Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• U.S. investigating civilian casualty claims in Iraq, Syria
• House bill: Firms could skirt health law by hiring vets
• US probing 2 airstrikes alleged to have killed civilians
• Inspectors confident chlorine used against Syrian villages
• Mali at the UN makes case for Libya intervention
• It's fun to be the new guy, or gal, on first day of Congress
• Female suicide bomber attacks Istanbul's tourist heart
• US-led strikes may have killed civilians: Pentagon
• U.S. training of Syrian rebels could begin in spring: Pentagon
• Saudi crown prince blames weak growth for oil 'tensions'
• Syria accuses John McCain and 3 others of entering illegally
• IRAQ
• Dozens of Islamist fighters killed as battle of Kobani rages on
• Female suicide bomber hits police station in Istanbul's historic heart
• Syria's neighbors need more help to cope with refugee crisis: U.N.
• Germany backlash grows against anti-migrant protests
• In Iraq's war against extremists, a quiet sectarian purge
• France to deploy aircraft carrier to Gulf in IS fight: report
• France to send aircraft carrier for exercises in Indian Ocean
• US gives Iraq army 250 mine-resistant armoured vehicles
• NY Republican announces retirement, first of new Congress
• UNICEF: 160 children dead in Syria school attacks in 2014
• Islamic State school closures in Syria affect 670,000: U.N.
• U.S.-led forces conduct 10 air strikes in Syria, two in Iraq: military
• Iraq says rebuilding of army still in early stages
• Iraq army being rebuilt to address weaknesses, says minister
• Two Egyptian police shot dead outside Coptic Church south of Cairo
• WHO says reports of suspected Ebola cases in Iraq are untrue
• Clashes with IS in Iraq kill 23 troops, allied fighters
• Iran, top general saved Baghdad from falling to IS: Iraq MP
• Suicide bombings, clashes kill 23 in Iraq's Anbar
• West's Islamic State focus neglects human tragedy in Syria, doctors say
• Islamic State 'police' official beheaded: Syria monitor
• Few options for fixing Libya, a major jihadist threat to West
• U.S. stands by plan to pull troops from Afghanistan

U.S. investigating civilian casualty claims in Iraq, Syria Posted: 06 Jan 2015 04:18 PM PST By David Alexander WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. military said on Tuesday it had received 18 complaints of civilian casualties in air strikes against Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria, but concluded that 13 of the cases were not credible and was still reviewing the other five. The Pentagon has said it takes allegations of civilian casualties seriously and investigates them, but in the past military officials had played down such reports. "We ... ...

House bill: Firms could skirt health law by hiring vets Posted: 06 Jan 2015 04:13 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — On the new Congress' first day, the House unanimously approved Republican legislation Tuesday making it easier for smaller companies to avoid providing health care coverage to their workers by hiring veterans.

US probing 2 airstrikes alleged to have killed civilians Posted: 06 Jan 2015 03:38 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military disclosed Tuesday that it is investigating alleged civilian casualties from two airstrikes in Syria and Iraq last year, and that it has dismissed 13 other allegations of civilian casualties from airstrikes.

Inspectors confident chlorine used against Syrian villages Posted: 06 Jan 2015 03:28 PM PST UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Chemical weapons investigators concluded "with a high degree of confidence" that chlorine gas was used as a weapon against three Syrian villages last year, affecting between 350 and 500 people and killing 13, according to a report obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press.

Mali at the UN makes case for Libya intervention Posted: 06 Jan 2015 03:21 PM PST Mali's foreign minister told the UN Security Council on Tuesday that an international force could help stabilize Libya and the entire Sahel region and check the threat from Islamist groups. Mali is among five countries that launched an appeal to the United Nations and the African Union for foreign intervention to fight Libyan armed groups and to help build stable institutions.

It's fun to be the new guy, or gal, on first day of Congress Posted: 06 Jan 2015 03:18 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — It was a good day to be the new guy.

