Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• U.S. expands Iraq campaign with strike against Islamic State near Baghdad
• US in first air strike near Baghdad on IS: officials
• Factbox: U.S. partners unclear on roles in fight against Islamic State
• Top Asian News at 11:30 p.m. GMT
• Cuomo, Christie discuss the region's terror threat
• U.S. to Assad: Beware of interfering with U.S. air power in Syria
• US official warns Assad not to target US planes
• AP sources: First US strike in expanded Iraq fight
• Iran supreme leader spurns U.S. overture to fight Islamic State
• US steps up efforts to target extremists at home
• House GOP moves ahead on Syrian rebel training
• Kerry: US open to talks with Iran on Islamic State
• Hidden partners? How much Russia, Iran could help US against Islamic State
• See what a real-life war photographer did with The Last of Us Remastered's Photo Mode
• Turkish military weighs 'buffer zone' against Iraq, Syria threats: media
• College Students Sign Petition To Support ISIS … On 9/11[VIDEO]
• US rejects military cooperation with Iran in Iraq, open to talks
• Obama awards Medal of Honor to two Vietnam War veterans
• Clashes as Iraq forces ready attack on militants
• Rand Paul Reinvents Himself for the 2016 Campaign
• Obama's IS plan looks good on paper. But in practice?
• House Republicans back Syrian rebel training
• The Pentagon Sent Extra Military Gear to School Districts Too
• No Putin, Rouhani talks on cards for Obama at UN
• Vietnam soldiers to receive Medal of Honor
• Tiny Qatar plays outsize role in US war strategy
• Kerry to chair UN Security Council meeting on Iraq
• Mystery airstrikes target Libyan Islamist militias
• Iraq FM says 'regrets' Iran not invited to Paris conference
• 700 feared dead in 2 Mediterranean boat wrecks
• Tampa woman can pursue part of lawsuit over Petraeus scandal leak
• Iran rejects US-led coalition against jihadists
• Bombings kill 8 people in Iraq
• Islamic State group issues new curriculum in Iraq
• Senators Claim Passing NSA Reform Could Help ISIS
• Lindsey Graham’s ISIS Rant and How We Talk About Risk
• Most Americans Believe in Obama's ISIS Plan, but Not in Him
• Focus on Islamic State has left Baghdad residents vulnerable to crime
• At summit against Islamic State, leaders pledge to take 'all means necessary'

U.S. expands Iraq campaign with strike against Islamic State near Baghdad Posted: 15 Sep 2014 04:57 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. military struck an Islamic State target southwest of Baghdad, U.S. Central Command said on Monday, in an expansion of the Obama administration's campaign against the militant group that has seized large swaths of Iraq and neighboring Syria. "The air strike southwest of Baghdad was the first strike taken as part of our expanded efforts beyond protecting our own people and humanitarian missions to hit (Islamic State) targets as Iraqi forces go on offense," Central Command said in a statement. ...

US in first air strike near Baghdad on IS: officials Posted: 15 Sep 2014 04:52 PM PDT Washington (AFP) - The United States bombed the Islamic State near Baghdad, the first time the US has targeted the militants close to the Iraqi capital, US officials said Monday.

Factbox: U.S. partners unclear on roles in fight against Islamic State Posted: 15 Sep 2014 04:42 PM PDT (Reuters) - Many countries have said they support a coalition the United States hopes to build to fight Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria, but most have been vague about any specific role they might play. Below is a list of some of the key countries that may take part in the anti-IS coalition and where they stand. FRANCE France has signaled it will carry out air strikes in Iraq. It is providing arms to the Kurds and will send special forces to the country to help direct air strikes and train armed forces. ...

Top Asian News at 11:30 p.m. GMT Posted: 15 Sep 2014 04:33 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. says North Korea is using detained American citizens as political pawns, after a 24-year-old Californian man was sentenced to six years of hard labor. Matthew Miller was convicted Sunday of entering the country illegally to commit espionage. The court said he tore up his visa on arriving in Pyongyang April 10 and had wanted to experience prison life so that he could secretly investigate North Korea's human rights situation.

Cuomo, Christie discuss the region's terror threat Posted: 15 Sep 2014 04:30 PM PDT NEW YORK (AP) — Federal and state officials say New York and New Jersey are facing a daunting domestic terror threat fueled by mounting hostilities between the United States and Islamic State extremists

U.S. to Assad: Beware of interfering with U.S. air power in Syria Posted: 15 Sep 2014 04:02 PM PDT By Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Syrian military's air defenses would face retaliation if Syria attempted to respond to U.S. air strikes that are expected against Islamic State targets in Syria, senior U.S. officials said on Monday. President Barack Obama's authorization of the use of American air power against Islamic State's strongholds in Syria has raised the question of whether Syrian President Bashar al-Assad would respond in some way. Senior U.S. ...

