Yahoo! News: Iraq

---

• Canada says fighter jets make first strike against Islamic State
• Canadian warplanes launch first airstrike in Iraq
• Qaeda's Nusra lays out conditions to release captured Lebanese soldiers
• France's Hollande in Canada to drum up trade
• IS jihadists carry out mass killings of Iraqi tribe
• Death toll from Islamic State massacre of Sunni tribe in Anbar surges
• Iraq blasts targeting Shiites kills at least 19
• Shiites head to Iraq's Karbala under jihadist threat
• Iraqi Kurds join fight against Islamic State in Kobani
• Islamic State group kills 50 Iraqis
• Factbox: Control of U.S. Senate hinges on a handful of crucial states
• 55 killed in suicide blast at Pakistan-India border post
• AP Interview: Iraqi Kurds in Kobani 'temporarily'
• Assad's Syria truncated, battered _ but defiant
• To salvage his presidency, Obama faces pressure to reboot - but will he?
• Car bomb kills eight Shi'ites in Baghdad ahead of festival
• Iraq says 322 tribe members killed, many bodies dumped in well
• U.S., allies conduct seven strikes on Islamic State in Iraq, Syria
• Senate elections 101: Arkansas considers ending its blue-state legacy
• Car bomb targeting Shi'ite pilgrims kills 12 in Baghdad
• How a GOP Senate Would Challenge Obama on Foreign Policy
• Here’s Why You Can’t Get a Good Night’s Sleep
• Qatar pares support for Islamists but careful to preserve ties
• Seizing its chance, Iran seeks tourism revival
• For Obama and Xi, fight against Islamic State a brief moment to agree
• Syria escalates barrel bomb attacks as world attention shifts
• Utah National Guard disciplines four servicemen over bikini-model video
• UNESCO chief slams 'barbaric' destruction of Iraq heritage

Canada says fighter jets make first strike against Islamic State Posted: 02 Nov 2014 04:39 PM PST TORONTO (Reuters) - Canadian fighter jets have made their first combat strike since joining a campaign against Islamic State fighters in Iraq last month, Canada's defense minister said on Sunday. Two Canadian CF-18 jets attacked Islamic State targets with laser guided bombs in the vicinity of Fallujah, Iraq in a four-hour mission before returning safely to base, Defense Minister Rob Nicholson said in a statement. ...

Canadian warplanes launch first airstrike in Iraq Posted: 02 Nov 2014 04:02 PM PST TORONTO (AP) — Canadian warplanes involved in the U.S.-led bombing campaign against militants in Iraq have launched their first airstrikes since deploying to the region.

Qaeda's Nusra lays out conditions to release captured Lebanese soldiers Posted: 02 Nov 2014 02:10 PM PST BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Syrian Nusra Front has offered to free Lebanese soldiers it has captured in exchange for Islamist prisoners held in Syria and Lebanon, the SITE Intelligence Group reported on Sunday. The al Qaeda-linked front said in a statement monitored by SITE that it had presented a Qatari negotiator with three proposals for the release of the soldiers, taken when its fighters and militants from the Islamic State, which controls parts of Iraq and Syria, briefly seized the border town of Arsal in August. ...

France's Hollande in Canada to drum up trade Posted: 02 Nov 2014 01:35 PM PST President Francois Hollande began the first visit to Canada by a French leader in a quarter of a century on Sunday, flying in to the country's oil-rich west to drum up transatlantic trade. A new trade pact between Canada and the European Union is due to come into effect in the coming years, eliminating 98 percent of tariffs on goods and services and potentially boosting commerce by a fifth. France is keen to win its share of any new deals and to increase research ties with Canadian universities, as well as to pay tribute to a close ally in the struggle against violent extremism. On Monday, Hollande will speak before Canada's federal parliament in Ottawa, which less than two weeks ago was the scene of a shootout between police and a lone gunman with jihadist sympathies.