Female suicide bomber attacks Istanbul's tourist heart Posted: 06 Jan 2015 02:18 PM PST A female suicide bomber on Tuesday killed herself and a Turkish policeman in a strike on the heart of Istanbul's tourist district, the second attack on police to shake city within a week. The government denounced the bombing as a "heinous terror attack" against the "new Turkey" under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and said only the bravery of police had prevented a higher toll. The attack came five days after a member of an outlawed Marxist radical group DHKP-C attacked police on guard outside the Ottoman-era Dolmabahce palace in Istanbul on the Bosphorus.

US-led strikes may have killed civilians: Pentagon Posted: 06 Jan 2015 02:03 PM PST The US military is investigating several incidents in which civilians may have been killed in coalition air strikes against Islamic State jihadists in Iraq and Syria, officials said Tuesday. The comments marked the first time the US military has acknowledged that the air war may have exacted a toll on civilians. US Central Command, which is overseeing the air campaign, initially looked into 18 cases and concluded 13 were not credible but five merited further review, including one that occurred as recently as December 26, defense officials told AFP.

U.S. training of Syrian rebels could begin in spring: Pentagon Posted: 06 Jan 2015 01:54 PM PST By David Alexander WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. military has made progress in its effort to identify moderate Syrian rebels to train for the fight against Islamic State militants and a U.S. training mission could begin this spring, the Pentagon said on Tuesday. Rear Admiral John Kirby, the Pentagon press secretary, welcomed statements from Ankara indicating Turkey and the United States plan to conclude a deal this month on training and equipping moderate Syrian rebels, part of a U.S.-led campaign to counter Islamic State forces in Iraq and Syria. ...

Saudi crown prince blames weak growth for oil 'tensions' Posted: 06 Jan 2015 12:49 PM PST A weak global economy is the main reason for "tensions" in world oil markets, Saudi Arabia's crown prince said Tuesday, in a speech on behalf of ailing King Abdullah. Prince Salman also indirectly touched on the violence ravaging Syria and neighbouring Iraq, saying Saudi Arabia remains "an oasis of peace" despite turmoil around it. "You are aware of the urgent tensions taking place in the international oil market, caused by a number of factors, foremost the weak global economic growth," the prince said in address to the Shura Council, an appointed body that advises the monarch. "This development is not new in the oil market, and the kingdom has in the past dealt with it firmly and wisely," he said, adding that Saudi Arabia will maintain its "same approach" towards the market.

Syria accuses John McCain and 3 others of entering illegally Posted: 06 Jan 2015 11:49 AM PST UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The Syrian government on Tuesday accused U.S. Senator John McCain, former French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner and two others of entering the country illegally.

IRAQ Posted: 06 Jan 2015 11:38 AM PST Map shows ethnic distribution in Iraq; 2c x 4 inches; 96.3 mm x 101 mm;

Dozens of Islamist fighters killed as battle of Kobani rages on Posted: 06 Jan 2015 11:07 AM PST BEIRUT (Reuters) - Forty-one Islamic State militants were killed in the Syrian border town of Kobani on Tuesday as U.S.-led air strikes helped local forces push the group to the city's edges, a monitoring group said. The predominantly Kurdish town, known as Ayn al-Arab in Arabic, close to the Turkish border, has become a symbol in the international fight against the hardline Islamist group that broke away from al Qaeda. The U.S. military said it or its coalition partners had conducted 10 air strikes against Islamic State in Syria, mostly on Kobani, since Monday. ...

Female suicide bomber hits police station in Istanbul's historic heart Posted: 06 Jan 2015 10:53 AM PST By Ayla Jean Yackley ISTANBUL (Reuters) - A female suicide bomber blew herself up at a police station in Istanbul's historic Sultanahmet district on Tuesday, killing one officer and wounding another. There was no immediate claim of responsibility; but the bombing comes less than a week after far-left group DHKP-C said it was behind a grenade attack on police near the prime minister's office in Istanbul. Turkey also faces possible threat from Islamist militants moving across the border from Syria and Iraq and, despite a truce in a 30-year-old insurrection, from Kurdish rebels. ...

