Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• Obama to send more troops to Iraq as campaign expands
• VA chief: 1,000 workers face disciplinary action
• Obama asks Congress leaders to act on funding requests
• Sea bass with humble pie? Obama hosts lunch with Congress
• Immigration dispute erupts at White House lunch
• Obama nominates aide to top State Department post
• GOP in charge, Senate committees get new leaders
• Obama authorizes 1,500 more US troops for Iraq
• Obama authorizes 1,500 more troops for Iraq
• Obama doubles US troop levels in Iraq
• Iraqi Kurds exported $2.87 bn in oil this year
• A Doubling Down of Troops for Iraq
• Obama approves sending 1,500 more troops to Iraq
• Police general killed as Iraq forces advance in Baiji
• Suicide bomber kills Iraqi commander, top cleric raps army corruption
• Hundreds of US troops exposed to dangerous chemicals in Iraq
• Obama authorizes US military to send up to 1,500 more troops to Iraq
• Syrian activists share photo of children said killed in U.S. strike
• Interpol, cruise firms share jihadi watch lists
• Obama seeks $5.6B to fight Islamic State rebels
• Al-Qaida group seizes villages from Syrian rebels
• Iraq's top cleric says graft in army helped Islamic State
• Jordan Brotherhood chief urges end to Israel peace treaty
• Nation's Leading Federal Contracting Expert Opposes SBA Anti-Small Business Policies
• U.S., allies hit Islamic State with 14 air strikes in Iraq, Syria
• Fallujah anniversary: Tracking down the US Marine 'Death Dealers'
• Historic shift as Abu Dhabi looks to Asia for oil concession
• Peshmergas blunt, don't break, Islamic State siege of Syria's Kobani
• Obama writes Iran's supreme leader about militants
• Obama writes rare letter to Iran's supreme leader
• APNewsBreak: Jihadis on cruise ships to Syria
• Obama, McConnell, Boehner: Wise Up for America
• For John McCain, new power to take on Obama
• As Iraq woos tribes, jihadists sow fear with mass killings
• 600 US troops exposed to chemical agents
• Obama wants $3.2 bn more for US air war on IS
• Report: Troops described chemical weapons exposure

Obama to send more troops to Iraq as campaign expands Posted: 07 Nov 2014 01:32 PM PST By Phil Stewart and Roberta Rampton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama has authorized the deployment of up to 1,500 more U.S. troops for Iraq, roughly doubling the number already there to advise and retrain Iraqi forces battling Islamic State militants, U.S. officials said on Friday. The United States has about 1,400 troops in Iraq, slightly below a previous limit of 1,600. The Pentagon said it planned to establish several sites across the country to train nine Iraqi army brigades and three brigades of Kurdish Peshmerga fighters. ...

VA chief: 1,000 workers face disciplinary action Posted: 07 Nov 2014 03:39 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — The Veterans Affairs Department is considering disciplinary action against more than 1,000 employees as it struggles to correct systemic problems that led to long wait times for veterans seeking health care and falsification of records to cover up delays, VA Secretary Robert McDonald said.

Obama asks Congress leaders to act on funding requests Posted: 07 Nov 2014 03:32 PM PST Three days after his party's stinging midterm election defeat, President Barack Obama hosted congressional leaders at the White House Friday, asking them to work with him on pressing funding issues. "The American people just want to see work done here in Washington. I think they're frustrated by the gridlock," Obama said in a White House dining room where more than a dozen congressional leaders were seated. Americans would "like to see more cooperation, and I think all of us have the responsibility, me in particular, to try to make that happen," Obama said.

Sea bass with humble pie? Obama hosts lunch with Congress Posted: 07 Nov 2014 03:32 PM PST By Roberta Rampton and David Lawder WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican victors of Tuesday's U.S. congressional elections broke bread with Democratic President Barack Obama on Friday. On the menu besides sea bass: whether the two sides can put aside differences and agree on some legislation in the two years to come. But Obama and congressional leaders spent a considerable part of the two-hour lunch rehashing immigration reform, a political fight left over from the last two years, before Republicans seized control of both houses of Congress in the Nov. 4 vote. ...

Immigration dispute erupts at White House lunch Posted: 07 Nov 2014 02:59 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — A White House lunch aiming for cooperation boiled into a fresh dispute with newly empowered Republicans over immigration reform Friday, with GOP leaders warning President Barack Obama to his face not to take unilateral action. The president stood unflinchingly by his plan to act.

Obama nominates aide to top State Department post Posted: 07 Nov 2014 02:46 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama has nominated a longtime White House foreign policy adviser to the No. 2 post at the State Department.