IS jihadists carry out mass killings of Iraqi tribe Posted: 02 Nov 2014 12:46 PM PST The Islamic State group has carried out a fresh wave of mass killings, officials said Sunday, executing more than 200 members of an Iraqi tribe which took up arms against the jihadists. Women and children were said to be among scores of Albu Nimr tribespeople executed over the past 10 days in western Iraq's Anbar province. IS, a Sunni extremist group that has seized large parts of Iraq and Syria, is expected to target Ashura pilgrims, and 19 people died in attacks on Shiites on Sunday. The executions in Anbar came after Sunni Albu Nimr tribesmen took up arms against IS in the province, large parts of which have been overrun by the jihadists.

Death toll from Islamic State massacre of Sunni tribe in Anbar surges Posted: 02 Nov 2014 12:38 PM PST Iraqi officials upped the death toll of a massacre of Sunni Arab tribesmen by the self-styled Islamic State today to 322, making it among the largest massacres of civilians carried out by the group so far in its campaign to terrify Iraqi civilians and security forces from opposing the group.

Iraq blasts targeting Shiites kills at least 19 Posted: 02 Nov 2014 12:36 PM PST Two car bomb blasts targeting Shiites in Baghdad ahead of the major Ashura religious commemorations killed at least 19 people on Sunday, security and medical officials said. In the evening another car bomb exploded in the majority Shiite Sadr City district of northeast Baghdad, killing six people and wounding 19. Earlier Sunday, a car bomb blew up near a police checkpoint in central Baghdad killing five people and wounding 17, while another bombing in western Baghdad killed one person and wounded five. Hundreds of thousands of Shiite pilgrims will flock to the Iraqi shrine city of Karbala for Ashura, which marks the death of Imam Hussein, one of the most revered figures in Shiite Islam.

Shiites head to Iraq's Karbala under jihadist threat Posted: 02 Nov 2014 12:10 PM PST Hundreds of thousands of Shiites will flock to Iraq's Karbala this week under threat from jihadists who consider them heretics and now hold large parts of the country. Pilgrims making the trip to the shrine city of Karbala for Ashura, which marks the death of Imam Hussein, one of the most revered figures in Shiite Islam, have been targeted in the past by deadly bombings. The pilgrimage is a major test for the new government headed by Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi, as well as for Iraq's security forces, who have struggled to push the militants back. A major attack during the commemorations in Karbala, where Imam Hussein is buried, would increase already-significant tensions between Iraq's Shiite majority and Sunni Arab minority, and could spark revenge attacks.

Iraqi Kurds join fight against Islamic State in Kobani Posted: 02 Nov 2014 11:58 AM PST By Mariam Karouny and Omer Berberoglu BEIRUT/MURSITPINAR Turkey (Reuters) - Iraqi Kurdish fighters have joined the fight against Islamic State militants in Kobani, hoping their support for fellow Kurds backed by U.S.-led air strikes will keep the ultra-hardline group from seizing the Syrian border town. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the civil war, said heavy clashes erupted in Kobani and that both sides had suffered casualties, while the U.S. military said it had launched more air raids on Islamic State over the weekend. ...

Islamic State group kills 50 Iraqis Posted: 02 Nov 2014 11:42 AM PST BAGHDAD (AP) — Islamic State group extremists lined up and shot dead at least 50 Iraqi men, women and children from the same tribe on Sunday, officials said, in the latest targeting of the group by militants.

Factbox: Control of U.S. Senate hinges on a handful of crucial states Posted: 02 Nov 2014 11:42 AM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - American voters will decide which party controls the U.S. Senate in Tuesday's elections, and at least 10 competitive races are still considered too close to predict a winner. Thirty-six of the 100 Senate seats are at stake in the midterm elections, which are held halfway through the four-year presidential term. Republicans must pick up six more seats from Democrats to reclaim a majority. All 435 seats are up for election in the House of Representatives, where Republicans are expected to expand their majority, and governors will be chosen in 36 states. ...

55 killed in suicide blast at Pakistan-India border post Posted: 02 Nov 2014 11:39 AM PST A suicide bomber killed at least 55 people Sunday at the main Pakistan-India border crossing, the blast tearing through crowds of spectators leaving after the colourful daily ceremony to close the frontier.

AP Interview: Iraqi Kurds in Kobani 'temporarily' Posted: 02 Nov 2014 11:30 AM PST IRBIL, Iraq (AP) — Iraqi Kurdish forces will only stay in Syria "temporarily" to help reinforce fellow Kurds fighting to defend the town of Kobani from militants with the Islamic State group, an Iraqi Kurdish politician said Sunday, adding that coalition airstrikes alone will not defeat the militant threat.

