Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• Air strikes 'killed' French bombmaker in Syria: US
• APNewsBreak: Jihadis on cruise ships to Syria
• Obama writes rare letter to Iran's supreme leader
• 'Dead' French bombmaker: a football fan turned jihadist
• Former Illinois congressman Evans dies at 63
• McCain: Give Obama More War Powers Against ISIS
• Former Navy SEAL comes forward as bin Laden shooter
• VA chief: Wait times down, choice cards in mail
• Who shot Osama bin Laden? Dueling SEAL Team Six narratives
• Libya's Downward Spiral Continues
• The best weapon in Obama's war on Islamic State
• U.S. launches fresh strikes on Khorasan group in Syria
• US official: Top bomb-maker hit in Syria strikes
• Obama has written to Iran supreme leader: report
• Islamic State suffering setbacks in Syria and Iraq
• Congress Lame Duck ISIS Strategy Must Address Fact That Training Is A Myth, Assert Former White House Spokesman Robert Weiner & Foreign Policy Analyst Joseph Abay; Washington Times Article Today
• Operation Homefront Calls for Greater Support of Military Families
• AC/DC's Phil Rudd accused of murder-for-hire plot
• VA chief Bob McDonald: curbing culture seen as callous toward veterans
• Springsteen auctions guitars, lasagna for veterans
• Former US Rep Lane Evans, veterans advocate, dies
• The Threat from Saudi Arabia’s Oil Power Play
• Attacks in Iraq, mainly targeting troops, kill 13
• U.S. Veterans Affairs to seek more healthcare funds: secretary
• Jerusalem tension leaves Jordan more exposed to Mideast turmoil
• 5 free things in suburban Maryland just outside DC
• Uncurbed sectarianism prompted village attack say Saudi Shi'ites
• "ISIS Killed My Father"
• Obama Indicates Some Room for Compromise with GOP
• Australian striker Kennedy joins Melbourne City as Villa leaves
• Four Tunisian soldiers killed in suspected Islamist attack
• Despite election defeat, foreign policy is not 'game over' for Obama
• Obama to seek authority from Congress for Islamic State fight
• A TOUGH NIGHT AT MSNBC
• In Southeast Iran, mourning the cost of a Sunni insurgency

Air strikes 'killed' French bombmaker in Syria: US Posted: 06 Nov 2014 04:45 PM PST US air raids in Syria overnight targeted and likely killed a French bombmaker who was a key figure in an Al-Qaeda offshoot accused of plotting attacks on the West, a defense official said Thursday. David Drugeon was a Muslim convert suspected of working with Al-Qaeda veterans in what Washington calls the Khorasan group, which American officials say is a dangerous militant outfit planning to attack the United States and other Western countries. US officials have portrayed Drugeon, 24, as a dangerous figure and his death was touted as a serious setback for the Khorasan group. A military officer also expressed confidence that Drugeon was probably killed and said the operation represented a success for Washington's counter-terrorism efforts.

APNewsBreak: Jihadis on cruise ships to Syria Posted: 06 Nov 2014 04:39 PM PST MONACO (AP) — Would-be jihadi fighters are increasingly booking tickets on cruise ships to join extremists in battle zones in Syria and Iraq, hoping to bypass stepped-up efforts to thwart them in neighboring Turkey, Interpol officials have told The Associated Press.

Obama writes rare letter to Iran's supreme leader Posted: 06 Nov 2014 03:33 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — In a rare outreach to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, President Barack Obama has written a letter about the fight against Islamic State militants, a common enemy in Syria and Iraq, according to diplomatic sources.

'Dead' French bombmaker: a football fan turned jihadist Posted: 06 Nov 2014 03:10 PM PST From football stadiums to international jihad, the 24-year-old Frenchman who was likely killed in US air strikes in Syria converted as a teen to Islam before joining increasingly radical groups. David Drugeon is thought to have been travelling in a car in Syria's Idlib province when a drone strike hit the vehicle and likely killed him and the driver, a US official and media reports said Thursday. Born in 1989 in the western city of Vannes into a middle-class family, he became passionate about football and would travel to the southern city of Marseille with his father to see his favourite team, OM, play. When his parents divorced in 2002, Drugeon and his brother Cyril drew close to ultraconservative Salafist Muslims who would gather in their district.

Former Illinois congressman Evans dies at 63 Posted: 06 Nov 2014 03:02 PM PST (Reuters) - Former Illinois congressman Lane Evans, a champion for U.S. veterans who had suffered with Parkinson's disease for years, died late on Wednesday in East Moline, Illinois, his guardian said. He was 63. Evans, a Democrat who represented the Quad Cities in northwestern Illinois, was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1982 and served until 2007. "Former Representative Lane Evans was one of the most decent people I've met in public life," David Axelrod, a former adviser to President Barack Obama, said on Twitter. ...