GOP in charge, Senate committees get new leaders Posted: 07 Nov 2014 02:38 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — One new committee chairman favors more U.S. forces in Iraq to counter the growing threat from Islamic State militants. Another has written about global warming as a hoax. A third has the 2010 financial overhaul law in his sights.

Obama authorizes 1,500 more US troops for Iraq Posted: 07 Nov 2014 01:46 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama authorized a broad expansion on Friday of the U.S. military mission in Iraq that will boost the total number of American troops there to about 3,100 and spread advisory teams and trainers to the north and west where fighting with Islamic State militants has been fierce.

Obama authorizes 1,500 more troops for Iraq Posted: 07 Nov 2014 01:38 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama authorized a broad expansion on Friday of the U.S. military mission in Iraq that will boost the total number of American troops there to about 3,100 and spread advisory teams and trainers to the north and west where fighting with Islamic State militants has been fierce.

Obama doubles US troop levels in Iraq Posted: 07 Nov 2014 01:27 PM PST President Barack Obama has ordered another 1,500 American troops to Iraq for the campaign against the so-called "Islamic State" and is asking for $5.6 billion to fund the conflict. The new deployment will bring U.S. troop levels in Iraq to about 3,000.

Iraqi Kurds exported $2.87 bn in oil this year Posted: 07 Nov 2014 01:18 PM PST Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region has exported $2.87 billion of oil by pipeline and truck since the beginning of 2014, it announced in a statement on Friday. The three-province northern region's independent export of crude has been a long-standing point of contention with the federal government in Baghdad, which considers it illegal. "Since January 2014 to date, 34.5 million barrels (mmbbls) of oil have been exported from the Kurdistan Region, of which 21.5 mmbbls were sold through Ceyhan" in southern Turkey, the statement from the region's ministry of natural resources said. "The total value of the exported oil in cash or kind is $2.87 billion," it said.

A Doubling Down of Troops for Iraq Posted: 07 Nov 2014 01:16 PM PST On Friday, President Obama authorized the sending another 1,500 American non-combat troops to Iraq. The timing of the announcement hit a specific trifecta, coming just three days after the disastrous midterm elections, following a two-hour lunch meeting with congressional leaders, and landing within the margins of a Friday news dump.

Obama approves sending 1,500 more troops to Iraq Posted: 07 Nov 2014 01:06 PM PST President Barack Obama has approved sending up to 1,500 additional troops to Iraq to aid Baghdad government and Kurdish forces fighting the Islamic State group, roughly doubling the number of US troops in the country, the White House said Friday. The 1,500 troops will include a group of advisors to help Iraqi forces plan operations and a group of trainers who will be deployed across the country, officials said, as Washington steps up the pressure on the IS militants. Some of the additional troops will begin to arrive in Iraq in the next several weeks, the official said. "As a part of our strategy for strengthening partners on the ground, President Obama today authorized the deployment of up to 1,500 additional US military personnel in a non-combat role to train, advise, and assist Iraqi security forces, including Kurdish forces," a statement said.

Police general killed as Iraq forces advance in Baiji Posted: 07 Nov 2014 12:11 PM PST A suicide bomber killed a senior Iraqi police officer in Baiji on Friday as security forces regained ground from jihadists in the strategic northern town, officials said. The bomber detonated an explosives-rigged tanker truck at a checkpoint in the Al-Sinai area which officers had said was retaken more than a week before, killing Major General Faisal Ahmed and three other policeman, and wounding six. Three other suicide bombers driving military trucks failed to find targets in the same area. The bombing came after a senior officer told AFP that government forces now hold "more than 70 percent" of the town -- including neighbourhoods in the south, east and north -- and were battling to capture the rest.

Suicide bomber kills Iraqi commander, top cleric raps army corruption Posted: 07 Nov 2014 12:03 PM PST By Raheem Salman BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A suicide bomber in a truck packed with explosives killed a senior police commander involved in an operation against Islamic State militants who have been surrounding Iraq's biggest oil refinery for months, security sources said. Friday's attack killed General Faisal Malik, one of the supervisors of a campaign designed to break the Sunni insurgents' grip on the facility and to rescue security forces trapped inside it just outside the town of Baiji. Two policemen were also killed, the security sources said. "The general was in his Humvee with two of his men. ...

Hundreds of US troops exposed to dangerous chemicals in Iraq Posted: 07 Nov 2014 11:54 AM PST The US military acknowledges that more than 700 American troops may have been exposed to chemical agents in Iraq between 2004 and 2010, according to a statement released by the Pentagon Friday.