US official warns Assad not to target US planes Posted: 15 Sep 2014 03:53 PM PDT Washington (AFP) - US forces will target Syrian anti-aircraft systems if they take aim at American planes conducting strikes inside Syria against Islamic State rebels, a senior US official warned Monday.

AP sources: First US strike in expanded Iraq fight Posted: 15 Sep 2014 03:35 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. officials say the United States took the first step in the planned expanded fight against Islamic State militants Monday, going to the aid of Iraqi security forces south of Baghdad who were being attacked by enemy fighters.

Iran supreme leader spurns U.S. overture to fight Islamic State Posted: 15 Sep 2014 03:26 PM PDT By Jason Szep and Mehrdad Balali PARIS/DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran's supreme leader said on Monday he had personally rejected an offer from the United States for talks to fight Islamic State, an apparent blow to Washington's efforts to build a military coalition to fight militants in both Iraq and Syria. World powers meeting in Paris on Monday gave public backing to military action to fight Islamic State fighters in Iraq. France sent jets on a reconnaissance mission to Iraq, a step toward becoming the first ally to join the U.S.-led air campaign there. ...

US steps up efforts to target extremists at home Posted: 15 Sep 2014 03:22 PM PDT Washington (AFP) - The United States announced Monday it was stepping up efforts to target extremists at home as it seeks to build a broad global coalition against Islamic State militants.

House GOP moves ahead on Syrian rebel training Posted: 15 Sep 2014 03:19 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawmakers raced Monday to authorize an expanded mission to arm and train moderate Syrian rebels before heading back to the campaign trail, with House Republicans preparing legislation backing a central plank of President Barack Obama's strategy against the Islamic State group.

Kerry: US open to talks with Iran on Islamic State Posted: 15 Sep 2014 03:17 PM PDT PARIS (AP) — As more than two dozen nations pledged Monday to help Iraq fight the Islamic State militants, the United States said it was open to talking to Iran about a role in resolving the crisis, despite Washington's earlier opposition to Tehran even attending the conference.

Hidden partners? How much Russia, Iran could help US against Islamic State Posted: 15 Sep 2014 03:05 PM PDT The numbers are flying as to how many countries have signed on to the United States-led coalition to fight the militant group Islamic State that's in control of parts of Iraq and Syria. Obama administration officials say more than three dozen regional and Western states have signed on. Among these "hidden partners" that won't publicly enlist in the coalition but will very likely play crucial roles in the fight against IS, also known as ISIS or ISIL: Russia and Iran. As the battle already under way in Iraq shifts to Syria, the US may even find itself teaming up with Jabhat al-Nusra, some Middle East diplomats and analysts speculate.

See what a real-life war photographer did with The Last of Us Remastered's Photo Mode Posted: 15 Sep 2014 02:30 PM PDT The Last of Us Remastered on PlayStation 4 includes a Photo Mode, in which players can manipulate freeze-frames of the game and turn them into images of post-pandemic America ... images that also happen to show off the PS4's technical chops and developer Naughty Dog's stunning art. The act of using the Photo Mode barely resembles — not that it's meant to — what war photographers do: put their own lives at risk in real-life combat zones to document the casualties and consequences of armed conflict. Time assigned Ashley Gilbertson, a photographer who has covered conflicts such as the Iraq War and Afghanistan War for the New Yorker, the New York Times Magazine and others, to play The Last of Us Remastered and see what he could come up with in its Photo Mode.

Turkish military weighs 'buffer zone' against Iraq, Syria threats: media Posted: 15 Sep 2014 02:29 PM PDT ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey's military is drawing up plans for a possible "buffer zone" on the country's southern border, where it faces a threat from Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria, Turkish media quoted President Tayyip Erdogan as saying on Monday. The government will evaluate the plans and decide whether such a move is necessary, Turkish television stations quoted Erdogan as telling reporters on his plane as he returned from an official visit to Qatar. ...

College Students Sign Petition To Support ISIS … On 9/11[VIDEO] Posted: 15 Sep 2014 02:02 PM PDT Multiple college students signed a petition to support the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) last week. Media Research Center TV reporter Dan Joseph went to the campus of George Washington University on Thursday, Sept. 11, and collected a dozen signatures from students on a petition to President Barack Obama to not only stop bombing ISIS, but also actively support the terrorist group. ISIS has beheaded two American journalists, James Foley and Steven Sotloff.

