Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• Hundreds of Islamic State militants killed in Kobani strikes - U.S.
• U.S. Army readiness up after budget cuts but improvement needed: Hagel
• Obama’s Effort to Train Syrian Rebels to Fight ISIS Won’t Work: CIA
• Syrian Kurds say giving targets for U.S. strikes near Kobani
• America's Saudi problem in its anti-IS coalition
• Kosovo frees 8-year-old from Syria captivity
• US: Strikes near Kobani have killed hundreds
• Kurds hold their own against militants in Syria
• US hid troop exposure to chemical agents in Iraq
• Saudi court convicts outspoken Shiite cleric
• US-led strikes kill 'several hundred' as Iraq, Kurds battle IS
• U.S. hits targets around Kobani for humanitarian purposes: Allen
• Greenpeace activist facing trial dies
• Syria-Iraq fight gets a name: 'Inherent Resolve'
• IS group has made 'substantial gains' in Iraq: US 
• US military denied treatment to soldiers exposed to chemical weapons in Iraq
• Pentagon: 'Several hundred' IS fighters killed in Kobane
• Ebola 'most serious' health emergency in years: leaders
• Self-defence class 'mistaken' for jihad training in France
• Federal Deficit Plunged to $483 Billion in FY2014
• U.S. reports 18 strikes against Islamic State in Syria's Kobani, five in Iraq
• Saudi convicts 22 on militant charges, sentences one to death: SPA
• US air war has a name: 'Operation Inherent Resolve'
• More Americans want ground troops to fight IS: poll
• Battles rage to hold back Islamic State as Obama consults leaders
• Pulitzer Prize winners among National Book Award finalists
• Obama’s war on Islamic State militants finally has a name: Operation Inherent Resolve
• Turkish Airlines investigates Arabic engine inscriptions after staff scare
• U.S. military names coalition operation against Islamic State 'Inherent Resolve'
• Flight from Islamic State overwhelms UN refugee agency. Is Europe's door open?
• Wounded AP reporter vows to return to Afghanistan
• France will keep sending arms to Syrian fighters
• Earthquake hits western Iran, at least four injured
• Iraqi forces beat back assault on city, reinforce town
• Robinson, Chast among book award finalists
• US airstrikes have 'minimal effects' on Islamic State. Why that's not all bad
• The Daily Fix: Chemical Weapons Found in Iraq, Ebola Infects Second Hospital Worker, and Hong Kong Cops Beat Protester
• U.S. troops found nearly 5,000 abandoned chemical weapons in Iraq from 2004 to 2011: report
• Ernst vs. Braley: Iowa Senate Race Tightens in New Nail Biter

Hundreds of Islamic State militants killed in Kobani strikes - U.S. Posted: 15 Oct 2014 04:26 PM PDT By Phil Stewart and David Alexander WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S.-led air strikes have killed several hundred Islamic State fighters around the Syrian town of Kobani, the Pentagon said on Wednesday, but it cautioned that the town near Turkey's border could still fall to the Sunni militant group. The U.S.-led coalition has launched about 40 air strikes on the mainly Kurdish town of Kobani in the past 48 hours, the largest number since the strikes inside Syria began on Sept. 22 and illustrating the difficulty of staunching a nearly month-long Islamic State offensive on the town. ...

U.S. Army readiness up after budget cuts but improvement needed: Hagel Posted: 15 Oct 2014 03:39 PM PDT By David Alexander WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said on Wednesday the U.S. Army has improved its combat readiness this year but is still short of what is needed to defend the nation with minimum risk after being hit with deep across-the-board budget cuts last year. Hagel said a congressional budget deal late last year had helped to stabilize defense spending and enabled the Army to devote more resources to maintenance and training. But he warned that the gains could be reversed unless lawmakers act to avert a return to the deep spending cuts in October of next year. ...

Obama’s Effort to Train Syrian Rebels to Fight ISIS Won’t Work: CIA Posted: 15 Oct 2014 03:00 PM PDT President Obama on Tuesday told coalition military officials from around the world that they've had some "important successes" against ISIS, though they face a long-term campaign with many ups and downs. There are 60 countries in all taking part in in the U.S.-led efforts to "degrade and ultimately destroy" the ISIS terrorists who have overrun large sections of northern Iraq and Syria since last summer. So far, the campaign has been very much a mixed bag, "with the Islamic State losing control of territory in some places while making gains in other," reported The Washington Post. The campaign will have "periods of progress and setbacks," Obama said during Tuesday's meeting of top military officials from the U.S.

