Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• Iraqi security forces and Kurds gain ground against Islamic State
• Egypt eyes legal restrictions, military measures after Sinai attacks
• Correction: US-United States-Iraq-US Death story
• Morocco says to bolster security in the face of 'threats'
• Canadians flock to Parliament Hill, site of attack on soldier
• Three Turkish soldiers shot dead in 'terrorist' attack
• Egypt's Sinai in lockdown after bomb kills 30 troops
• Iraq government forces, militias take control of strategic town
• Number of Islamic extremists growing in Germany
• ISIS Pummeled by Air and Land in Iraq
• US-led strikes pound jihadists in Iraq, Syria
• Kurdish militants kill three soldiers in southeast Turkey: army
• Marine dies in noncombat incident in IS campaign
• New York hatchet attack: Battle in a greater Islamic offensive?
• US-led aircraft pound IS group with 23 air strikes
• Iraqi Kurdish forces retake town from jihadists
• Suicide attack kills 8 Shiite militiamen in Iraq
• U.S., allies stage 22 air strikes in Iraq: U.S. Central Command
• Kurdish forces retake north Iraqi town from Islamic State
• IS jihadists kill eight Iraqi soldiers in clashes south of Baghdad
• Islamic State fighters attack crossing as Kurds set to reinforce Kobane
• In Tunisia, source of Arab Spring, voters focused on jobs, not jihad
• Poll: Islamic State threat seen as important
• Women on front lines in Syria, Iraq against IS
• Attacks in Egypt's Sinai kill 33 security personnel
• Grateful for US strikes, Syrian Kurds name baby 'Obama'
• Today in History
• Marine death is 1st in campaign against IS
• Firestorm over White House security after new fence jump

Iraqi security forces and Kurds gain ground against Islamic State Posted: 25 Oct 2014 03:55 PM PDT By Ahmed Rasheed and Isabel Coles BAGHDAD/ARBIL Iraq (Reuters) - Iraqi government forces and Shi'ite militias seized control of the strategic town of Jurf al-Sakhar near Baghdad from Islamic State on Saturday and Kurdish fighters made gains in the north after heavy coalition air strikes against the Sunni militants. Iraqi troops and their Shi'ite allies broke the grip of Islamic State in Jurf al-Sakhar after months of fighting against insurgents determined to march on the capital. ...

Egypt eyes legal restrictions, military measures after Sinai attacks Posted: 25 Oct 2014 02:10 PM PDT CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt is considering expanding the jurisdiction of military courts and displacing thousands of residents to enlarge a military buffer zone near the border with the Gaza Strip following an attack on security forces in the area. Two attacks on Friday in the Sinai Peninsula bordering Israel and the Gaza Strip killed at least 33 security personnel in some of the worst anti-state violence since former army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ousted Islamist President Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood last year. ...

Correction: US-United States-Iraq-US Death story Posted: 25 Oct 2014 02:07 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — In a story Oct. 24 about the death of a U.S. service member in the fight against the Islamic State group, The Associated Press reported erroneously that the soldier who died in a noncombat-related incident was the first death in the military operation. A Marine who ejected from a plane over the Persian Gulf earlier in October and was presumed lost at sea was the first death, although that soldier isn't on the Defense Department's public list of deaths because the official paperwork hasn't been completed.

Morocco says to bolster security in the face of 'threats' Posted: 25 Oct 2014 01:36 PM PDT Morocco, which has frequently reported the arrest of jihadists and is concerned over the number of its citizens fighting in Syria and Iraq, announced Saturday plans to bolster its security. Interior Minister Mohamed Hassad said new measures will be deployed progressively to "confront the different threats facing the kingdom," according to his office. Hassad did not identify those threats, but said the measures would cover "vulnerable" locations across the North African country and involve the army, police and other security forces. In mid-October authorities announced the arrest of a Moroccan man, with his two young French daughters in tow, as he sought to join up with the Islamic State group that has seized swathes of Syria and Iraq.

