Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• Morocco to Provide Direct Military and Intelligence Support to UAE against Terrorist Threat
• Al-Qaida: IS should rejoin group and fight West
• Peshmerga troops cheered by fellow Kurds in Turkey
• PM Cameron appeals to Qatar emir for more investment
• Kurdish convoy heads to Syria to take on Islamic State
• Islamic State releases 25 kidnapped Kurdish children
• British jets intercept Latvian plane over southern England
• US warplanes bomb IS near Kobane to aid Kurds in Syria
• Homes for Our Troops to be Featured on 3 Episodes of Operation Build on History Channel & H2 in November
• UAE official warns of potential for IS-Shabab link
• Residents: Islamic State group kills 30 Iraqi men
• IS jihadists execute more than 40 tribesmen in Iraq's Anbar
• Iraq's Abadi struggles to gain Sunni tribal support
• Egypt clears Gaza border area to create security buffer
• 5 Investing Factors to Consider After a Plunge in Oil Prices
• Canadian lawmakers strike defiant tone in return to Parliament
• War reporter-turned movie maker turns camera on Egyptian slums
• Iraqi forces advance in new bid to end Baiji refinery siege
• Kurds key in fight against Islamic State group
• Iraq official: Islamic State group lined up 30 men in a town west of Baghdad, shot them dead
• U.S. forces hit Islamic State 'command node' in new strikes: U.S.
• Iraqi Kurds, Syrian rebels join fight against Islamic State in Kobane
• Australian ISIS Leader Killed in the Middle East
• Thales wins 1.9 bn-euro bid for British military air traffic
• How Yemen Is Making ISIS and al-Qaeda Even More Dangerous
• Syria rebels cross from Turkey to join Kobane battle
• Analysts: Al-Qaida still offers olive branch to IS
• Kerry says Canadian parliament attack clearly 'terrorist act'
• Iraq Sunni exiles say bombs cannot defeat IS
• Australia seeking to confirm death of top IS member
• Mastermind of failed Australia beheading plot killed in Middle East: reports
• Jeb Bush: Obama handling of Ebola 'incompetent'
• IS attack on Syria oil field 'kills 30'

Morocco to Provide Direct Military and Intelligence Support to UAE against Terrorist Threat Posted: 29 Oct 2014 02:04 PM PDT WASHINGTON, Oct. 29, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- (MACP) — Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs Salaheddine Mezouar announced today that Morocco will provide direct military, operational and intelligence support to the United Arab Emirates to assist in its fight against terrorism as part of a bilateral military cooperation agreement between the two countries. ...

Al-Qaida: IS should rejoin group and fight West Posted: 29 Oct 2014 01:47 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. intelligence analysts are closely watching al-Qaida's overtures to the renegade Islamic State to reunite and fight the West, and while a full reconciliation is not on the horizon, there is evidence the two groups have curtailed their feud and are cooperating on the Syrian battlefield.

Peshmerga troops cheered by fellow Kurds in Turkey Posted: 29 Oct 2014 01:17 PM PDT SURUC, Turkey (AP) — Iraqi peshmerga troops were cheered Wednesday by fellow Kurds in southeastern Turkey as the fighters slowly made their way toward the Syrian Kurdish border town of Kobani to try to break a siege there by Islamic State militants.

PM Cameron appeals to Qatar emir for more investment Posted: 29 Oct 2014 12:50 PM PDT By William James LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister David Cameron on Wednesday urged Qatar to plough more of its vast oil and gas wealth into infrastructure projects across Britain during an official visit from the Gulf state's emir. Cameron asked Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to consider further funding to help Britain's push to develop cities in the north of the country and connect them to London using a high speed rail line, a statement released by his office said. Qatar is one of the world's richest countries and is already heavily invested in British firms and property. Among its highest profile investments are London's tallest building, the Shard, which was funded by the Qatari royal family, and the upmarket Harrods department store owned by sovereign wealth fund Qatar Investment Authority.

Kurdish convoy heads to Syria to take on Islamic State Posted: 29 Oct 2014 12:43 PM PDT By Dasha Afanasieva and Alexander Dziadosz SURUC Turkey/BEIRUT (Reuters) - A convoy of peshmerga fighters from northern Iraq headed across southeastern Turkey on Wednesday towards the Syrian town of Kobani to try to help fellow Kurds break an Islamic State siege which has defied U.S.-led air strikes. Kobani, on the border with Turkey, has been under assault for more than a month and its fate has become a test of the U.S.-led coalition's ability to combat the Sunni Muslim insurgents. ...