Syria's neighbors need more help to cope with refugee crisis: U.N. Posted: 06 Jan 2015 10:18 AM PST ANKARA (Reuters) - Countries around the world must do more to help Syria's neighbors cope with the millions of people who have fled the civil war, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres said on Tuesday. Over 3 million Syrians have arrived in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq during Syria's nearly four year war. Many now live in abject poverty as another winter bites. Lebanon, which has the highest per capita concentration of refugees, enforced new immigration controls along its Syrian border on Monday to try to stem the flow of people. ...

Germany backlash grows against anti-migrant protests Posted: 06 Jan 2015 10:01 AM PST German political leaders, entertainers and sports stars threw their weight Tuesday into the growing backlash against a new anti-immigration movement, leading calls to defend the country's hard-won image for tolerance. A day after tens of thousands again took to the streets in several cities to rally for and against a new group which opposes what it claims is the Islamisation of Europe, 50 prominent figures issued statements in a two-page spread in the Bild daily to push back. In its latest show of strength, Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the Occident, or PEGIDA, drew some 18,000 people to a demonstration Monday in its hub city of Dresden in the former communist east. Its sudden emergence over just a few weeks and the regular staging of marches have sparked offshoot protests elsewhere, but also a counter-movement accusing PEGIDA of whipping up xenophobia.

In Iraq's war against extremists, a quiet sectarian purge Posted: 06 Jan 2015 09:45 AM PST RAWASHID, Iraq (AP) — Sunni residents of this tiny village north of Baghdad are all gone. Their homes now have Shiite graffiti scrawled on the walls. Shiite banners, many emblazoned with images of revered saints, are hoisted on the roofs.

France to deploy aircraft carrier to Gulf in IS fight: report Posted: 06 Jan 2015 09:31 AM PST The French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle and its fleet will be deployed to the Gulf to support operations against the Islamic State group, a military news site reported on Tuesday. The deployment of the marine battle group is due to be announced by President Francois Hollande when he gives his annual new year's speech to the armed forces onboard the Charles de Gaulle on January 14, according to the "Mer et Marine" news site. According to Mer et Marine, the Charles de Gaulle carrier will travel to the Gulf with its fleet of air and naval craft, including Rafale and Super Etendard fighter jets and an attack submarine, to take part in the US-led bombing campaign against IS forces in Iraq.

France to send aircraft carrier for exercises in Indian Ocean Posted: 06 Jan 2015 09:11 AM PST PARIS (Reuters) - France is sending its aircraft carrier to the Indian Ocean for naval exercises, a defense ministry source said on Tuesday, adding that the ship was ready for military operations if needed. Specialized naval internet website "Mer et Marine" reported that the Charles de Gaulle carrier, the flagship of the French fleet, was heading to the Gulf, where it would join operations against Islamic State in Iraq. The carrier is usually accompanied by an attack submarine, several frigates and a refueling ship. ...

US gives Iraq army 250 mine-resistant armoured vehicles Posted: 06 Jan 2015 09:07 AM PST The United States has donated 250 mine-resistant, armour-protected vehicles (MRAPs) to the Iraqi army for use in its campaign against the Islamic State jihadist group, US ambassador Stuart Jones said Tuesday. "The number one threat to the Iraqi security forces are roadside bombs and vehicle-borne bombs," said Jones, whose country is leading a multinational coalition in air strikes on IS in both Iraq and Syria. "These vehicles will save Iraqi lives and enable Iraqi security forces to win the fight" against IS, he said in a statement.

NY Republican announces retirement, first of new Congress Posted: 06 Jan 2015 07:31 AM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — New York Republican Rep. Chris Gibson said Tuesday that he will retire in two years, marking the first announced departure of the new Congress.