Syrian Kurds say giving targets for U.S. strikes near Kobani Posted: 15 Oct 2014 02:46 PM PDT By Humeyra Pamuk and Tom Perry MURSITPINAR Turkey/BEIRUT (Reuters) - The United States and its allies have dramatically stepped up air strikes in the past two days near the Syrian town of Kobani, where Kurdish defenders said they had given the Americans target coordinates to try to halt an Islamic State assault. The U.S.-led military coalition said it had bombed Islamic State targets in and around Kobani nearly 40 times in the space of 48 hours, around triple the pace of last week. A four-week siege of the mainly Kurdish town on the border with Turkey has become a focus of the U.S. ...

America's Saudi problem in its anti-IS coalition Posted: 15 Oct 2014 02:42 PM PDT Following two years in jail, most of that time in solitary confinement, Saudi Arabia sentenced dissident Shiite cleric Nimr Baqir al-Nimr to death today for leading demonstrations and "inciting sectarian strife." Mr. Nimr's predicament – and that of at least 5 other Shiite activists Saudi Arabia has sentenced to death this year – illustrates a problem for the US strategy for taking on the so-called Islamic State in Iraq.

Kosovo frees 8-year-old from Syria captivity Posted: 15 Oct 2014 02:35 PM PDT SLATINA, Kosovo (AP) — An 8-year-old boy from Kosovo was reunited with his mother late on Wednesday after intelligence and security forces brought him back from Syria where he was taken by his jihadi father and kept for 5 months, officials said.

US: Strikes near Kobani have killed hundreds Posted: 15 Oct 2014 02:20 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — A barrage of U.S.-led airstrikes in and around the Syrian city of Kobani, including 39 over the past two days, has killed hundreds of Islamic State fighters and has stiffened the city's Kurdish defenders, the Pentagon's spokesman said Wednesday.

Kurds hold their own against militants in Syria Posted: 15 Oct 2014 02:15 PM PDT MURSITPINAR, Turkey (AP) — Intensified U.S.-led airstrikes and a determined Kurdish military force on the ground appear to have had some success in halting advances by Islamic State fighters on a strategic Kurdish town near Syria's border with Turkey — at least for now.

US hid troop exposure to chemical agents in Iraq Posted: 15 Oct 2014 02:15 PM PDT Washington (AFP) - The US government has tried to hide the extent to which its troops were exposed to chemical weapons in the aftermath of the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the New York Times reported Wednesday, citing intelligence documents and former soldiers.

Saudi court convicts outspoken Shiite cleric Posted: 15 Oct 2014 02:15 PM PDT DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A widely revered Shiite Muslim cleric was convicted Wednesday in Saudi Arabia of sedition and other charges and sentenced to death, raising fears of renewed unrest from his supporters in the kingdom and neighboring Bahrain.

US-led strikes kill 'several hundred' as Iraq, Kurds battle IS Posted: 15 Oct 2014 01:57 PM PDT Washington (AFP) - US-led air strikes on a Syrian border town killed "several hundred" Islamic State fighters but it may still fall, officials warned Wednesday, acknowledging significant jihadist gains in Iraq and Syria.

U.S. hits targets around Kobani for humanitarian purposes: Allen Posted: 15 Oct 2014 01:55 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is bombing targets in Kobani for humanitarian purposes to relieve defenders of the Syrian town and give them time to organize against Islamic State militants, a senior U.S. official said on Wednesday. "We are striking the targets around Kobani for humanitarian purposes. I'd be very reluctant to attempt to assign ... a term like 'a strategic target,' or 'a strategic outcome,'" retired U.S. General John Allen, the U.S. special envoy for building the coalition against Islamic State, told reporters. "Clearly ... ...

Greenpeace activist facing trial dies Posted: 15 Oct 2014 01:47 PM PDT CINCINNATI (AP) — Greenpeace said Wednesday that one of nine activists charged with felony counts in an eye-catching protest at Procter & Gamble Co. headquarters has died.

Syria-Iraq fight gets a name: 'Inherent Resolve' Posted: 15 Oct 2014 01:09 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — It's less punchy than previous nicknames for U.S. conflicts in the Middle East -- remember Operation Desert Storm and its thunderous attacks against Saddam Hussein? -- but the Pentagon has finally named its fight against Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria: Operation Inherent Resolve.

IS group has made 'substantial gains' in Iraq: US  Posted: 15 Oct 2014 12:55 PM PDT Washington (AFP) - Islamic State jihadists have made important advances in Iraq despite US-led air strikes, Washington's envoy to the US-led coalition fighting the group warned Wednesday.

US military denied treatment to soldiers exposed to chemical weapons in Iraq Posted: 15 Oct 2014 12:47 PM PDT The New York Times's C.J. Chivers has dropped a bombshell of a scoop that details 17 US troops and seven Iraqi policemen who were exposed to old chemical weapons in Iraq, some of whom were declined appropriate medical care and service awards on the grounds of secrecy.