Islamic State releases 25 kidnapped Kurdish children Posted: 29 Oct 2014 12:08 PM PDT BEIRUT (Reuters) - Islamic State insurgents freed 25 Kurdish school children on Wednesday, the last of more than 150 children kidnapped in May to be released, a Kurdish official and a rights group said. The hardline Sunni Muslim group, which has fought Kurdish militia in Syria and Iraq, abducted the children aged 13 and 14 from the Syrian town of Kobani as they returned from taking exams in the city of Aleppo, rights groups said. "It is true. They were released from (the Syrian town of) Minbij today. ...

British jets intercept Latvian plane over southern England Posted: 29 Oct 2014 11:53 AM PDT LONDON (Reuters) - Two British Royal Air Force Typhoon jets were scrambled on Wednesday to intercept a Latvian cargo aircraft over southern England and escort it in to land at Stansted airport, but no security threat was found, officials said. Britain raised its terrorism alert in August to the second-highest level with Prime Minister David Cameron saying that Islamic State militants operating in Syria and Iraq posed the greatest threat to the country's security risk. ...

US warplanes bomb IS near Kobane to aid Kurds in Syria Posted: 29 Oct 2014 11:18 AM PDT US warplanes renewed air strikes against Islamic State jihadists near the Syrian town of Kobane, as Iraqi peshmerga soldiers prepared to reinforce their fellow Kurds in the border area, the US military said on Wednesday. US fighter jets and bombers on Tuesday and Wednesday carried out eight air raids near Kobane, targeting six vehicles, a building and several IS fighting positions over the past 24 hours, said the military's Central Command, which oversees the air war in Iraq and Syria. In Iraq, American unmanned drones and fighter jets conducted six bombing raids, including three near Sinjar in the north and three around Fallujah, west of Baghdad, Central Command said in a statement.

Homes for Our Troops to be Featured on 3 Episodes of Operation Build on History Channel & H2 in November Posted: 29 Oct 2014 10:36 AM PDT TAUNTON, Mass., Oct. 29, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Homes for Our Troops (HFOT), a national nonprofit that builds specially adapted homes for severely injured Veterans nationwide enabling them to rebuild their lives—will be featured in three episodes of a special edition of Operation Build, a new reality TV show airing on the History Channel, and H2 this November.The new miniseries is called "I'm Coming Home", and chronicles the courageous stories of three Purple Heart Service Members, while highlighting the work being done by Homes for Our Troops to help them in their journey back home. ...

UAE official warns of potential for IS-Shabab link Posted: 29 Oct 2014 09:43 AM PDT DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The United Arab Emirates' top diplomat warned Wednesday that the Islamic State group could team up with Islamic militants in Somalia, saying that more should be done to prepare for such a threat.

Residents: Islamic State group kills 30 Iraqi men Posted: 29 Oct 2014 09:42 AM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — Islamic State group militants lined up 30 men in western Iraq and shot them dead Wednesday, an official and residents said, the latest mass killing carried out by the group since its advance across the country.

IS jihadists execute more than 40 tribesmen in Iraq's Anbar Posted: 29 Oct 2014 09:31 AM PDT Jihadists from the Islamic State group executed Wednesday more than 40 members of a tribe that fought against them in Iraq's Anbar province, sources said. The men from the Albu Nimr tribe were killed in the Heet area, northwest of Baghdad, which was overrun by the militants earlier this month, a local leader and a doctor said. IS has overrun large areas of Anbar, and the killings are likely aimed at discouraging resistance from powerful local tribes, who will be key to any successful bid to retake the province. Pro-government forces have suffered a string of setbacks in Anbar in recent weeks.

Iraq's Abadi struggles to gain Sunni tribal support Posted: 29 Oct 2014 09:15 AM PDT By Ahmed Rasheed BAGHDAD (Reuters) - When Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi took office, he was regarded as a moderate Shi'ite leader who could win over powerful Sunni tribal chiefs to the fight against Islamic State. Three months later, Sunnis who once helped U.S. Marines kick the Islamic State's predecessor al Qaeda out of Iraq view Abadi with deep scepticism because he has yet to deliver on promises to support their neglected Sunni heartland Anbar province. ...

Egypt clears Gaza border area to create security buffer Posted: 29 Oct 2014 08:37 AM PDT By Yusri Mohamed ISMALIA Egypt (Reuters) - Egypt began clearing residents from its border with the Gaza Strip on Wednesday to create a buffer zone following some of the worst anti-state violence since President Mohamed Mursi was overthrown last year. A day after being ordered by the army to move, many in the area had already packed their belongings and begun to leave when an announcement from Cairo made the eviction official. "If any resident resists leaving the area in a cordial manner, their property ... will be forcibly seized," read the decree signed by Prime Minister Ibrahim Mehleb. ...

