWI
• Pope says world's many conflicts amount to piecemeal World War Three
• After Iraqi battles, residents choose displacement
• Nigeria says army repels militants outside northeast city
• U.S. banks on strong Iraq coalition, but allies are hesitant
• Strikes in Iraq, Syria expected under new war plan
• War plan joggles usual politics in Senate races
• Iowa steak fry may help Democrat in Senate race
• Analysis: Both parties in Congress play it safe
• Kurdish female fighters face jihadists in Iraq's north
• Philippines starts inquiry into Filipino militants in Syria
• Canadian Islamist preacher to be deported from Philippines
• RETURN OF TROOPS TO IRAQ IS GENUINE FAILURE OF LEADERSHIP
• Today in History

Iraq PM says he will protect civilians after U.S.-Iraq air strikes against IS Posted: 13 Sep 2014 04:50 PM PDT By Oliver Holmes and Jason Szep BAGHDAD/CAIRO (Reuters) - Iraq's Shi'ite Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said on Saturday that he had ordered his air force to halt strikes on civilian areas, following attacks by both Iraqi and U.S. The announcement, which comes as the United States tries to build regional support for deeper military action against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, may be aimed at winning Sunni Muslim support for Abadi's new Shi'ite-led government as it battles the group which controls one third of Iraqi territory. Secretary of State John Kerry has been touring the Middle East to coordinate a response to Islamic State's growing power in eastern Syria and western Iraq.

Islamic State claims beheading of British hostage: SITE Posted: 13 Sep 2014 04:34 PM PDT The Islamic State jihadist group claimed Saturday it beheaded British aid worker David Haines, in what would be the third such execution in recent weeks, after two US journalists were shown murdered. The Islamist group released a video, available on the website of private terrorism monitoring group SITE, purportedly showing a masked militant beheading Haines. The two-minute-27-second video titled "A Message to the Allies of America" blames British Prime Minister David Cameron for joining forces with the United States, which has said it is at "war" with the jihadists and launched air strikes against them in Iraq. "You entered voluntarily into a coalition with the United States against the Islamic State, just as your predecessor Tony Blair did, following a trend amongst our British prime ministers who can't find the courage to say no to the Americans," the executioner says in the video.

Family of British hostage appeal to Islamic State to make contact Posted: 13 Sep 2014 04:26 PM PDT The family of a British aid worker being held hostage by Islamic State (IS) jihadists have appealed to his captors to respond to their messages. David Haines, a 44-year-old father of two from Perth in Scotland, was kidnapped last year while working for the French agency ACTED. The video contained a warning from a militant speaking with a British accent that Haines would be the next to be killed if Washington continued to launch air strikes against IS fighters in northern Iraq. "We are the family of David Haines," relatives said in a statement released by Britain's Foreign Office.  "We have sent messages to you to which we have not received a reply.

Egypt says global action needed to counter Islamic State Posted: 13 Sep 2014 04:26 PM PDT By Jason Szep and Shadi Bushra CAIRO (Reuters) - Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria are forging ties with other extremist groups in the region, Egypt's foreign minister said on Saturday, backing Washington's call for global action to counter the threat. Militant groups that share Islamic State's ideology and "take Islam as a cover" must be dealt with, Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri told a joint news conference with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in the Egyptian capital. Egypt's strong public support for the U.S. ...

Islamic State video purports to show beheading of UK hostage David Haines Posted: 13 Sep 2014 04:25 PM PDT By Oliver Holmes and Ned Parker BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Islamic State militants fighting in Iraq and Syria released a video on Saturday which purported to show the beheading of British aid worker David Haines. Reuters could not immediately verify the footage. However, the images were consistent with that of the filmed executions of two American journalists, James Foley and Steven Sotloff, in the past month. Haines, a 44-year-old father of two from Perth in Scotland, was kidnapped last year while working for the French agency ACTED. ...

New ISIS Video Reportedly Shows the Execution of British Hostage Posted: 13 Sep 2014 03:30 PM PDT The release of the video was confirmed by SITE, the independent intelligence group that first identified the release of the video of Steven Sotloff's murder. David Cameron has called an emergency government meeting for tomorrow morning. In a brief statement, Cameron said the murder of David Haines is an "act of pure evil." He added, "My heart goes out to the family of David Haines who have shown extraordinary courage and fortitude throughout this ordeal. In the video, a clip of David Cameron giving a speech about foreign policy is included, specifically in reference to British support of the Kurdish rebels fighting against the Islamic State.