Assad's Syria truncated, battered _ but defiant Posted: 02 Nov 2014 10:56 AM PST TARTOUS, Syria (AP) — Syrian businessmen start from scratch after their shops and factories were destroyed. Families who lost their homes struggle to rent new dwellings and make ends meet. Along highways stretching through government-controlled areas are the bombed ruins of once-rebellious towns, now dotted with checkpoints.

To salvage his presidency, Obama faces pressure to reboot - but will he? Posted: 02 Nov 2014 10:32 AM PST By Matt Spetalnick and Roberta Rampton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A reshuffling of President Barack Obama's staff looks all but certain after Tuesday's congressional elections, which are likely to bring humbling losses to his Democratic party and could add to pressure on him to reboot his presidency. Forecasters say that Republicans, who have made Obama's unpopularity a top issue in the elections, are in a strong position to capture the six seats they need to take over the Senate from Democrats. They are also expected to expand their majority in the House of Representatives. ...

Car bomb kills eight Shi'ites in Baghdad ahead of festival Posted: 02 Nov 2014 09:04 AM PST BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A car bomb in central Baghdad killed at least eight Shi'ite pilgrims on Sunday, police and medics said. Iraq's majority Shi'ites are preparing for the religious festival of Ashura, an event that has been marred by car and suicide bombings in the past. Earlier, a car bomb targeting Shi'ite pilgrims killed 12 people in Baghdad, police and hospital sources said. At mosques and shrines across Iraq, millions of Shi'ites are expected to commemorate the slaying of Prophet Mohammad's grandson Hussein at the Battle of Kerbala in 680 AD. ...

Iraq says 322 tribe members killed, many bodies dumped in well Posted: 02 Nov 2014 07:02 AM PST By Michael Georgy BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Islamic State militants have killed 322 members of an Iraqi tribe in western Anbar province, including dozens of women and children whose bodies were dumped in a well, the government said in the first official confirmation of the scale of the massacre. The systematic killings, which one tribal leader said were continuing on Sunday, marked some of the worst bloodshed in Iraq since the Sunni militants swept through the north in June with the aim of establishing medieval caliphate there and in Syria. ...

U.S., allies conduct seven strikes on Islamic State in Iraq, Syria Posted: 02 Nov 2014 06:30 AM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. military forces staged seven air strikes on Islamic State targets in Syria on Saturday and Sunday and were joined by allies in two more attacks in Iraq, the U.S. Central Command said. In Syria, U.S. attack, fighter and bomber aircraft again focused on the Kobani area with five strikes that hit five small Islamic State units. Two strikes southeast of Dayr Az Zawr also destroyed an Islamic State tank and vehicle shelters, Central Command said. U.S. and partner nations hit small Islamic State units near the Iraqi cities of Bayji and Fallujah. ...

Senate elections 101: Arkansas considers ending its blue-state legacy Posted: 02 Nov 2014 05:00 AM PST The Monitor's "Senate elections 101" series looks at the specific issues that will be driving voters in each of the 10 tossup races.

Car bomb targeting Shi'ite pilgrims kills 12 in Baghdad Posted: 02 Nov 2014 04:03 AM PST BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A car bomb targeting Shi'ite pilgrims killed 12 people in Baghdad on Sunday, police and hospital sources said. Iraq is bracing for more sectarian attacks on Shi'ites, who are preparing for the religious festival of Ashura, an event that defines Shi'ism and its rift with Sunni Islam. At mosques and shrines across Iraq, millions of Shi'ites are expected to commemorate the slaying of Prophet Mohammad's grandson Hussein at the battle of Kerbala in 680 AD. The level of violence this year could be especially high because of the presence of Islamic State militants in Iraq. ...

How a GOP Senate Would Challenge Obama on Foreign Policy Posted: 02 Nov 2014 03:45 AM PST For years, Republicans have criticized President Obama's foreign policy and defense strategy in the Mideast and Far East, even while their own party has had to live down the costly blunders in Iraq and Afghanistan of former president George W. Bush. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), a leading GOP figure on national security and foreign affairs, has widely blamed Obama for allowing Russian President Vladimir Putin to run roughshod over eastern Ukraine without providing Ukraine leaders with the necessary military support to fight back. Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN), the ranking Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations and other GOP leaders fear Obama may give away the farm in the current negotiations with Iran over the future of that country's nuclear program and international sanctions.