McCain: Give Obama More War Powers Against ISIS Posted: 06 Nov 2014 02:56 PM PST Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), arguably one of the severest critics of President Obama's foreign policy, says he's prepared to give the president a very wide berth in pursuing the war against the ISIS jihadists in Syria and Iraq as part of new war powers authority that Congress is now certain to approve either later this month or early next year when the GOP takes full control of Congress. "I would like to see an authorization that frankly does not restrict the commander in chief," McCain told MSNBC on Thursday.

Former Navy SEAL comes forward as bin Laden shooter Posted: 06 Nov 2014 02:37 PM PST A former US Navy SEAL who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and once rescued a ship captain from Somali pirates revealed himself Thursday as the man who killed Osama bin Laden. Robert O'Neill, 38, told The Washington Post that he fired the fatal shot that hit the Al-Qaeda leader in the forehead at his hideout in the Pakistani garrison city of Abbottabad in May 2011. SOFREP's revelation was in protest at O'Neill's decision to reveal his role in the mission. The highly decorated Montana native told the Post that he was near the head of the column of US soldiers that raided bin Laden's compound, adding that at least two other SEALs fired shots.

VA chief: Wait times down, choice cards in mail Posted: 06 Nov 2014 01:51 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — Wait times for veterans care at VA hospitals and clinics have been reduced by 18 percent since May, Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald said Thursday.

Who shot Osama bin Laden? Dueling SEAL Team Six narratives Posted: 06 Nov 2014 01:19 PM PST Ever since 911 terrorist mastermind and al Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden was tracked down and killed in Abbottabad, Pakistan, in 2011, the identity of the US Navy SEAL who pulled the trigger has been the subject of much speculation – as much as would have been the case if someone had been able to end the life of Adolf Hitler.

Libya's Downward Spiral Continues Posted: 06 Nov 2014 12:48 PM PST This has not been a great year for Libya, and on Thursday, things got worse. Libya's Supreme Court announced the dissolution of the country's elected parliament in Tobruk, a city where the country's internationally recognized government has governed in exile since Islamist forces pushed them out of Tripoli. The parliament assumed office after a June 25 vote that brought Abdullah al-Thinni, a moderate, into power. The Supreme Court decision sparked both celebration and outcry.

The best weapon in Obama's war on Islamic State Posted: 06 Nov 2014 12:27 PM PST The first aim in President Obama's war on Islamic State is to "degrade" the militant group. At a physical level, he is on track. American airstrikes have pushed IS to retreat in many areas. And Iraq's newly regrouped Army, along with Kurdish fighters, has taken back a few IS-controlled areas.

U.S. launches fresh strikes on Khorasan group in Syria Posted: 06 Nov 2014 12:24 PM PST By Mark Hosenball and Phil Stewart WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States said it conducted air strikes on Wednesday night against the so-called Khorasan group, an al Qaeda-linked militant faction based in Syria, and said the group was plotting to attack Europe or the United States. U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said a target of the strike was David Drugeon, a French-born militant and convert to Islam who some U.S. officials say is a bomb maker for the group. General Lloyd Austin, the head of the U.S. ...

US official: Top bomb-maker hit in Syria strikes Posted: 06 Nov 2014 12:18 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — American airstrikes overnight in Syria targeted a cell of al-Qaida militants, hitting and possibly killing a top bomb-maker in the group, two senior U.S. officials said Thursday, amid widespread reports that other rebel factions were also hit.

Obama has written to Iran supreme leader: report Posted: 06 Nov 2014 11:36 AM PST US President Barack Obama has secretly written to Iran's supreme leader to discuss possible cooperation in the fight against Islamic militants providing there is a nuclear deal, a US daily reported Thursday. Obama sent the letter last month to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and described what he called a "shared fight" against the Sunni militant Islamic State group, the Wall Street Journal said, citing "people briefed on the correspondence." Iran, a Shiite Muslim state, and the United States have not had diplomatic ties since the 1979 storming of the American embassy in Tehran and the 444-day hostage crisis.

Islamic State suffering setbacks in Syria and Iraq Posted: 06 Nov 2014 11:17 AM PST BEIRUT (AP) — For a force that has built its reputation on an aura of momentum and invincibility, the Islamic State group is now dealing with a series of military setbacks in Iraq and a prolonged stalemate in the small Syrian border town of Kobani.

Congress Lame Duck ISIS Strategy Must Address Fact That Training Is A Myth, Assert Former White House Spokesman Robert Weiner & Foreign Policy Analyst Joseph Abay; Washington Times Article Today Posted: 06 Nov 2014 11:06 AM PST WASHINGTON, Nov. 6, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Former White House spokesman Robert Weiner and policy analyst Joseph Abay assert that centuries of ethnic strife and religious divisions, no loyalty, and drug funding have made "training" against ISIS and throughout the Middle East a "myth" and an unrealistic strategy goal, despite recent emphasis on "training opposition" to ISIS in recent White House speeches, national strategy meetings, and U.N. speeches. ...

