2015年4月15日星期三

Yahoo! News: Iraq

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Yahoo! News: Iraq


Mini copter lands on US Capitol lawn in security scare

Posted: 15 Apr 2015 04:46 PM PDT

A mini helicopter or gyrocopter that landed on the US Capitol South Lawn area is viewed April 15, 2015, in Washington, DCAn anti-corruption protester illegally landed his mini helicopter on the US Capitol lawn Wednesday after he piloted it through Washington's no-fly zone, triggering a national security scare, startling tourists and prompting a police probe. The Federal Aviation Administration said it is investigating the incident along with other US authorities, adding that the pilot was not in touch with air traffic controllers. The pilot was detained, US Capitol Police told AFP. The arrested pilot is a Florida man who was conducting civil disobedience to call for campaign finance reform, according to the Tampa Bay Times, which had interviewed and filmed him prior to his audacious flight.


Iraq says Islamic State still fierce; eyes Baiji, Anbar fights

Posted: 15 Apr 2015 03:56 PM PDT

Iraq's Prime Minister Abadi speaks during a news conference at the Foreign Ministry in BaghdadBy Phil Stewart WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Iraq's prime minister said on Wednesday that the Islamic State remains a fierce adversary as he outlined plans during a trip to Washington to prioritize battles in the refinery city of Baiji and Anbar province, where the militants are striking back. Haidar al-Abadi, speaking to reporters a day after meeting U.S. President Barack Obama, portrayed a mixed picture of a weakening Islamic State eight months after U.S.-led air strikes against the group began in Iraq. The United States estimates Islamic State has lost about a quarter of the populated areas it seized in Iraq.


Christie opposes Iran deal, open to US troops in IS fight

Posted: 15 Apr 2015 02:44 PM PDT

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, R-N.J. takes a questions during a town hall meeting with area residents in Londonderry, N.H., Wednesday, April 15, 2015. Christie introduced himself to New Hampshire voters Wednesday in a format he knows well _ a town hall meeting. The likely 2016 Republican presidential contender drew a capacity crowd to his first town hall in New Hampshire, in Londonderry. He opened the event by talking about his life story. (AP Photo/Jim Cole)LONDONDERRY, N.H. (AP) — New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said Wednesday the emerging nuclear pact with Iran will lead to it having nuclear weapons and to an even more dangerous Middle East. He also said he'd be open to putting U.S. soldiers "into the fight" against the Islamic State group if necessary.


Air strikes near Tripoli as U.N. peace talks on Libya resume

Posted: 15 Apr 2015 01:55 PM PDT

By Ahmed Elumami and Aziz El Yaakoubi TRIPOLI/RABAT (Reuters) - Forces loyal to Libya's internationally recognized government carried out air strikes on Wednesday near the capital Tripoli, which is controlled by its rivals, officials said, as United Nations-brokered peace talks resumed in Morocco. U.N. Special Envoy Bernardino Leon condemned the air strikes as an attempt to prevent a Tripoli delegation from traveling to Morocco for the new round of talks. "We have seen negative messages (aimed) toward this dialogue but we have never seen air strikes at the moment when one of the delegations is taking off on its way to the talks," Leon said, according to a U.N. statement. Two governments, one based in the east, the other in Tripoli, are fighting for control of Libya and carrying out tit-for-tat air strikes, four years after the ousting of veteran leader Muammar Gaddafi.

EU faces fury after new migrant shipwreck tragedy

Posted: 15 Apr 2015 01:53 PM PDT

Immigrants wait after their arrival at the Italian port of Messina in Sicily, on April 15, 2015Rights groups lashed out at the EU on Wednesday for scrapping rescue operations in the Mediterranean, saying it had endangered the lives of thousands of desperate migrants making perilous journeys across the sea. The criticism came as Italian coastguards said no more survivors had been found from a shipwreck off the coast of Libya on Sunday which may have killed 400 people. "European governments' ongoing negligence towards the humanitarian crisis in the Mediterranean has contributed to a more than 50-fold increase in migrant and refugee deaths since the beginning of 2015," Amnesty International said. The EU stopped funding Italy's Mare Nostrum rescue mission last year, in favour of the surveillance patrols currently being carried out by its border agency Frontex.