UNICEF: 160 children dead in Syria school attacks in 2014 Posted: 06 Jan 2015 06:57 AM PST GENEVA (AP) — The United Nations children's agency says at least 160 children were killed and 343 were injured in attacks on schools in Syria last year.

Islamic State school closures in Syria affect 670,000: U.N. Posted: 06 Jan 2015 06:51 AM PST GENEVA (Reuters) - An estimated 670,000 children in Syria are being deprived of education after Islamic State forces ordered schools closed while the curriculum is made to conform with religious rules, the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF) said on Tuesday. Islamic State, an offshoot of al Qaeda which has recruited foreign fighters, has seized land in Syria and Iraq, imposing its strict reading of Islamic law. In November it shut schools in areas it controls in eastern Syria pending a religious revision of the curriculum.. ...

U.S.-led forces conduct 10 air strikes in Syria, two in Iraq: military Posted: 06 Jan 2015 06:04 AM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S.-led forces conducted 10 air strikes against Islamic State in Syria, mostly targeting the contested city of Kobani, and two strikes in Iraq since Monday, the U.S. military said. Eight air strikes near Kobani destroyed 14 Islamic State fighting positions and a building, and damaged a second building, the military said in a statement on Tuesday. In Iraq, the strikes were near al Qaim and al Asad, according to the Combined Joint Task Force. (Reporting by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Susan Heavey)

Iraq says rebuilding of army still in early stages Posted: 06 Jan 2015 05:55 AM PST BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi Defence Minister Khaled al-Obeidi said on Tuesday that the Iraqi military has started rebuilding after its near total collapse last summer but that the effort is still in its initial phase. "We are still in the early stages; some of them are known to you, and some remain a secret," Obeidi said in a televised address on the national holiday Armed Forces Day. ...

Iraq army being rebuilt to address weaknesses, says minister Posted: 06 Jan 2015 05:53 AM PST Iraq is rebuilding its army to address weaknesses including poor leadership and training that led to Baghdad's forces being swept aside by militants, the defence minister said Tuesday. The Islamic State (IS) jihadist group spearheaded a major offensive that overran large areas north and west of Baghdad in June, during which multiple Iraqi divisions collapsed. In remarks broadcast on the 94th anniversary of the founding of Iraq's army, Defence Minister Khaled al-Obaidi offered a stark assessment of the problems that contributed to the disaster. Iraq is working to address these problems, "beginning from the top of the army and its leadership and replacing them with nationalist, professional and competent members and leaders not tainted by corruption or lacking courage," he said.

Two Egyptian police shot dead outside Coptic Church south of Cairo Posted: 06 Jan 2015 05:46 AM PST MINYA, Egypt (Reuters) - Two Egyptian policemen were shot dead by masked men on Tuesday as they stood guard at a Coptic Christian church in a city south of Cairo, witnesses and a local security source said. Egypt's Coptic Christmas falls on Wednesday and security is typically tightened at churches ahead of the holiday after a string of attacks on Christian targets over the past years. Interior Ministry spokesman Hany Abdel Latif was quoted by state newspaper Al-Ahram as saying Tuesday's attack in Minya was not sectarian. ...

WHO says reports of suspected Ebola cases in Iraq are untrue Posted: 06 Jan 2015 05:33 AM PST LONDON (Reuters) - No suspected cases of Ebola have been found in Iraq, despite reports to the contrary in Iraqi media in the past week, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday. Describing reports of suspect cases of the deadly viral infection in Mosul as "rumor", the Geneva-based United Nations health agency said it and the Iraqi health ministry had conducted a full investigation. "All sources contacted have negated the existence of any suspected cases of Ebola," the WHO said in a statement. ...