Arizona candidate gives GOP's weekly radio address Posted: 13 Sep 2014 01:19 PM PDT PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona congressional candidate Andy Tobin said Saturday that rural Arizona and parts of the country have been forgotten by Washington.

Power shift expected in Swedish election Posted: 13 Sep 2014 01:05 PM PDT STOCKHOLM (AP) — Sweden heads into a parliamentary election on Sunday with polls showing the left-leaning Social Democrats poised to return to power after eight years of center-right rule.

Germany sending 40 soldiers to Iraqi Kurdistan Posted: 13 Sep 2014 12:36 PM PDT Berlin is preparing to send around 40 soldiers to northern Iraq to train Kurdish fighters battling against militants from the Islamic State, the German army said on Saturday. Following a decision last month by the German government to provide Kurdish peshmerga forces with weapons, Berlin's defence ministry said it had sent six soldiers to its consulate in Arbil, northern Iraq, to "coordinate" joint training exercises. The first batch of German weapons, which includes "anti-tank rockets and machine guns," will arrive in northern Iraq on September 24 and will be followed "quickly" by the military trainers, according to a defence ministry spokesman.

Kerry seeks Cairo's support for 'war' on jihadists Posted: 13 Sep 2014 12:23 PM PDT US Secretary of State John Kerry said Saturday Egypt was on the frontline against "terrorism" after he met its leadership to garner support to fight Islamic State jihadists in Iraq and Syria. Egypt's formidable army is unlikely to take part in a military coalition against IS, but has closely cooperated with the United States on counter-terrorism. The Arab world's most populous state boasts the prestigious Sunni Muslim authority Al-Azhar, which Kerry said would fight back against the Islamic State's use of the religion. Washington says it is "at war" with IS and has named retired Marine general John Allen, a hawkish former commander in Afghanistan and Iraq, to coordinate its campaign against the movement that has seized large chunks of Iraq and neighbouring Syria.

Iraq PM orders halt to shelling of civilian areas Posted: 13 Sep 2014 12:10 PM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq's prime minister said Saturday he has ordered the army to stop shelling populated areas held by militants in order to spare the lives of "innocent victims" as the armed forces struggle to retake cities and towns seized by the Islamic State extremist group this summer.

Egypt seeks broader alliance with US over Libya Posted: 13 Sep 2014 12:08 PM PDT CAIRO (AP) — As U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry sought Egyptian support on Saturday for an international coalition to combat jihadi groups, Egypt pressed for broader international efforts to fight militants in its troubled neighbor, Libya.

Iraqi military failings pose challenge for anti-IS war Posted: 13 Sep 2014 11:51 AM PDT The shortcomings of the Iraqi military, which withered under a June militant onslaught and relies on Shiite militias for support, pose a significant challenge to international efforts against brutal jihadists. President Barack Obama has announced an expanded campaign of American air strikes as well as training, intelligence support and equipment for Iraqi security forces to help them drive back the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group, which holds major areas in both Iraq and Syria. Deep Sunni Arab mistrust of the Iraqi government will also cause difficulties for anti-jihadist efforts, while long-running Arab-Kurd disputes may also be a problem.

UN says funding needed for Iraq response Posted: 13 Sep 2014 11:27 AM PDT Khanke (Iraq) (AFP) - United Nations agencies are running out of funding to help the 1.8 million people displaced by violence in Iraq, UN humanitarian chief Valerie Amos said on Saturday.

AP Enterprise: al-Qaida's Syrian cell alarms US Posted: 13 Sep 2014 11:07 AM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — While the Islamic State group is getting the most attention now, another band of extremists in Syria — a mix of hardened jihadis from Afghanistan, Yemen, Syria and Europe — poses a more direct and imminent threat to the United States, working with Yemeni bomb-makers to target U.S. aviation, American officials say.

Iran says Paris anti-jihadist meeting just for show Posted: 13 Sep 2014 10:14 AM PDT Tehran (AFP) - Iran said Saturday it has no wish to attend an international conference in Paris next week on fighting the jihadist Islamic State group, dismissing the meeting as just for show.

Islamic State destroys Sufi shrines in eastern Syria: watchdog Posted: 13 Sep 2014 08:36 AM PDT The hardline al Qaeda offshoot Islamic State has destroyed several Sufi Muslim shrines and tombs in the eastern Syrian province of Deir al-Zor, a monitoring group said on Saturday. The Sunni Muslim group, which enforces a strict interpretation of Islamic law in territories under its control in Iraq and Syria, has destroyed dozens of shrines, tombs and Shi'ite Muslim mosques. Sites affiliated with the Sufi sect, a mystical school of Islam opposed by puritanical Salafists from which Islamic State draws its members, have been among the group's main targets. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the latest destruction included two shrines and two tombs devoted to Sufi sheikhs, all in Deir al-Zor province, which is almost entirely controlled by Islamic State militants.