Operation Homefront Calls for Greater Support of Military Families Posted: 06 Nov 2014 11:00 AM PST SAN ANTONIO, Nov. 6, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Operation Homefront, the national nonprofit that provides emergency financial and other assistance to the families of our service members and wounded warriors, today issued a call for increased support for our military this Holiday season.   Americans who wish to support military families can log on to OperationHomefront.net/AnswerTheCall, where they can learn more about the unique demands of military service and what they can do to help. ...

AC/DC's Phil Rudd accused of murder-for-hire plot Posted: 06 Nov 2014 10:49 AM PST WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Australian rock band AC/DC says the arrest of its drummer in an alleged murder-for-hire plot won't affect its upcoming tour or album release.

VA chief Bob McDonald: curbing culture seen as callous toward veterans Posted: 06 Nov 2014 10:22 AM PST Now that he is in his 100th day on the job, Department of Veteran Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald has seen the flood of calls and texts to his cell phone – a number he famously handed out to lawmakers during his first congressional hearing – decrease from about 250 to "maybe five to ten a day," he said Thursday.

Springsteen auctions guitars, lasagna for veterans Posted: 06 Nov 2014 10:05 AM PST NEW YORK (AP) — How much for a guitar played by Bruce Springsteen, an hour lesson on how to play it, a lasagna dinner at his house and a ride in the sidecar of his motorcycle? $300,000.

Former US Rep Lane Evans, veterans advocate, dies Posted: 06 Nov 2014 09:33 AM PST CHICAGO (AP) — Former Illinois Rep. Lane Evans, a Vietnam War-era Marine who fought for veterans' rights during his 24 years in the U.S. House, has died after a long fight with Parkinson's disease.

The Threat from Saudi Arabia’s Oil Power Play Posted: 06 Nov 2014 09:30 AM PST By "here," I mean Saudi Arabia throwing its weight around in the global oil markets and triggering what we can only call a kind of reverse oil shock as a result. The consequences were particularly visible on Tuesday, when Saudi Arabia slashed the price at which it is willing to export crude oil to the United States, even as it boosted prices to buyers in Europe and Asia. If you thought that crude oil prices were set simply by what is happening to the global economy — the forces of supply and demand, and the answers to pressing questions such as whether China's economy can struggle back to health — then you've simply been reading too much Adam Smith lately. Clearly, those are still crucial, and have played a role in the deflation of what some have labeled a shale oil bubble.

Attacks in Iraq, mainly targeting troops, kill 13 Posted: 06 Nov 2014 09:08 AM PST BAGHDAD (AP) — A series of attacks, mainly against Iraqi troops, killed 13 people in Baghdad and in the country's west on Thursday as the government pressed ahead with a draft law meant to establish a community-based national guard force in efforts to mobilize Iraq's Sunni minority in the battle against the Islamic State group.

U.S. Veterans Affairs to seek more healthcare funds: secretary Posted: 06 Nov 2014 08:51 AM PST By David Lawder WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Veterans Affairs Department will seek further budget increases to deal with medical appointment backlogs and the mounting costs of caring for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, VA Secretary Bob McDonald said on Thursday. The increases will be requested on top of about $16 billion in emergency funds that Congress approved last summer amid a scandal over veterans languishing on long waiting lists for care at VA clinics and hospitals. "We need more," McDonald told a media breakfast hosted by the Christian Science Monitor. ...

Jerusalem tension leaves Jordan more exposed to Mideast turmoil Posted: 06 Nov 2014 08:24 AM PST By Tom Perry and Suleiman Al-Khalidi AMMAN (Reuters) - As Jordan joins a military campaign against Islamic State militants in Syria, tensions in Jerusalem pose a potentially bigger risk to a nation only slightly scathed by the turmoil sweeping the Middle East. For Jordanian King Abdullah, a majority of whose 7 million subjects are Palestinian, a one-day closure of al-Aqsa last week amounted to a personal affront: his Hashemite dynasty derives part of its legitimacy from its custodianship of the holy site. "One of the major things that angers the Jordanian state and people is the Israeli behaviour in Jerusalem. While Israel says it is sensitive to Jordan's views and blames extremists for stirring up trouble at the site, Amman is responding in unusually tough terms.

5 free things in suburban Maryland just outside DC Posted: 06 Nov 2014 08:13 AM PST SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP) — In the past 20 years, the Maryland suburbs just outside Washington, D.C., have boomed, and that population growth has been accompanied by development and even tourists. Now when folks visit Washington, they may choose to stay in hotels just outside the capital in Silver Spring, Rockville or Bethesda, cities in Maryland that are all connected to Washington by Metro.