5 Investing Factors to Consider After a Plunge in Oil Prices Posted: 29 Oct 2014 07:58 AM PDT For consumers, the recent drop in oil prices is a relief. Lower prices at the pump means more cash to spend on discretionary items like clothes, electronics, dining out and more. Certain businesses, such as shipping and airlines, certainly benefit from lower fuel expenses. However, the factors behind the decline indicate a weaker global economy, and that could hurt growth in the U.S. Slowing growth around the world reduces the demand for oil, and more broadly reflects the fragility of the global economic recovery.

Canadian lawmakers strike defiant tone in return to Parliament Posted: 29 Oct 2014 07:46 AM PDT By Randall Palmer and Richard Valdmanis OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canadian lawmakers struck a defiant tone on Wednesday as they held their first caucuses since a gunman charged into the Parliament building after shooting dead a soldier in an attack that raised questions about the nation's low-key approach to security. Members of Parliament headed back to meeting rooms where some of them hid a week ago during a gun battle between security officers and an attacker described as a recent convert to Islam who struggled with drug addiction. "There are some jitters, there's nervousness. ...

War reporter-turned movie maker turns camera on Egyptian slums Posted: 29 Oct 2014 07:39 AM PDT By Maha El Dahan ABU DHABI (Reuters) - After working as a war cameraman for 18 years, getting injured twice along the way, Egyptian journalist Ibrahim al Batout decided to get away from the real-life violence and make movies. The movie stars Egyptian actor Amr Waked -- who most recently appeared alongside Scarlett Johansson in Luc Besson's "Lucy" -- as a gangster searching for his kidnapped daughter, a quest that exposes the grimmest side of life in Cairo's slums. A recent study by the Egyptian government put the number of street children at 3 million while some non-governmental organizations say it is 4 million.

Iraqi forces advance in new bid to end Baiji refinery siege Posted: 29 Oct 2014 06:42 AM PDT By Ahmed Rasheed BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi security forces said they advanced to within 2 km (1.2 miles) of the city of Baiji on Wednesday in a new offensive to retake the country's biggest oil refinery, besieged since June by Islamic State militants. Backed by Shi'ite militias and army helicopters, government forces have swept through a desert area to the west of Baiji, aiming to recapture the city 200 km (130 miles) north of the capital. ...

Kurds key in fight against Islamic State group Posted: 29 Oct 2014 06:23 AM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — The Kurds of Syria and Iraq have become a major part of the war against the Islamic State group, with Kurdish populations in both countries threatened by the militants' advance.

Iraq official: Islamic State group lined up 30 men in a town west of Baghdad, shot them dead Posted: 29 Oct 2014 06:11 AM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq official: Islamic State group lined up 30 men in a town west of Baghdad, shot them dead.

U.S. forces hit Islamic State 'command node' in new strikes: U.S. Posted: 29 Oct 2014 05:59 AM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. military conducted 14 air strikes on Tuesday and Wednesday against Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq, according to a statement from U.S. Central Command. U.S. forces in Syria made eight strikes near the key Syrian border town of Kobani near Turkey, destroying a small Islamic state unit of fighters, a "command and control node" and other buildings, vehicles and fighting positions for the militant group, Centcom said on Wednesday. In Iraq, U.S. ...

Iraqi Kurds, Syrian rebels join fight against Islamic State in Kobane Posted: 29 Oct 2014 05:40 AM PDT Two hundred Free Syrian Army fighters entered Kobane Wednesday morning to bolster the Syrian border city's dwindling defenses against the self-described Islamic State, even as 160 Kurdish fighters from northern Iraq arrived in Turkey en route to join the fight. Both deployments come at a pivotal moment for Kurdish fighters already in the besieged town.

Australian ISIS Leader Killed in the Middle East Posted: 29 Oct 2014 04:53 AM PDT The distance between Australia and the Islamic State increased over the last week, as the infamous Australian terrorist Mohammad Ali Baryalei has reportedly been killed in Syria. His last known location was Raqqa, which has become the home base of ISIS.Baryalei's death has been widely confirmed on social media, though the date of his death was not specified and the Australian attorney general would not confirm his death, per government policy. ...

Thales wins 1.9 bn-euro bid for British military air traffic Posted: 29 Oct 2014 04:31 AM PDT London (AFP) - French aerospace giant Thales and British air traffic control services have won a £1.5 billion (1.9 billion euro, $2.4 billion) contract to upgrade Britain's military air traffic system, the defence ministry said on Wednesday.