Canadians flock to Parliament Hill, site of attack on soldier Posted: 25 Oct 2014 01:34 PM PDT By Richard Valdmanis OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canadians returned to the reopened grounds of their parliament building on Saturday, three days after a homegrown radical rushed in armed with a rifle after killing a soldier in the second domestic attack in a week on the country's military. The grounds of the hilltop gothic building, whose clock tower is a centerpiece of Ottawa's skyline, attracted scores of visitors, many still stunned by Wednesday's attack, which took place as Prime Minister Stephen Harper was meeting with lawmakers. ...

Three Turkish soldiers shot dead in 'terrorist' attack Posted: 25 Oct 2014 01:28 PM PDT Masked gunmen on Saturday shot dead three Turkish soldiers in the restive Kurdish-majority southeast of the country, the army said, blaming separatist "terrorists" for an attack that threatens to undermine a fragile peace process. The three soldiers were shot dead while off duty and walking on the street in the town of Yuksekova in Hakkari province of Turkey's extreme southeast bordering Iraq and Iran. The attackers escaped but a security operation was underway to apprehend them, the official Anatolia agency said. Some 40,000 people are estimated to have been killed in the three-decade-long insurgency waged by the outlawed PKK for Kurdish self-rule and greater rights in Turkey's southeast.

Egypt's Sinai in lockdown after bomb kills 30 troops Posted: 25 Oct 2014 01:05 PM PDT Egypt imposed a state of emergency Saturday across parts of the Sinai Peninsula as the military pounded suspected jihadists after a suicide car bombing there killed 30 soldiers. Friday's bombing was the deadliest attack on security forces since the army deposed Islamist president Mohamed Morsi last year, to the fury of his supporters. The state of emergency in the north and centre of the Sinai will remain in place for three months, the president's office said. Egypt also announced it would close the Rafah crossing into the Gaza Strip, the only entry to the Palestinian territory not controlled by Israel.

Iraq government forces, militias take control of strategic town Posted: 25 Oct 2014 12:11 PM PDT CAIRO (Reuters) - Iraqi government forces and Shi'ite militias took control of the strategic town of Jurf al-Sakhar just south of Baghdad on Saturday, breaking the grip of Islamic State militants after months of fighting, security officials said. The officials said the Sunni insurgents fled to two nearby villages and were still attacking with sniper fire and mortars and government forces were preparing for a major overnight operation against them. (Reporting by Ahmed Rasheed; Writing by Michael Georgy; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)

Number of Islamic extremists growing in Germany Posted: 25 Oct 2014 10:56 AM PDT BERLIN (AP) — The number of Islamic extremists in Germany is growing rapidly, the head of the country's domestic intelligence agency said Saturday.

ISIS Pummeled by Air and Land in Iraq Posted: 25 Oct 2014 10:43 AM PDT Ground offensives mounted by the Iraqi army and Kurdish peshmerga forces—and bolstered by a bombardment of U.S. airstrikes—have pushed ISIS fighters from several key towns and villages in the north and south of Iraq, officials said.

US-led strikes pound jihadists in Iraq, Syria Posted: 25 Oct 2014 10:33 AM PDT US-led warplanes bombarded the Islamic State group Friday with new air strikes as heavily armed Iraqi Kurdish fighters were set to reinforce the besieged Syrian border town of Kobane. Kurdish forces, backed by US air power, have been holding out for weeks against an IS offensive around Kobane, which has become a high-profile symbol of efforts to stop the advance of the jihadists. The Kurdish regional government in northern Iraq unveiled plans on Friday for up to 200 well-trained peshmerga to join Syrian Kurdish forces defending Kobane in the coming week. Kurdish news agency Rudaw said the first contingent could head to the town as early as Sunday but there was no immediate confirmation of that timetable.