Iraqi Leader Admits Atrocities in ISIS Fight, Promises Justice

Posted: 15 Apr 2015 01:50 PM PDT

Iraqi Leader Admits Atrocities in ISIS Fight, Promises JusticeIraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi confirmed Tuesday that atrocities have been committed by government forces battling ISIS, but in a White House meeting with President Obama he also insisted the incidents were not widespread. "I have to admit that there are some violations -- human rights violations being committed by some criminal parties and outliers, but we have zero tolerance for any violations of human rights," al-Abadi told reporters as he met with Obama in the Oval Office. The Iraqi leader's unprompted remarks came on the heels of two well-documented revelations: an ABC News six-month investigation in March that revealed dozens of ISIS-like atrocities perpetrated by government security forces and posted across Iraqi social media sites, and the extrajudicial killing of an ISIS prisoner in Tikrit this month witnessed and reported by Reuters correspondents.


Islamic State gains ground near capital of Iraq's Anbar province

Posted: 15 Apr 2015 01:47 PM PDT

Islamic State militants gained ground in western Iraq on Wednesday, overrunning several villages on the edge of the capital of Anbar province, police sources and local officials said. Iraqi police came under attack from the insurgents at dawn in Albu Ghanim and withdrew from the area, about 5 km (3 miles) northeast of the provincial capital Ramadi, sending hundreds of families fleeing. The militants blew up the police station in Albu Ghanim and advanced further toward Ramadi, seizing the villages of Sofia, Albu Khalifa and Sor, police sources and members of the provincial council said. Abu Jasim, who left Albu Ghanim soon after it fell early on Wednesday, said the insurgents had set up a checkpoint at the main entrance to the village and planted their black flag there.

Islamic State militants seize villages near Ramadi in Iraq

Posted: 15 Apr 2015 01:47 PM PDT

Iraqi security forces and tribal fighters gather in central Ramadi before attacking Islamic State extremists in Ramadi, 70 miles (115 kilometers) west of Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, April 15, 2015. The Islamic State group launched an offensive in Iraq's western Anbar province on Wednesday, capturing three villages near the provincial capital of Ramadi where fierce clashes were underway between the extremists and government troops, residents said. (AP Photo)BAGHDAD (AP) — The Islamic State extremist group launched an offensive Wednesday in Iraq's western Anbar province, capturing three villages near the provincial capital of Ramadi in what was the most significant threat to the city by the Sunni militants to date.


UN envoy on sexual violence heads to Mideast on first visit

Posted: 15 Apr 2015 01:18 PM PDT

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. special representative on sexual violence said Wednesday she is making her first trip to the Middle East where extremist groups are increasingly using rape and sexual attacks as a "tactic of terror."

Is 'pretending' to be Muslim an appropriate history assignment?

Posted: 15 Apr 2015 01:07 PM PDT

Some confusion was due to the wording of the email, with some in the media criticizing the phrasing, "pretend" to be Muslim. According to Union Grove superintendent Al Mollerskov, the email using the word "pretend" was only sent to one student who was absent from school, and was not used in the original, in-class writing prompt. "She wanted students to learn something from the assignment, not become Muslims," Mr. Mollerskov says. Polls show some Americans do want to learn more about Muslims and the faith of Islam. An Arab American Institute poll found 52 percent of respondents said they needed to learn more about Muslims before evaluating their attitudes toward them. A 2014 study from Pew Research found that only 38 percent of those surveyed personally know someone who is Muslim.