Pentagon: 'Several hundred' IS fighters killed in Kobane Posted: 15 Oct 2014 12:39 PM PDT Washington (AFP) - US-led airstrikes have killed "several hundred" jihadist fighters in and around Kobane, but the Islamic State group could still seize the besieged strategic Syrian town, the Pentagon said Wednesday.

Ebola 'most serious' health emergency in years: leaders Posted: 15 Oct 2014 12:28 PM PDT London (AFP) - The Ebola epidemic is "the most serious international public health emergency in recent years," British, US, French, German and Italian leaders agreed in a conference call on Wednesday.

Self-defence class 'mistaken' for jihad training in France Posted: 15 Oct 2014 11:48 AM PDT Strasbourg (France) (AFP) - A group of men accused by police of "training for jihad" in broad daylight in a French park were merely taking a self-defence class, one of them told AFP on Wednesday.

Federal Deficit Plunged to $483 Billion in FY2014 Posted: 15 Oct 2014 11:45 AM PDT The Obama administration confirmed on Wednesday that the government ended fiscal 2014 with a $483 billion budget deficit -- $197 billion less than the previous year's shortfall and $165 billion less than forecast in President Obama's latest budget document.  The upbeat budget news, which largely mirrors an earlier forecast this month by the Congressional Budget Office, was announced by Treasury Secretary Jack Lew and White House Budget Director Shaun Donovan. It reflect a simultaneous surge in tax revenues and reductions in government spending due largely to budget cuts and overall caps on defense and domestic spending mandated by the 2011 Budget Control Act.

U.S. reports 18 strikes against Islamic State in Syria's Kobani, five in Iraq Posted: 15 Oct 2014 11:01 AM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. aircraft carried out 18 strikes on Islamic State positions near the besieged Syrian border town of Kobani and five strikes against the group in Iraq on Tuesday and Wednesday, the U.S. military's Central Command said. The planes struck 16 buildings occupied by Islamic State militants and destroyed several of their fighting positions near Kobani, a Kurdish town on the Syrian border with Turkey, it said in a statement on Wednesday. ...

Saudi convicts 22 on militant charges, sentences one to death: SPA Posted: 15 Oct 2014 11:00 AM PDT DUBAI (Reuters) - A Saudi court sentenced one person to death and 21 others to various jail sentences after they were convicted of a range of militant crimes, including setting up training camps and identifying oil locations to hit, state news agency SPA said on Wednesday. Riyadh's concern about Islamist militants has increased over the past two years as conflicts in Syria and Iraq have attracted more of its own citizens to travel there to join groups fighting in the name of jihad. Of the 22 people convicted, the man sentenced to death was a citizen of Chad, SPA said. ...

US air war has a name: 'Operation Inherent Resolve' Posted: 15 Oct 2014 10:50 AM PDT Washington (AFP) - After more than two months of air strikes, American commanders have finally decided on a name for the US-led war against Islamic State jihadists -- "Operation Inherent Resolve."

More Americans want ground troops to fight IS: poll Posted: 15 Oct 2014 10:42 AM PDT Washington (AFP) - A rising number of Americans think the battle against the Islamic State group should broaden to include US ground troops, according to a poll published Wednesday.

Battles rage to hold back Islamic State as Obama consults leaders Posted: 15 Oct 2014 10:21 AM PDT Mursitpinar (Turkey) (AFP) - Kurdish and Iraqi forces fought to hold back advancing jihadists on the Syria-Turkey border and near Baghdad on Wednesday as Washington pushed to rally its allies against the Islamic State group.

Pulitzer Prize winners among National Book Award finalists Posted: 15 Oct 2014 10:15 AM PDT By Patricia Reaney NEW YORK (Reuters) - A novel set in Nazi-occupied France, a debut collection of short stories and a post-apocalyptic tale are among the finalists announced on Wednesday for the 2014 National Book Awards. The National Book Foundation revealed the finalists in four categories - fiction, non-fiction, young people's literature and poetry - for the prizes which will be awarded on Nov. 19 in New York. ...

Obama’s war on Islamic State militants finally has a name: Operation Inherent Resolve Posted: 15 Oct 2014 09:15 AM PDT President Obama's war on the so-called Islamic State finally has a name: It's Operation Inherent Resolve. It's not as dramatic as Desert Storm but not as bad as Operation Iraqi Liberation (OIL).

Turkish Airlines investigates Arabic engine inscriptions after staff scare Posted: 15 Oct 2014 08:44 AM PDT ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish Airlines said it is investigating after Arabic inscriptions found on several of its plane engines sparked panic among staff who feared a security breach by Islamist militants - only to find the inscriptions were of a prayer for abundance. The incident has raised security fears at Istanbul's Ataturk airport as no security camera footage was available to find those responsible for the mysterious blessings, airport news website Airporthaber reported. ...