Kurdish militants kill three soldiers in southeast Turkey: army Posted: 25 Oct 2014 09:41 AM PDT ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Kurdish militants killed three Turkish soldiers in Turkey's southeast on Saturday, the Turkish Armed Forces said, in a further blow to peace talks between Ankara and the insurgents. Three members of the "separatist terrorist organization", a term used by the army to describe the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), shot the soldiers who were in plain clothes, the army said in a statement. The soldiers were buying electrical supplies for the military post where they served, media said. ...

Marine dies in noncombat incident in IS campaign Posted: 25 Oct 2014 09:09 AM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon says a Marine who died Thursday in a noncombat incident in Baghdad was the second U.S. military death associated with the campaign against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria.

New York hatchet attack: Battle in a greater Islamic offensive? Posted: 25 Oct 2014 08:35 AM PDT The brazen daylight hatchet attack on four New York police officers by a self-radicalized Islamic extremist is raising troubling questions about whether terror networks in the Middle East are successfully fomenting a sort of proxy offensive inside the US, using radicalized Americans.

US-led aircraft pound IS group with 23 air strikes Posted: 25 Oct 2014 08:28 AM PDT The US-led military coalition pounded the Islamic State group Friday and Saturday, with 22 air strikes in Iraq and one in Syria, the Pentagon said. Eleven of the bombings in the heavy barrage targeted IS units, buildings, positions and vehicles near the strategic Mosul Dam, US Central Command, which is overseeing the air war against the jihadists, said in a statement. The IS militants briefly held Mosul dam in August, but Kurdish forces and Iraqi army troops -- backed up by US air strikes -- succeeded in retaking the dam later that month. The large dam in northern Iraq is a crucial piece of infrastructure and IS has repeatedly tried to seize it back.

Iraqi Kurdish forces retake town from jihadists Posted: 25 Oct 2014 08:10 AM PDT Iraqi Kurdish forces on Saturday retook the northern town of Zumar from Islamic State (IS) group jihadists after weeks of fighting, a senior officer said. "After clashes that began this morning and with American air support, we were able to force (IS) militants from the centre" of Zumar and 11 surrounding villages, Major General Karim Atuti of the peshmerga security forces told AFP. Kurdish forces have since regained some ground, but it has been slow going, and IS still holds significant areas in northern Iraq and elsewhere in the country.

Suicide attack kills 8 Shiite militiamen in Iraq Posted: 25 Oct 2014 07:59 AM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi authorities say a suicide bombing has killed eight Shiite militiamen just north of Baghdad.

U.S., allies stage 22 air strikes in Iraq: U.S. Central Command Posted: 25 Oct 2014 07:14 AM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and its allies conducted 22 air strikes against Islamic State forces in Iraq on Friday and Saturday, the U.S. Central Command said. U.S. warplanes also destroyed an Islamic State artillery piece near Kobani, Syria, officials said Saturday. The 22 strikes in Iraq included attacks in the frequently targeted areas near the vital Mosul dam, the city of Fallujah and the northern city of Bayji, home of an oil refinery. The Iraq strikes hit large and small Islamic State units, buildings, vehicles and fighting positions, Central Command said. ...

Kurdish forces retake north Iraqi town from Islamic State Posted: 25 Oct 2014 07:11 AM PDT ARBIL Iraq (Reuters) - Kurdish forces retook the northern Iraqi town of Zumar and several nearby villages from Islamic State early on Saturday after heavy coalition air strikes against the Islamist insurgents, security sources said. A Kurdish intelligence officer in Zumar said peshmerga forces had advanced from five directions in the early morning and encountered fierce resistance, but ultimately prevailed. A spokesman for the peshmerga ministry also said Zumar was now in Kurdish hands. ...