Clashes with IS in Iraq kill 23 troops, allied fighters Posted: 06 Jan 2015 05:05 AM PST BAGHDAD (AP) — A suicide blast targeting Iraqi security forces and subsequent clashes with Islamic State extremists on Tuesday killed at least 23 troops and pro-government Sunni fighters in the country's embattled western province of Anbar, officials said.

Iran, top general saved Baghdad from falling to IS: Iraq MP Posted: 06 Jan 2015 05:00 AM PST An Iraqi Shiite militia leader and lawmaker has credited Tehran and a powerful Iranian general with saving the Baghdad government during last summer's offensive by Islamic State group militants. Hadi al-Ameri, a former minister who commands the Badr militia, said support from Iran and General Qassem Suleimani had been crucial after Iraqi government forces collapsed in the face of the IS assault. "If it were not for the cooperation of the Islamic republic of Iran and General Suleimani, we would not today have a government headed by Haider al-Abadi in Baghdad," Ameri told a memorial service south of Tehran Monday for an Iranian officer killed in Iraq last month.

Suicide bombings, clashes kill 23 in Iraq's Anbar Posted: 06 Jan 2015 03:55 AM PST Two suicide bombings followed by clashes in Iraq's Anbar province west of Baghdad killed 23 security personnel on Tuesday, officers and a doctor said. The suicide bombers attacked a mosque in the Al-Jubba area of Anbar where anti-jihadist fighters were resting, killing 10, after which clashes broke out that left a further 13 security personnel dead and 21 wounded. Al-Jubba is located near the Al-Asad Air Base -- where American military personnel are deployed -- and the town of Baghdadi, an area that has seen heavy fighting between security forces and the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group.

West's Islamic State focus neglects human tragedy in Syria, doctors say Posted: 06 Jan 2015 03:04 AM PST PARIS (Reuters) - Western states are focusing too much on tackling Islamic State and are forgetting the daily suffering of ordinary Syrians in areas of the country where the medical situation has become catastrophic, a group of Syrian doctors said. Some 200,000 people have died and nearly half the Syrian population has been displaced by the conflict that began with anti-government protests in 2011 and spiraled into full-scale civil war. The situation has been exacerbated since a U. ...

Islamic State 'police' official beheaded: Syria monitor Posted: 06 Jan 2015 02:32 AM PST BEIRUT (Reuters) - A top figure in Islamic State's self-declared police force, which has carried out beheadings, was himself found decapitated in eastern Syria, a monitoring group said. The man was an Egyptian national and was known as the deputy "emir" of the al-Hesbah force in a Syrian province, the British-based the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Tuesday. His body, which showed signs of torture, was found near a power plant in al-Mayadeen city in the Deir-al-Zor province, it said, citing contacts on the ground. ...

Few options for fixing Libya, a major jihadist threat to West Posted: 05 Jan 2015 10:58 PM PST Verging on full-blown civil war, Libya may pose an even greater threat to Europe than jihadists in Iraq and Syria, yet the international community has few tools to help resolve the crisis. Three years after NATO intervened to help overthrow Moamer Kadhafi's regime, two rival governments claim his mantle and a rash of heavily armed militias fight for territory and oilfields. Most of the 200,000 migrants who braved the Mediterranean crossing to Europe last year came from Libya, the UN said last month, and security risks are multiplying. "The West is distracted with Syria and Iraq, but arguably Libya is the greatest threat," said Richard Cochrane, a senior analyst at IHS Country Risk in London.

U.S. stands by plan to pull troops from Afghanistan Posted: 05 Jan 2015 05:11 PM PST By Arshad Mohammed WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Monday stood by plans to halve the number of its troops in Afghanistan this year and reduce them further in 2016 following Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's suggestion that President Barack Obama review his deadline. But Ghani's comment adds to a growing debate over whether the White House will stick to its plans, already amended twice, of cutting U.S. troops to about 5,000 by the end of this year and drawing down to a "normal" U.S. embassy presence in Kabul at the end of 2016. ...

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