A look at EU's handling of the Mediterranean migrant influx

Posted: 15 Apr 2015 12:43 PM PDT

Rescued migrants line up after disembarking at the southern Italian port of Corigliano, Italy, Wednesday, April 15, 2015. Survivors of a capsized migrant boat off Libya have told Tuesday, April 14, the aid group Save the Children that an estimated 400 people are believed to have drowned. Even before the survivors were interviewed, Italy's Coast Guard said it assumed that there were many dead given the size of the ship and that nine bodies had been found. (Francesco Arena, ANSA via AP)BRUSSELS (AP) — More than 400 migrants were reported missing and nearly 10,000 more have been rescued in the Mediterranean over the last four days, highlighting the scope of the challenge facing the European Union and further exposing weaknesses in its migration policy. Here are some questions and answers about the situation:


Details emerge about jury picked for Colorado theater shooting trial

Posted: 15 Apr 2015 12:32 PM PDT

The State of Colorado v. James Holmes finally has a jury: 19 women, five men and a host of potential concerns.

IS seizes parts of Iraq's largest oil refinery: officials

Posted: 15 Apr 2015 12:16 PM PDT

A flag of the Islamic State group is seen on the other side of a bridge at the frontline of fighting between Kurdish Peshmerga fighters and Islamist militants in Rashad, on the road between Kirkuk and Tikrit, on September 11, 2014Jihadists from the Islamic State group broke into Iraq's massive Baiji oil refinery, seized some of its facilities and are hiding among fuel storage tanks, officials said Wednesday. An Iraqi operation backed by coalition air strikes eventually broke the siege in October and retook the town of Baiji, just south of the refinery.


Why one Iraqi youth turned away from violence

Posted: 15 Apr 2015 11:45 AM PDT

Al-Nasir Bellah Al-Nasiry knows it could have gone either way. After being shot in the leg at 17 during an attack outside his Baghdad home, Dr. Al-Nasiry is fully aware that the normal response for a youth who was raised in a country mired in violence would be to want to exact revenge. Instead, the incident set Al-Nasiry on a mission of ensuring that this generation of Iraqis has systems and role models in place so they are less susceptible to joining the ranks of ISIS and other violent extremist groups. The 26-year-old doctor, who is from Baghdad and is half Kurdish, half Arab, remembers the immense pressure he felt to retaliate against his attackers.

ISLAMIC STATE

Posted: 15 Apr 2015 11:36 AM PDT

Map shows location of fighting across Iraq.; 2c x 6 inches; 96.3 mm x 152 mm;

Iraq PM says Yemen could stoke regional war, slams Saudi operations

Posted: 15 Apr 2015 11:33 AM PDT

Iraq's Prime Minister Abadi speaks during a news conference at the Foreign Ministry in BaghdadBy Phil Stewart WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi said on Wednesday the fighting in Yemen could engulf the region in war, and suggested after talks in Washington that U.S. leaders shared his concerns and "want to stop this conflict as soon as possible." Abadi, who met with U.S. President Barack Obama on Tuesday, also said that convincing Iraq's neighbor Saudi Arabia to halt its offensive in Yemen could be difficult. Saudi Arabia is engaged in a three-week-old campaign of air strikes against Yemen's Houthi rebels, who are allied with Iran and have taken over the capital and forced the president to take refuge in Riyadh. Asked about Iranian efforts to broker a peace deal for Yemen, Abadi said: "From what I understand from the (Obama) administration, the Saudis are not helpful on this.


War, poverty deprive 21 million children of education in Middle East

Posted: 15 Apr 2015 11:23 AM PDT

By Maria Caspani NEW YORK (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Worsening conflicts, poverty and gender discrimination in the Middle East and North Africa are driving 21 million children and young adolescents out of school, two United Nations agencies said on Wednesday. One in four children are either not in school or are at risk of dropping out in a region that has otherwise made significant progress in attendance rates, according to a joint report by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Institute of Statistics. "At a time of such change and turmoil, this region simply cannot afford to let 21 million children fall by the wayside," said Maria Calivis, UNICEF's regional director in the Middle East and North Africa.