U.S. military names coalition operation against Islamic State 'Inherent Resolve' Posted: 15 Oct 2014 08:41 AM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. military has named the coalition operation against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria "Inherent Resolve," a U.S. military official said on Wednesday. (Reporting by Phil Stewart; Editing by Susan Heavey)

Flight from Islamic State overwhelms UN refugee agency. Is Europe's door open? Posted: 15 Oct 2014 08:34 AM PDT A rising tide of refugees from three years of Middle East conflict has severely strained countries hosting the displaced people. Now an overwhelmed UN system is itself struggling to cope with the biggest refugee crisis in its history.

Wounded AP reporter vows to return to Afghanistan Posted: 15 Oct 2014 08:30 AM PDT NEW YORK (AP) — Over and over, Kathy Gannon has re-lived the decisions that led to the death of her close friend Anja Niedringhaus and her own severe injuries, as they went about their jobs chronicling the story of Afghanistan.

France will keep sending arms to Syrian fighters Posted: 15 Oct 2014 08:21 AM PDT PARIS (AP) — France will keep delivering arms to Kurds fighting the Islamic State group in Syria, said President Francois Hollande as battles were raging between the two groups in Kobani, near Turkey.

Earthquake hits western Iran, at least four injured Posted: 15 Oct 2014 08:02 AM PDT LONDON (Reuters) - An earthquake struck Iran's western Ilam province near the border with Iraq on Wednesday, injuring at least four people, officials said. A provincial official told Iranian state television no deaths had been reported. The quake with a magnitude of 5.5, revised down from an earlier estimate of 6, struck at a depth of 10km, said the U.S. Geological Survey. Its epicentre was 53km (33 miles) east-southeast of Dehloran, the survey added. (Additional reporting by Mehrdad Balali in Dubai; Writing by Alison Williams; Editing by Angus MacSwan)

Iraqi forces beat back assault on city, reinforce town Posted: 15 Oct 2014 07:36 AM PDT Baghdad (AFP) - Iraqi security personnel and tribesmen beat back an hours-long jihadist attack on a key city west of Baghdad on Wednesday while reinforcements reached a strategic town threatened by militants, officials said.

Robinson, Chast among book award finalists Posted: 15 Oct 2014 07:17 AM PDT NEW YORK (AP) — Novelist Marilynne Robinson, cartoonist Roz Chast and former U.S. poet laureate Louise Gluck are among this year's finalists for the National Book Awards.

US airstrikes have 'minimal effects' on Islamic State. Why that's not all bad Posted: 15 Oct 2014 07:07 AM PDT Despite more than two months of US airstrikes against the Islamic State, there are still large cities in Iraq and Syria that are in danger of falling, Pentagon officials warn.

The Daily Fix: Chemical Weapons Found in Iraq, Ebola Infects Second Hospital Worker, and Hong Kong Cops Beat Protester Posted: 15 Oct 2014 06:56 AM PDT As Islamic State militant fighters approach Baghdad, they may have access to a secret stash of weapons left over from Saddam Hussein's rule. Between 2004 and 2011, American and Iraqi troops found at least 5,000 chemical warheads, shells, or aviation bombs in Iraq, according to an investigation by The New York Times. The service members and officers stumbled across these weapons; seven Iraqi police officers and 17 members of the U.S. military suffered exposure to nerve or mustard gas.

U.S. troops found nearly 5,000 abandoned chemical weapons in Iraq from 2004 to 2011: report Posted: 15 Oct 2014 06:53 AM PDT American troops found nearly 5,000 abandoned chemical weapons in Iraq from 2004 to 2011, but their discoveries were kept secret by the U.S. government, the New York Times reports.

Ernst vs. Braley: Iowa Senate Race Tightens in New Nail Biter Posted: 15 Oct 2014 06:00 AM PDT In picking a successor to retiring Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin, Iowa voters must choose between a feisty Iraq War veteran and Republican state legislator who boasts that she learned something about cutting government pork by castrating pigs on her family farm – and an articulate liberal Democratic lawmaker who occasionally shoots himself in the foot. For a while, it looked as if Joni Ernst might run away with the election – boosting the GOP in its drive to regain Senate control after nearly a decade in the minority. With just three weeks to go, a recent Des Moines Register/Bloomberg Politics Iowa Poll shows the race in a virtual dead heat, with Ernst leading Democratic Rep. Bruce Braley by just 47 percent to 46 percent. Braley tried to portray Ernst as a Tea Party radical conservative, in step with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), who would have "voted to shut down the federal government" and who thinks the impeachment of President Obama should be on the table.

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