US rejects military cooperation with Iran in Iraq, open to talks Posted: 15 Sep 2014 01:36 PM PDT Paris (AFP) - US Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday ruled out military cooperation with Iran but said Washington remained open to talks with Tehran about the threat posed by Islamic State militants.

Obama awards Medal of Honor to two Vietnam War veterans Posted: 15 Sep 2014 01:22 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama awarded the Medal of Honor, America's most distinguished honor for heroism in combat, to two soldiers who fought in the Vietnam War, one who survived and one who was killed in action. Obama hung the medal around the neck of 80-year-old Bennie Adkins, of Opelika, Alabama, who as a 32-year-old Green Beret in 1966 braved enemy fire again and again to help fight back an attack by the North Vietnamese on the Ho Chi Minh Trail. ...

Clashes as Iraq forces ready attack on militants Posted: 15 Sep 2014 01:20 PM PDT Samarra (Iraq) (AFP) - Sporadic clashes broke out on Monday near Dhuluiyah as security forces and allied tribesmen prepared for an operation against militants who have repeatedly attacked the Iraqi town, officials said.

Rand Paul Reinvents Himself for the 2016 Campaign Posted: 15 Sep 2014 01:06 PM PDT While former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spent the weekend mending political fences with Democrats in Iowa, a potential rival for president in 2016 has been spending time revising his political stands to broaden his appeal among voters and quiet some GOP critics. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, one of the most provocative GOP aspirants for the White House, has been reaching out to minorities, women and young people to improve his name recognition and expand his party's appeal to voters beyond the traditional Republican base.   While polls shows Paul is among the strongest GOP presidential contenders, his most glaring weaknesses are his reputation as an isolationist within a party that wants more aggressive action against ISIS and his small-government views that seem oddly out of sync with today's political realities. Unlike his father, former House member and libertarian presidential candidate Ron Paul of Texas, Rand Paul has seemed eager to bend or reinvent his most controversial positions for the sake of advancing his presidential ambitions, as The Washington Post reported on Monday.

Obama's IS plan looks good on paper. But in practice? Posted: 15 Sep 2014 01:06 PM PDT President Barack Obama's plan to confront the self-styled Islamic State is, on paper, simple. Put Sunni Arabs in the lead so that jihadis won't claim that they're being unfairly targeted by infidel "crusaders;" mount a robust air campaign against IS in support of Iraqi government forces; build a non-jihadi Syrian army that can defeat the regime of Bashar al-Assad; use public messaging to stem the utopian Islamist appeal of the jihadis.

House Republicans back Syrian rebel training Posted: 15 Sep 2014 01:05 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. lawmakers raced Monday to authorize an expanded mission to arm and train moderate Syrian rebels before heading back to the campaign trail, with House Republicans preparing legislation backing a central plank of President Barack Obama's strategy against the Islamic State group.

The Pentagon Sent Extra Military Gear to School Districts Too Posted: 15 Sep 2014 01:04 PM PDT The same Pentagon program that provides surplus military equipment to local police departments has also provided heavy armor and weapons to school districts, and a group of civil rights groups are calling for an end to it.

No Putin, Rouhani talks on cards for Obama at UN Posted: 15 Sep 2014 01:02 PM PDT Washington (AFP) - Neither Iran's Hassan Rouhani nor Russia's Vladimir Putin feature on President Barack Obama's "dance card" of meetings with foreign leaders at the UN next week, the White House said Monday.

Vietnam soldiers to receive Medal of Honor Posted: 15 Sep 2014 12:43 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama on Monday will bestow the Medal of Honor on a pair of soldiers for their acts of bravery in the Vietnam War.

Tiny Qatar plays outsize role in US war strategy Posted: 15 Sep 2014 12:36 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Just miles (kilometers) from where former Guantanamo Bay terror suspects have resettled, American warplanes take off from Qatar's al-Udeid air base in the global war on extremism.

Kerry to chair UN Security Council meeting on Iraq Posted: 15 Sep 2014 11:50 AM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State John Kerry will travel to New York this week to chair a meeting of the United National Security Council on Iraq.

Mystery airstrikes target Libyan Islamist militias Posted: 15 Sep 2014 11:48 AM PDT CAIRO (AP) — Unidentified warplanes conducted four airstrikes on Monday near the Libyan capital of Tripoli, leaving one dead and five wounded, a spokesman for Libya's Islamist-allied militias and a militia commander said.