Officials say bombs kill 11 people around Iraq's capital

Posted: 15 Apr 2015 10:49 AM PDT

BAGHDAD (AP) — Authorities in Iraq say bombings targeting public places and pro-government Sunni fighters have killed 11 people around the capital, Baghdad.

Kerry 'confident' on Iran deal after US Senate compromise

Posted: 15 Apr 2015 10:16 AM PDT

US Secretary of State John Kerry walks to a meeting with Senate Democrats on April 14, 2015 in Washington, DCUS Secretary of State John Kerry Wednesday welcomed a compromise with Congress on giving lawmakers a say on any final deal on Iran's nuclear programme, with negotiations set to resume next week. Kerry said the measure approved Tuesday by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which raises the threshold for critics in Congress to block any accord with Tehran, made him "confident" ahead of a June 30 deadline. "Yesterday there was a compromise reached in Washington regarding congressional input," he told reporters at a G7 foreign ministers' meeting in Germany.


German government split on surging refugee numbers

Posted: 15 Apr 2015 10:06 AM PDT

A refugee pushing a stroller in the Marienfelde Refugee Transit Center in South Berlin, on January 29, 2015Divisions surfaced in German Chancellor Angela Merkel's government Wednesday on whether the country which is Europe's top destination for asylum seekers should take in more refugees. Merkel ally Volker Kauder, parliamentary leader of Merkel's conservatives, said that "Germany can welcome significantly more refugees. He said that Middle Eastern countries shelter proportionally far more refugees, telling the top-selling Bild daily that in Kurdish areas, "five million people live with one million refugees". Germany had accepted a total of 105,000 refugees from Syria and Iraq since the start of the Syrian war, compared to some European countries who had taken just hundreds, he said.


U.S., allies conduct 23 air strikes in Syria, Iraq against Islamic State: military

Posted: 15 Apr 2015 09:49 AM PDT

U.S.-led forces targeted Islamic State militants in Syria with six air strikes and conducted another 17 strikes against the group in Iraq from Tuesday to Wednesday morning, the U.S. military said. In Syria, there were two strikes involving attack and fighter aircraft near Al Hasakah and four near Kobani, it said in a statement released on Wednesday. In Iraq, the strikes were conducted with fighter and attack planes as well as drones near Bayji, Fallujah, Mosul, Ramadi, Sinjar and Tal Afar, the U.S. military statement said.

$115,000 reward offered in unsolved '08 Times Square bombing

Posted: 15 Apr 2015 09:48 AM PDT

NEW YORK (AP) — Several persons of interest have been identified and are being pursued in the unsolved 2008 bombing at the Times Square military recruitment station, federal officials said Wednesday, but authorities are asking the public for help.

Iraqi leader: Campaign focusing next on Anbar, Beiji

Posted: 15 Apr 2015 09:28 AM PDT

President Barack Obama speaks during his meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, April 14, 2015. The Prime Minister is visiting to discuss U.S.-Iraq policy and the fight against the IS group. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)WASHINGTON (AP) — Iraqi forces supported by U.S. airpower will follow their victory in Tikrit with campaigns aimed at defeating the Islamic State group in the oil town of Beiji and the western province of Anbar, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said Wednesday.


FBI increases reward for information about 2008 Times Square bombing

Posted: 15 Apr 2015 09:24 AM PDT

FBI increases reward for information about 2008 Times Square bombingBy Nate Raymond NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. federal authorities on Wednesday announced an increased reward of $115,000 for information leading to the conviction of individuals responsible for the 2008 bombing in New York's Times Square. The FBI, which had offered a $65,000 reward in 2013, said it was actively pursuing several "persons of interest," and has identified the origin of the explosive device's components. "However, we're going to need more input and information from the general public if we're going to solve this case," Peter Tzitzis, an FBI special agent, told reporters. At a press conference on Wednesday, FBI and New York Police Department officials said they believed the person who planted the device was male and that the incident was not tied to any foreign organizations.