Prominent Muslim Brotherhood figures to leave Qatar Posted: 13 Sep 2014 08:19 AM PDT By Mahmoud Mourad CAIRO (Reuters) - Qatar has asked seven senior figures from Egypt's outlawed Muslim Brotherhood to leave the country, the movement said on Saturday, following months of pressure on the Gulf Arab state from its neighbours to stop backing the Islamists. Ibrahim Munir, a senior Brotherhood official based in London, told Reuters the departures did not mean a rupture in ties between Qatar and the Brotherhood. ...

Iraq PM says halting air strikes on IS-held civilian areas Posted: 13 Sep 2014 07:35 AM PDT Iraq's Shi'ite Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said on Saturday that he had ordered his air force to halt strikes on civilian areas, addressing a condition set by Sunni Muslim tribal figures to support his campaign against Islamic State fighters. Rights groups say Iraqi government attacks this year, many of them in areas held by the Islamic State which controls one third of the country, have indiscriminately targeted civilians. "I have ordered the Iraqi Air Force to halt shelling of civilian areas even in those towns controlled by ISIS," Abadi said on his official Twitter account, using the former name for militant group Islamic State. The United Nations representative in Iraq, Nickolay Mladenov, welcomed the comments, which were repeated by Abadi at a conference about refugees on Saturday in Baghdad.

Americans OK with 'military action' against ISIS, but not another long war Posted: 13 Sep 2014 07:01 AM PDT Americans may be war weary after years of costly conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan, but most are not eager to give up the fight against what they see as a new threat to national security. A new NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll shows that nearly half of all Americans (47 percent) believe the country is less safe than any time since the terrorist attacks of 9/11 – substantially more than the 28 percent figure the same poll found last year. While 40 percent of respondents say US military action against ISIS should be limited to air strikes, another 34 percent say it should include both air strikes and combat troops. In his primetime speech this week, President Obama said that 475 US military personnel will be deployed to Iraq, bringing the total in the country to about 1,600.

Kerry Attempts to Build Middle East Coalition Against ISIL Without Iran Posted: 13 Sep 2014 06:49 AM PDT Amid a tour of Middle Eastern countries to gain regional support for President Obama's broad outline for confronting ISIL militants, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said it was "not appropriate" for Iran to join the discussions, despite shared concerns over the rapidly growing militant group.

Jewish leader: far-right votes risk nations' name Posted: 13 Sep 2014 04:51 AM PDT BERLIN (AP) — European voters risk giving their countries a bad name by electing far-right politicians, the leader of the World Jewish Congress warned Saturday ahead of a major rally against anti-Semitism.

Obama: Combating Islamic State not US fight alone Posted: 13 Sep 2014 04:39 AM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is distinguishing the military campaign against Islamic State militants from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Pope Francis marks 100 years from start of WWI Posted: 13 Sep 2014 03:57 AM PDT Pope Francis on Saturday denounced those who profit from the "madness" of war at a ceremony in the north west of Italy to mark the 100th anniversary of the beginning of World War I. Around him, neat rows of graves lined Italy's largest military graveyard in the region of Veneto, near the Slovenian border, home to the more than 100,000 soldiers killed during the Great War. Pope Francis said the same "greed, intolerance (and) the lust for power" was driving conflicts in the world today.

Pope says world's many conflicts amount to piecemeal World War Three Posted: 13 Sep 2014 03:49 AM PDT By Stefano Rellandini REDIPUGLIA Italy (Reuters) - Pope Francis said on Saturday the spate of conflicts around the globe today were effectively a "piecemeal" Third World War, condemning the arms trade and "plotters of terrorism" sowing death and destruction. "Humanity needs to weep and this is the time to weep," Francis said in the homily of a Mass during a visit to Italy's largest war memorial, a large, Fascist-era monument where more than 100,000 soldiers who died in World War One are buried. ...

After Iraqi battles, residents choose displacement Posted: 13 Sep 2014 02:27 AM PDT GWER, Iraq (AP) — Misspelled graffiti on walls pockmarked by bullets and torn up propaganda stickers make up the few remaining traces of the Islamic State group in this northern Iraqi ghost town after Kurdish forces finally managed to free it from militant control.