IS jihadists kill eight Iraqi soldiers in clashes south of Baghdad Posted: 25 Oct 2014 06:48 AM PDT Eight Iraqi soldiers were killed in fighting with jihadists south of Baghdad as the army battled to secure the route used by hundreds of thousands of Shiite pilgrims, officers said Saturday. Pilgrims taking part in Ashura commemorations, which mark the death of Imam Hussein, one of the most revered figures in Shiite Islam, are often targeted with bombings during the annual rituals, which take place this month. The officers said dozens of militants were also killed, but Iraqi officials frequently announce high death tolls for jihadists that are not possible to independently verify. "Securing Jurf al-Sakhr is securing Karbala and the south completely, as the gateway to the south begins from Jurf al-Sakhr," Karbala governor Aqil al-Turaihi told journalists during a visit to the area.

Islamic State fighters attack crossing as Kurds set to reinforce Kobane Posted: 25 Oct 2014 06:37 AM PDT Islamic State group fighters made a new bid to cut off the Syrian border town of Kobane from neighbouring Turkey Saturday as preparations gathered pace to deploy Iraqi Kurdish reinforcements. The Kurdish regional government in northern Iraq unveiled plans on Friday for up to 200 well-trained peshmerga to join Syrian Kurdish forces defending Kobane in the coming week. Kurdish news agency Rudaw said the first contingent could head to Kobane as early as Sunday but there was no immediate confirmation of that timetable. Peshmerga ministry spokesman Halgord Hekmat declined to specify what route the Iraqi Kurdish forces would take, but they are expected to travel overland through Turkey, which has said it will allow them transit.

In Tunisia, source of Arab Spring, voters focused on jobs, not jihad Posted: 25 Oct 2014 05:00 AM PDT A line of new campaign posters on a wall in this western city helps explain why Tunisia is looking increasingly like the Arab world's best hope for peace and democracy.

Poll: Islamic State threat seen as important Posted: 25 Oct 2014 01:49 AM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Sixty-five percent of Americans now say the threat from the Islamic State group is very or even extremely important, and nearly half think the U.S. military response in Iraq and Syria has not gone far enough, according to an Associated Press-GfK poll. Most want to see America's partners step up their contribution to the fight,

Women on front lines in Syria, Iraq against IS Posted: 25 Oct 2014 01:32 AM PDT SURUC, Turkey (AP) — Just over a year ago, Afshin Kobani was a teacher. Now, the Kurdish Syrian woman has traded the classroom for the front lines in the battle for Kobani, a town besieged by fighters from the Islamic State extremist group.

Attacks in Egypt's Sinai kill 33 security personnel Posted: 25 Oct 2014 12:43 AM PDT By Yusri Mohamed ISMAILIA (Reuters) - Two attacks in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula killed 33 security personnel on Friday, security sources said, in some of the worst anti-state violence since Islamist President Mohamed Mursi was overthrown last year. The violence prompted Egypt to declare a three-month state of emergency in parts of North Sinai, where the violence took place, the state news agency reported. ...

Grateful for US strikes, Syrian Kurds name baby 'Obama' Posted: 24 Oct 2014 10:31 PM PDT Sultan Muslim, a Syrian Kurd, had no doubt what to name her seventh child when he was born, safely in Turkey, after a harrowing month-long flight from her home in Kobane: Obama. I will never change this name," the shy 35-year-old said in a refugee camp in Suruc, just inside Turkey. The family started their exodus almost a month ago, following some 200,000 Kurds who have already entered Turkey to escape the IS onslaught on Kobane.

Today in History Posted: 24 Oct 2014 09:00 PM PDT Today is Saturday, Oct. 25, the 298th day of 2014. There are 67 days left in the year.

Marine death is 1st in campaign against IS Posted: 24 Oct 2014 08:05 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon has announced the first death of a U.S. military member involved in the campaign against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria.

Firestorm over White House security after new fence jump Posted: 24 Oct 2014 05:15 PM PDT For once, the debate gripping Washington is not about party politics. It's about the White House fence. White House fence jumpers are hardly a new phenomenon. The arrest of yet another fence-jumper this week has fueled the debate over how to best secure the building where American presidents and their families have lived and worked since 1800.

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