Calgary imams fight back against Islamic State recruitment

Posted: 15 Apr 2015 09:07 AM PDT

Imam Azfar Ayub Qadri leads the Muslim prayer on March 30, 2015 in the Al Madinah Islamic center in CalgaryA group of Calgary imams is marking the first line of defense at the foot of the Rocky Mountains against the Islamic State group's recruitment of Canadians as fighters. Several imams issued a religious edict against IS jihadists last month, denouncing its threats against Canada and its online recruitment after dozens of Canadians -- mostly from Calgary -- traveled to Syria to join their cause. "Some Muslims, having the fatwa against them, they will have second thoughts" before seeking to join an extremist group, said Khalil Khan, president of Calgary's Al Madinah Islamic center.


UN envoy to visit Iraq, Syria to address sexual violence

Posted: 15 Apr 2015 08:31 AM PDT

Zainab Hawa Bangura will travel to Iraq and Syria this week to address the use of rape, sex slavery and other sexual violence by extremists like Islamic StateA UN envoy will travel to Iraq and Syria this week to address the disturbing use of rape, sex slavery and other sexual violence by extremists like the Islamic State. A UN report released this week showed Islamic State fighters and other jihadists used sexual violence as part of their strategy to terrorize civilians, drive out populations and generate revenue.


Kerry: Still confident US can conclude Iran nuclear deal

Posted: 15 Apr 2015 08:23 AM PDT

United States Secretary of State John Kerry, center, and German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, left, brief the media during a meeting of the G7 Foreign ministers in Luebeck, northern Germany, Wednesday, April 15, 2015. The meeting is being held ahead of the G7 leaders summit in Germany from June 7 to 8, 2015. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)LUEBECK, Germany (AP) — Secretary of State John Kerry said Wednesday he is confident that the U.S. administration can conclude a nuclear deal with Iran after President Barack Obama agreed to sign legislation giving Congress the right to reject an accord.


Iraq's prime minister says seeks U.S. arms, with payment deferred

Posted: 15 Apr 2015 07:03 AM PDT

Obama meets Iraqi Prime Minister at the United Nations in New YorkIraq's Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi said on Wednesday he would seek a sustainable flow of weaponry from the United States during talks in Washington, with payment deferred, as Baghdad battles a cash crunch due to plunging oil prices. Asked about when Baghdad would pay: "Iraq can pay for it later, not now... I think there can be an arrangement for deferred payment." Reuters had previously reported Abadi's intention to seek billions of dollars in arms during his Washington visit, citing an unnamed Iraqi official.


AP PHOTOS: Iraq's Yazidis, haunted by war, mark a New Year

Posted: 15 Apr 2015 05:56 AM PDT

In this Tuesday, April 15, 2015 photo, a Yazidi woman whispers into the ear of her friend as both hold small fires to make a wish for the Yazidi new year, at the holy shrine of Lalish, 57 kilometers (35 miles) north of the militant-held Mosul, Iraq. With thousands of loved ones gone _ kidnapped or killed by militants with the Islamic State group _ and thousands more displaced from their homes, it was a solemn occasion commemorated with religious chants and a wish for the new year. (AP Photo/Bram Janssen)LALISH, Iraq (AP) — Only miles from the front lines of the war against the Islamic State group, thousands of Iraq's besieged Yazidis lit candles at their most revered shrine to mark the start of their New Year, which began Wednesday.


UN: 21M children in Mideast risk missing out on education

Posted: 15 Apr 2015 05:44 AM PDT

Maria Calivis, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, speaks during a press conference, in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, April 15, 2015. An estimated 21 million children in the Middle East and North Africa are out of school or at risk of dropping out despite improved access to education in the region over the past decade, the United Nations said in a report released Wednesday. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)BEIRUT (AP) — An estimated 21 million children in the Middle East and North Africa are out of school or at risk of dropping out despite improved access to education in the region over the past decade, the United Nations said in a report released Wednesday.