Nigeria says army repels militants outside northeast city Posted: 13 Sep 2014 02:25 AM PDT ABUJA, Sept 12 (Reuters) - Nigeria's military beat back an attack by Islamist insurgents outside the Borno state capital Maiduguri on Friday and sent in reinforcements to stop any assault on the northeastern city, the government said. Authorities were struggling to reassure frightened locals that the armed forces would defend them against the Boko Haram militants, who have overrun a string of towns and villages in the area in recent weeks. ...

U.S. banks on strong Iraq coalition, but allies are hesitant Posted: 13 Sep 2014 02:02 AM PDT By John Irish PARIS (Reuters) - The United States says it is "comfortable" it can forge an international coalition to fight Islamic State, but with Western and Middle Eastern allies hesitant, it risks finding itself out on a limb. President Barack Obama this week unveiled a rough plan to fight the Islamist militants simultaneously in Iraq and Syria, thrusting the United States directly into two different wars in which nearly every country in the region has a stake. ...

Strikes in Iraq, Syria expected under new war plan Posted: 13 Sep 2014 01:48 AM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — As U.S. forces gear up for airstrikes in Syria, the first demonstration of President Barack Obama's more aggressive military campaign against the Islamic State group is likely to unfold first in Iraq as early as next week, officials say.

War plan joggles usual politics in Senate races Posted: 13 Sep 2014 01:33 AM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — In a nation weary of war, yet alarmed by the prospect of an emerging threat, President Barack Obama's plan to strike Islamic State militants is ruffling the usual left-right politics in several races that will decide control of the Senate.

Iowa steak fry may help Democrat in Senate race Posted: 13 Sep 2014 12:37 AM PDT DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Retiring Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin's final steak fry fundraiser may provide some much-needed sizzle for Rep. Bruce Braley, the Democrat locked in a close race to replace the liberal lawmaker.

Analysis: Both parties in Congress play it safe Posted: 13 Sep 2014 12:34 AM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Seven weeks before the elections, Republicans and Democrats are both playing it safe, willing to make short-term sacrifices of long-held positions in hopes of maximizing their chances for victory at the polls.

Kurdish female fighters face jihadists in Iraq's north Posted: 13 Sep 2014 12:10 AM PDT Tekoshin stands on a mountain in north Iraq with a rifle slung over her shoulder and a grenade tucked into her belt, facing jihadists in "a struggle to liberate women". Women have been fighting alongside men in the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) to wrest Mount Makhmur in northern Iraq back from Islamic State (IS) jihadists, whose treatment of women makes the fight especially personal for the dozens of female fighters on the mountain. IS-led militants have overrun large areas of Iraq, and the group also controls significant territory in neighbouring Syria, enacting its harshly restrictive and brutal interpretation of Islamic law in both countries. Some 50 women are among the fighters on the mountain from the PKK, which launched an insurgency for self-rule in Turkey in 1984 and has been listed as a terrorist group by countries including the United States, but began peace talks in 2012.

Philippines starts inquiry into Filipino militants in Syria Posted: 13 Sep 2014 12:06 AM PDT By Manuel Mogato MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippines is investigating the involvement of Filipino Islamists in the three-year civil war in Syria after two locals were reported killed fighting for Islamic State militant group, an intelligence official said on Saturday. A senior police intelligence official said Manila was also monitoring young Filipino Muslims who have gone to Syria and Iraq, and then tried to radicalize others on their return home.

Canadian Islamist preacher to be deported from Philippines Posted: 12 Sep 2014 11:39 PM PDT A Canadian Islamic preacher detained for being a security threat in the Philippines has agreed to be deported, an immigration official said on Saturday. Jamaican-born Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips will be flown back to Canada as soon as possible, said immigration spokeswoman Elaine Tan. She said that the government hoped to fly Philips out quickly, but could not yet give a specific date. He also denied the allegations he was involved with extremists, expressing hope he might eventually be allowed back into the Philippines.

RETURN OF TROOPS TO IRAQ IS GENUINE FAILURE OF LEADERSHIP Posted: 12 Sep 2014 10:01 PM PDT You have to give the bloodthirsty jihadists of the Islamic State (also known as ISIL or ISIS) credit: They may be savages, but they know us well. They used well-produced, high-quality videos of their grisly murders of American journalists to provoke the United States into a bipartisan frenzy of retribution. It worked too well. ...

Today in History Posted: 12 Sep 2014 09:05 PM PDT Today is Saturday, September 13, the 256th day of 2014. There are 109 days left in the year.

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