Obama authorizes US military to send up to 1,500 more troops to Iraq Posted: 07 Nov 2014 11:53 AM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — Obama authorizes US military to send up to 1,500 more troops to Iraq.

Syrian activists share photo of children said killed in U.S. strike Posted: 07 Nov 2014 11:20 AM PST BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian activists shared a photo on social media on Friday of two children they said were killed in U.S. air strikes on Wednesday night which Washington said targeted an al Qaeda-linked militant faction. U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki had no comment on the authenticity of the images or whether they might have been caused by U.S. bombing. "We of course strive to avoid civilian casualties even in this extremely complex operating environment and we recognize the inherent risk in strikes... ...

Interpol, cruise firms share jihadi watch lists Posted: 07 Nov 2014 11:16 AM PST PARIS (AP) — Cruise ship operators share "watch-list" information with Interpol, U.S. intelligence agencies and other authorities on suspected criminals, including would-be jihadi fighters trying to travel to battle zones of Syria and Iraq, officials and industry analysts said Friday.

Obama seeks $5.6B to fight Islamic State rebels Posted: 07 Nov 2014 10:37 AM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — Congressional officials say they're expecting a more than $5 billion administration request to pay for munitions and other military requirements to combat Islamic State militants who have seized control of large swaths of Iraq and Syria.

Al-Qaida group seizes villages from Syrian rebels Posted: 07 Nov 2014 09:23 AM PST BEIRUT (AP) — Al-Qaida-linked fighters captured at least three villages from Western-backed rebels in northwestern Syria on Friday as the militants continued their push to assert control over an area once held by more moderate groups.

Iraq's top cleric says graft in army helped Islamic State Posted: 07 Nov 2014 09:17 AM PST By Raheem Salman BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's most influential Shi'ite cleric said on Friday corruption in the armed forces had enabled Islamic State to seize much of northern Iraq, criticism that will add to pressure for reforms in the face of an insurgency. Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani has become increasingly critical of Iraqi leaders following Islamic State's lightning advance created Iraq's worst crisis since a U.S.-led invasion toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003. Iraq's army, recipient of $25 billion in U.S. training and funding, collapsed in the face of the onslaught. ...

Jordan Brotherhood chief urges end to Israel peace treaty Posted: 07 Nov 2014 09:00 AM PST The head of Jordan's Muslim Brotherhood called Friday on the government to scrap its peace treaty with Israel after clashes between Israeli police and Palestinians at Jerusalem's flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque. At a rally in Amman attended by hundreds of supporters, Hammam Saeed said the government's decision to recall its ambassador in protest at ongoing altercations around Al-Aqsa did not go far enough. Jordan recalled its envoy to Israel on Wednesday and moved to file a UN complaint after police clashed with stone-throwing Palestinian protesters inside the Al-Aqsa compound. It has been the scene of frequent confrontations in recent months, largely triggered by Palestinian fears that Israel was poised to allow Jewish prayer at the site.

Nation's Leading Federal Contracting Expert Opposes SBA Anti-Small Business Policies Posted: 07 Nov 2014 08:56 AM PST PETALUMA, Calif., Nov. 7, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- One of the nation's leading experts on federal contracting law, Professor Charles Tiefer, has joined with American Small Business League (ASBL) President, Lloyd Chapman, to oppose a new round of SBA polices they believe will be devastating to thousands of small businesses. Professor Tiefer served as Commissioner on the Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan.Professor Tiefer strongly opposed a new SBA proposed policy that will put thousands of Information Technology Value Added Resellers (ITVARs) out of business. ...

U.S., allies hit Islamic State with 14 air strikes in Iraq, Syria Posted: 07 Nov 2014 08:10 AM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. and allied nations staged eight air strikes on Islamic State targets in Syria in the past three days and also hit the insurgent group in six attacks in Iraq, the U.S. Central Command said on Friday. Seven strikes near the Syrian border town of Kobani, a regular target for the attacks, hit three small Islamic State units, seven fighting positions and destroyed an artillery piece while another near Tall Abyad destroyed a weapons stockpile. An air strike near Falluja, Iraq, destroyed two bulldozers and another near Bayji hit a small unit and damaged a building. ...

Fallujah anniversary: Tracking down the US Marine 'Death Dealers' Posted: 07 Nov 2014 08:00 AM PST Fallujah. The word alone conjures up grim images of Iraq's most intense urban combat, of insurgent snipers and dark narrow streets riddled with explosives, of militants lying in wait for days to kill Americans with assault rifles and grenades.