Here’s Why You Can’t Get a Good Night’s Sleep Posted: 02 Nov 2014 03:15 AM PST 2. I'm going to be killed by a terrorist! That would be true if you were Bashar Assad. So embrace it!

Qatar pares support for Islamists but careful to preserve ties Posted: 02 Nov 2014 01:15 AM PST By Amena Bakr DOHA (Reuters) - Qatar has joined the American-led coalition to fight Islamic State, yet the emirate is a haven for anti-Western groups and foreign diplomats have reported seeing cars with Islamic State logos in an affluent bay district. When the United States sought allies against Islamic State in Sept, Qatar was among the Gulf Arab states that sent its warplanes into action. In fact, a security source close to the government said, its planes did attack Islamic State targets in Syria later in the campaign, although that has not been officially confirmed.

Seizing its chance, Iran seeks tourism revival Posted: 01 Nov 2014 11:50 PM PDT At the foot of Persepolis, busloads of foreign tourists gaze in awe at the ancient mud-brick ceremonial capital that Iran hopes will be part of a rebirth of its tourism industry. Persepolis, a jewel of the first Persian empire whose palace and terraces took more than 100 years to build, starting under Darius the Great in 518 BC, is one of the highlights. "Before coming to Iran I knew the vision of this country from the outside was very dark," says Piotr Chwalba, from Poland, finally looking at Persepolis after thinking for years of visiting. "A place like Iran has two sides -- the one created by the media and the other version, the truth, where everyone helps you when you travel and everyone smiles at you.

For Obama and Xi, fight against Islamic State a brief moment to agree Posted: 01 Nov 2014 09:08 PM PDT By Michael Martina and David Brunnstrom BEIJING/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - When the United States and China discuss cooperating against Islamic State later this month, the most prominent outcome is likely to be less criticism of each other's anti-terrorism policies. Both countries have flagged that President Barack Obama and President Xi Jinping will discuss the issue when they meet on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Beijing. Cooperation like sharing intelligence will be difficult. And China will not commit troops or weapons. ...

Syria escalates barrel bomb attacks as world attention shifts Posted: 01 Nov 2014 07:56 PM PDT With global attention focused on the fight against jihadists, Syria's regime has in recent weeks stepped up its use of deadly barrel bomb strikes, killing civilians and wreaking devastation. In less than a fortnight, warplanes have dropped at least 401 barrel bombs on rebel areas in eight provinces, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group. Activist Yassin Abu Raed, from the town of Anadan in northern Aleppo province, has seen his house hit three times in barrel bomb attacks. "Barrel bombs kill those we love most, they destroy houses, dreams and memories, and leave us without any hope that the killing will ever stop."

Utah National Guard disciplines four servicemen over bikini-model video Posted: 01 Nov 2014 07:44 PM PDT By Alex Dobuzinskis (Reuters) - The Utah National Guard is forcing an officer into early retirement for his involvement in a video featuring bikini-clad models riding in a tank, and three other service members face lesser discipline, a guard spokesman said on Saturday. The non-commissioned officer allowed part of the video, which surfaced on the Internet last month, to be produced at Camp Williams in the Salt Lake Valley, said National Guard spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Steve Fairbourn. ...

UNESCO chief slams 'barbaric' destruction of Iraq heritage Posted: 01 Nov 2014 05:28 PM PDT UNESCO chief Irina Bokova on Sunday slammed the "barbaric" destruction of Iraq's cultural heritage, as jihadists from the Islamic State group destroy age-old sites in areas they control. Iraq has "thousands of temples, of buildings, of archaeological sites, of objects, that represent a treasure for (all) humanity," Bokova said during a visit to Baghdad. The extremist group has destroyed shrines, churches and precious manuscripts in Mosul, Tikrit and other areas of Iraq it controls and excavated sites to sell objects abroad, in what Bokova has previously described as "cultural cleansing".

You are subscribed to email updates from Iraq News Headlines - Yahoo! News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States