Iraq FM says 'regrets' Iran not invited to Paris conference Posted: 15 Sep 2014 11:39 AM PDT Paris (AFP) - Iraq's foreign minister on Monday voiced "regret" that Iran was not invited to an international conference in Paris to discuss the threat posed by Islamic State (IS) militants.

700 feared dead in 2 Mediterranean boat wrecks Posted: 15 Sep 2014 11:38 AM PDT GENEVA (AP) — This year is on track to become the deadliest ever for migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea after two heavily loaded boats were wrecked in the past week, possibly killing 700 people fleeing Africa for Europe — the same number as died during all of last year.

Tampa woman can pursue part of lawsuit over Petraeus scandal leak Posted: 15 Sep 2014 11:37 AM PDT By Aruna Viswanatha WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Tampa, Florida woman can proceed with part of an invasion of privacy lawsuit against the U.S. government over leaks to the media about her connection to a scandal over former CIA Director David Petraeus' extramarital affair, a federal judge ruled on Monday. Last year, Tampa socialite Jill Kelley and her husband Scott sued the FBI, the Department of Defense (DOD) and several government officials, saying they willfully leaked damaging and false information about the couple. While U.S. ...

Iran rejects US-led coalition against jihadists Posted: 15 Sep 2014 11:29 AM PDT Tehran (AFP) - Iran said Monday it rejected a US request for its cooperation against the jihadist Islamic State as part of an international coalition whose true aim Tehran sees as regime change in Syria.

Bombings kill 8 people in Iraq Posted: 15 Sep 2014 11:09 AM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi officials say two separate bombings have killed eight people in and around the capital.

Islamic State group issues new curriculum in Iraq Posted: 15 Sep 2014 11:04 AM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — The extremist-held Iraqi city of Mosul is set to usher in a new school year. But unlike years past, there will be no art or music. Classes about history, literature and Christianity have been "permanently annulled."

Senators Claim Passing NSA Reform Could Help ISIS Posted: 15 Sep 2014 11:02 AM PDT Senators skeptical of a proposal restraining National Security Agency bulk surveillance programs warn that passing such a bill could make it harder for the U.S. Shortly before the August recess Vermont Democrat and Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen Patrick Leahy unveiled the upper chamber's most significant NSA reform bill to date, which narrows the agency's authorities, sets higher requirements for data warrants, increases transparency and ends the bulk collection and storage of Americans' phone data. The bill has been endorsed by lawmakers across Capitol Hill, giants in Silicon Valley and the Obama administration. (RELATED: Senate Unveils New NSA Reform Bill, Silicon Valley, Privacy Advocates Praise)

Lindsey Graham’s ISIS Rant and How We Talk About Risk Posted: 15 Sep 2014 10:21 AM PDT The government could have prevented this. Like Sen. Graham, they go immediately to apocalyptic rhetoric.

Most Americans Believe in Obama's ISIS Plan, but Not in Him Posted: 15 Sep 2014 10:15 AM PDT Most Americans support President Obama's plan to attack the Islamic State, even though a majority of Americans don't think it will work.

Focus on Islamic State has left Baghdad residents vulnerable to crime Posted: 15 Sep 2014 10:08 AM PDT While security forces in Baghdad focus on stopping the advance of Islamic State militants, residents of the capital are falling victim to an increase in opportunistic crime which is threatening the fragile bonds that have held neighborhoods together. Nasrin al-Alaf and her daughter were sitting in the kitchen of their home recently in the middle-class neighborhood of Gazaliyah, where high walls front comfortable two-story homes with carefully-tended gardens, when five men armed with pistols and screwdrivers and wearing medical gloves walked in. "I was so shocked I couldn't move – I felt like my heart stopped beating," says Ms. Alaf, a professor of entomology in Baghdad.  "Their faces were covered with scarves. "It was all my wedding jewelry," says Alaf, a widow.

At summit against Islamic State, leaders pledge to take 'all means necessary' Posted: 15 Sep 2014 10:00 AM PDT The pledge of 26 foreign ministers in Paris today to combat the self-declared Islamic State with "all means necessary" gives an important boost to the international efforts to dismantle the militant group that is imposing its will on large parts of Syria and Iraq. "It shows a political will to tackle [the extremists] collectively," says Yves Boyer, associate director of the French think tank Foundation for Strategic Research, which he says is crucial for legitimacy. The United States has been seeking such international backing since President Obama unveiled his plans to counter IS extremists, who have now beheaded three Westerners, including two American journalists and, most recently, a British aid worker. Despite the political risks of following the US into the conflict, European governments have spoken urgently about the need to act against Islamic State militants, in no small part because many of the IS fighters are Europeans and, leaders say, represent a threat to European security.

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