Historic shift as Abu Dhabi looks to Asia for oil concession Posted: 07 Nov 2014 07:12 AM PST Gulf emirate Abu Dhabi seems likely to choose Asian firms when it renews a decades-old major oil concession, sources and analysts told AFP, in a historic shift for the global energy market. Powerful Western companies have dominated the Middle East oil industry for nearly a century but are facing increasing competition from energy-hungry Asia. Now Asia appears set to win its first major concession in the Middle East after the expiry of a World War II-era contract to exploit Abu Dhabi's main onshore oil fields. "The Far East is 'the' market for Gulf oil and energy-based products like chemicals," Jean-Francois Seznec, a Georgetown University professor and oil expert, told AFP.

Peshmergas blunt, don't break, Islamic State siege of Syria's Kobani Posted: 07 Nov 2014 06:44 AM PST By Omer Berberoglu and Rasha Elass MURSITPINAR Turkey/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Iraqi Kurdish forces have blunted but not broken the siege of the Syrian border town of Kobani, a week after arriving to great fanfare with heavy weapons and fighters in a bid to save it from Islamic State. Kobani has become a test of the U.S.-led coalition's ability to halt the advance of the Sunni Muslim insurgents. The town is one of few areas in Syria where it can co-ordinate air strikes with operations by an effective ground force. ...

Obama writes Iran's supreme leader about militants Posted: 07 Nov 2014 05:00 AM 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.

Obama writes rare letter to Iran's supreme leader Posted: 07 Nov 2014 04:48 AM 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.

APNewsBreak: Jihadis on cruise ships to Syria Posted: 07 Nov 2014 04:04 AM PST 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, ...

Obama, McConnell, Boehner: Wise Up for America Posted: 07 Nov 2014 03:30 AM PST All eyes will be on the White House Friday afternoon as President Obama hosts a post-election summit with congressional leaders, including House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) and Senate Republican Leader ...

For John McCain, new power to take on Obama Posted: 07 Nov 2014 01:44 AM PST In January, Sen. John McCain is expected to take over as chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. It is a remarkable return to semi-power for the 78-year-old former Republican presidential nominee, giving him an opportunity to convene hearings, demand answers from senior officials and hold up nominees, if necessary, to achieve his goal of turning around American foreign policy.

As Iraq woos tribes, jihadists sow fear with mass killings Posted: 06 Nov 2014 10:38 PM PST As Iraq seeks support from powerful tribal leaders against the Islamic State group, the jihadists have launched a campaign of mass killings aimed at sowing enough fear to warn them off. It is important for Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi's government to bring the tribes on side not only for military and intelligence support, but also as a show of inclusion to Sunnis, whose anger over marginalisation by the Shiite-dominated authorities has helped IS. In recent weeks, Abadi has held a series of meetings with tribal leaders in both Iraq and neighbouring Jordan. "Communications with the tribal sheikhs are continuing and the prime minister received at least five tribal delegations from Anbar and Mosul and Salaheddin in two weeks," Juburi said, referring to areas where IS holds territory.

600 US troops exposed to chemical agents Posted: 06 Nov 2014 09:30 PM PST More than 600 US troops since 2003 reported that they were exposed to chemical agents in Iraq, officials said, a much higher number than the Pentagon stated previously. The revelation was first reported by the New York Times, which has revealed in a series of articles this month that American troops handled an arsenal of deteriorating chemical agents and were sometimes told to stay silent about what they encountered. The Pentagon failed to recognize the scale of the reported cases of exposure to chemical agents or to offer proper tracking and treatment to those troops who may have been injured, the Times wrote, citing defense officials. Before the 2003 US invasion of Iraq, president George W. Bush insisted Baghdad was hiding an active weapons of mass destruction program.

Obama wants $3.2 bn more for US air war on IS Posted: 06 Nov 2014 06:59 PM PST President Barack Obama will ask lawmakers Friday for an additional $3.2 billion to pay for the war against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria, including funds to train and arm Baghdad government forces, officials said Thursday. The funds will help cover the cost of replacing bombs in the weeks-long US-led air campaign against IS jihadists and assistance for Iraqi army troops and Kurdish forces battling the IS on the ground, two defense officials told AFP. The air war in Syria and Iraq -- which commanders say could last years -- has involved thousands of sorties and hundreds of bombing raids, at a daily cost of $8.3 million, according to the Pentagon.

Report: Troops described chemical weapons exposure Posted: 06 Nov 2014 05:49 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — More than 600 U.S. service members told military medical staff that they believe they were exposed to chemical warfare agents in Iraq after the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, The New York Times reported Thursday.

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