Uncurbed sectarianism prompted village attack say Saudi Shi'ites Posted: 06 Nov 2014 04:43 AM PST By Angus McDowall Al-Dalwah SAUDI ARABIA (Reuters) - On Monday Sunni militants attacked a Shi'ite Muslim village in Saudi Arabia and left eight people dead. By Wednesday, grief among the villagers was mixed with anger about a culture of sectarianism they say paved the way for the shooting. With civil wars in Iraq and Syria now being fought along mainly sectarian lines, Saudi Arabia's Shi'a minority feels increasingly vulnerable in a country where anger is rising among the majority sect at the plight of Sunnis in other countries. ...

"ISIS Killed My Father" Posted: 06 Nov 2014 03:30 AM PST I arrived at Baghdad central morgue at midday. At that time--December 19, 2006--the Ministry of Health was controlled by the Mahdi army, the Shiite militia that was involved in the sectarian war.

Obama Indicates Some Room for Compromise with GOP Posted: 06 Nov 2014 02:15 AM PST President Obama wouldn't go so far as to say he and his party took a "shellacking" from the Republicans Tuesday night, as he did four years ago in describing another major midterm election setback for his party. After conferring by phone with Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky – the soon-to-be new Majority Leader of the Senate – and House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), the president said that he had gotten the message from voters at the polls on Tuesday. He said he's prepared to work closely with the new congressional GOP majority to pass needed legislation to keep the economic recovery going and somehow resolve differences over immigration reform.  Obama held his news conference shortly after McConnell met with reporters in Louisville to discuss the Republican sweep of Congress that increased the GOP majority in the House and gave Republicans Senate control for the first time since 2006.  Both men seemed to bend over backwards to be gracious to the other, and each posited theories on why this new iteration of divided government actually could break the partisan gridlock in Washington that has blocked important legislation for years.

Australian striker Kennedy joins Melbourne City as Villa leaves Posted: 06 Nov 2014 01:46 AM PST Melbourne City on Thursday signed Socceroo striker Josh Kennedy in a two-year deal as Spanish superstar David Villa headed for New York. Kennedy will join the Manchester City-owned A-League club in January after spending over five years in the J-League with Nagoya Grampus. Melbourne City said Kennedy, 32, has signed on as the club's Australian marquee player until the end of the 2015-16 season. I believe Melbourne City has huge potential."

Four Tunisian soldiers killed in suspected Islamist attack Posted: 05 Nov 2014 10:23 PM PST TUNIS (Reuters) - Four Tunisian soldiers were killed and 11 others were wounded on Wednesday in an attack by suspected Islamist militants on a bus carrying soldiers in Kef near the Algerian border, the Defence Ministry said. The attack came while Tunisia was preparing its first free presidential election on Nov. 23 and only ten days after parliamentary elections won by secular party Nida Tounes. Tunisia has struggled to subdue hardline Islamists and jihadis opposed to the transition to democracy following the revolt against former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. ...

Despite election defeat, foreign policy is not 'game over' for Obama Posted: 05 Nov 2014 06:11 PM PST By Matt Spetalnick and Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - From marauding jihadists in Iraq to pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine and beheadings of Americans in Syria, a world in crisis has fanned perceptions of an overwhelmed U.S. president and contributed to a Republican sweep of U.S. midterm elections. But the slide of public confidence in President Barack Obama and the takeover of U.S. Congress by resurgent Republicans will complicate, though not seriously undermine, U.S. ...

Obama to seek authority from Congress for Islamic State fight Posted: 05 Nov 2014 05:57 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama said on Wednesday he would seek fresh authorization from Congress in the next few weeks for the U.S. military campaign against Islamic State militants, taking a new approach to congressional backing for the fight. Obama made the announcement at a news conference after his Democratic Party suffered big losses in Tuesday's congressional elections, which left Republicans in charge of the U.S. Senate. "The world needs to know we are united behind this effort and the men and women of our military deserve our clear and unified support," Obama said. ...

A TOUGH NIGHT AT MSNBC Posted: 05 Nov 2014 05:30 PM PST After Tuesday night, Republicans' main objective is clear: Convince Oregon Measure 88 to run for president.Measure 88 won more votes than anything else on the Oregon ballot. More votes than pot legalization. More than the incumbent governor, the incumbent senator or any of the six other ballot measures. The widely popular, landslide-winning Measure 88 prohibits illegal immigrants from getting driver's licenses. ...

In Southeast Iran, mourning the cost of a Sunni insurgency Posted: 05 Nov 2014 05:00 PM PST Draped in elegant dark robes and with reverent steps, the woman walks past scores of gravestones set flat in the ground – part of the toll from more than a decade of a slow-burn Sunni insurgency.

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