How Yemen Is Making ISIS and al-Qaeda Even More Dangerous Posted: 29 Oct 2014 03:45 AM PDT The Houthis are a religious Zaidi Shia movement with an armed wing, similar to the Sadr movement in Iraq and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Experts say the Houthi advance into Sana'a and beyond is a further sign Yemen is descending into a sectarian civil war that will only add to the instability in the Middle East — and could ultimately provide a stronger base for al-Qaeda and ISIS, as well as a common enemy that may bring those two terror groups together. "All the ingredients for a civil war in Yemen are amassed and merging: a fragile government, a divided society, regional rivalry, a history of violence, etc. Furthermore, the Houthi rebels in recent weeks extended their control of areas that are far from their popular base," said Massaab Al-Aloosy, a Middle Eastern Affairs analyst and former researcher at the World Peace Foundation in Massachusetts. The developments in Yemen echo Iraq in 2006 and 2014 and Syria in 2012, where the Sunni population felt threatened by dominant Shiite militias, creating a receptive hub for the terror groups.

Syria rebels cross from Turkey to join Kobane battle Posted: 29 Oct 2014 03:21 AM PDT A group of fighters from the rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA) crossed into Syria from Turkey on Wednesday to join Kurdish fighters defending the border town of Kobane against Islamic State jihadists, a local Turkish official said. The official, who asked not to be named, said 150 FSA fighters crossed overnight in several buses. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, confirmed the information but put the number at 50 fighters. The pro-Kurdish Firat news agency said the FSA fighters had crossed in eight vehicles at the Mursitpinar border crossing.

Analysts: Al-Qaida still offers olive branch to IS Posted: 29 Oct 2014 01:03 AM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Al-Qaida is using U.S. airstrikes in Syria as a reason to extend olive branches to the renegade Islamic State group, saying the two should stop feuding and join forces to attack Western targets — a reunification that intelligence analysts say would allow al-Qaida to capitalize on the younger group's ruthless advance across the region.

Kerry says Canadian parliament attack clearly 'terrorist act' Posted: 29 Oct 2014 12:01 AM PDT By David Brunnstrom and Randall Palmer OTTAWA (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Tuesday that an attack on the Canadian parliament and the country's National War Memorial last week in which a soldier was killed was clearly a terrorist act. "Clearly, anybody who walks up in a premeditated way with a loaded rifle and attacks someone in uniform then purposely goes to a parliament, is committing, by common sense standards, a terrorist act," Kerry told a news briefing after talks in Ottawa with his Canadian counterpart, Foreign Minister John Baird. ...

Iraq Sunni exiles say bombs cannot defeat IS Posted: 28 Oct 2014 10:58 PM PDT As US-led warplanes pound jihadists in Iraq, prominent Sunni exiles say that empowering their marginalised minority will be more important than bombs and missiles in defeating the Islamic State extremist group. Deadly sectarian tensions have riven Iraq since the fall of Saddam Hussein more than a decade ago, with Sunni anger at the Shiite-led authorities seen as a key factor behind the rise of IS. Sunni-led IS has seized swathes of Iraq and Syria, declaring an Islamic "caliphate" and committing widespread atrocities. Under Saddam, Iraq's Sunni community -- although a minority -- kept a tight grip on power.

Australia seeking to confirm death of top IS member Posted: 28 Oct 2014 10:01 PM PDT Canberra is seeking to confirm reports the most senior Australian Islamic State recruit has been killed, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said Wednesday, as the Senate passed tough new foreign fighter laws. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation said Afghan-born Mohammad Ali Baryalei, reportedly a former nightclub bouncer and aspiring actor, was believed to have died in fighting in recent days. Baryalei has been accused of ordering "demonstration killings" in Australia, including beheading a random member of the public. "It does highlight what the government has been saying, that Australians who leave this country to fight in Iraq and Syria are putting themselves in mortal danger," she said.

Mastermind of failed Australia beheading plot killed in Middle East: reports Posted: 28 Oct 2014 07:35 PM PDT By Matt Siegel SYDNEY (Reuters) - A former Sydney bouncer said to have masterminded a failed plot by Islamic State militants to behead a random member of the public in Australia is believed to have died in the Middle East, Australian media reported on Wednesday. Mohammad Ali Baryalei, who was believed to be one of the group's most senior members and a top recruiter of foreign fighters, was thought to have died in fighting in Syria or Iraq four or five days ago, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported. ...

Jeb Bush: Obama handling of Ebola 'incompetent' Posted: 28 Oct 2014 07:17 PM PDT NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush on Tuesday criticized President Barack Obama's initial handling of the Ebola crisis as "incompetent," saying it gave rise to unneeded fears among the American public about the virus.

IS attack on Syria oil field 'kills 30' Posted: 28 Oct 2014 05:37 PM PDT Islamic State group jihadists have attacked an oil and gas field in Syria, killing at least 30 pro-regime forces and security guards, a monitoring group said Wednesday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the attack was launched on Tuesday night and fighting continued through the night. "IS managed to control parts of the field," the Britain-based group said after the assault at Shaer, in Homs province. An unknown number of jihadists were also killed, Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP.

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