Islamic State reverses some losses in Iraq amid US-led airstrikes

Posted: 15 Apr 2015 05:38 AM PDT

The so-called Islamic State attacked villages on the outskirts of Ramadi in apparent preparation for an attempt to take full control of the last population center outside its hands in Iraq's westernmost province. The provincial government has been under siege in Ramadi, the capital of Anbar Province, since the start of 2014, and most of the province is now outside of government hands. CNN quotes Anbar Provincial Council member Falih Essawi as saying the central government's grip is slipping, with an IS (also known as ISIS) effort to cut off the city from Baghdad to the east underway. Essawi said ISIS militants made significant advances Wednesday in three areas east of Ramadi: Albu Soda, Albu Ghanem and parts of Soufia, which leads to central Ramadi.

Air strikes near Tripoli as U.N. peace talks on Libya due to resume

Posted: 15 Apr 2015 05:06 AM PDT

Forces loyal to Libya's internationally recognised government carried out air strikes on Wednesday near the capital Tripoli, which is controlled by its rivals, officials said, as United Nations peace talks were due to start in Morocco. Two governments, one based in the east, the other in Tripoli, are fighting for control of Libya and carrying out tit-for-tat air strikes, four years after the ousting of leader Muammar Gaddafi. U.N. Special Envoy Bernardino Leon will host a new round of talks in Morocco on Wednesday, Western powers including the United States, Britain, France, Germany said in a joint statement. Mohamed El Hejazi, spokesman for army forces loyal to the government of Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thinni, said war planes had attacked Tripoli's Mitiga airport and other targets in western Libya.

Millions of Middle East children out of school, UN warns

Posted: 15 Apr 2015 04:14 AM PDT

Syrian children attend a class at a school for refugees in the Lebanese village of Qaraoun on December 16, 2014Poverty, gender discrimination and violence are keeping more than 12 million children in the Middle East out of school, despite efforts to expand education, the UN children's agency warned Wednesday. An additional three million children in Syria and Iraq have been forced out of school by conflict, UNICEF said in a new report. "But in recent years, progress has stalled," it said, with 4.3 million primary-aged children and 2.9 million lower secondary-aged children out of school. An additional 5.1 million children are not receiving pre-primary school education, bringing the total number of the region's children out of school to 12.3 million, the report said.


Company executives poorly placed to handle rising cyber risk: KPMG survey

Posted: 15 Apr 2015 03:59 AM PDT

Illustration file picture shows a man typing on a computer keyboard in WarsawLess than half of company boards have the necessary skills to manage the rising threat of cyber attacks, a survey of global investors showed, with four of five respondents suggesting they might blacklist businesses that have been hacked. The research from consultancy firm KPMG, which surveyed 133 institutional investors running a total $3 trillion in assets, also showed that 43 percent of investors believe board members of the companies they invest in have a level of skill and knowledge to manage innovation and risk in the digital world that is unacceptable. "Investors see data breaches as a threat to a company's material value and feel discouraged in investing in a business that has had its sensitive information compromised," Malcolm Marshall, global leader of KPMG's cyber security practice said. KPMG said global investors were waking up to the issue of cyber security following a number of high profile breaches on companies including Sony Pictures Entertainment.


Philippine rebel leader Umbra Kato behind deadly rampage 'dies'

Posted: 15 Apr 2015 03:39 AM PDT

Philippine rebel leader Ameril Umbra Kato formed the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) in 2008Ameril Umbra Kato formed the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) and led the rampage after splitting from the nation's main rebel group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), in anger over a planned peace deal. The rebel leader, believed to be in his late 60s, suffered a fatal stroke early Tuesday, leaving behind an armed force of about 150 guerrillas, military spokesman Colonel Harold Cabunoc told AFP. We just don't have the body," he said, citing three "assets" close to Umbra Kato's organisation. Mama said Esmael Abubakar, whom he described as a "Middle East-trained ulama" or Muslim scholar, was elected to replace Umbra Kato.


Rights group accuses Serbia of harassing migrants

Posted: 15 Apr 2015 01:52 AM PDT

FILE - In this Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2015 file photo, Serbian border police officers detain Kosovo migrants near the northern Serbian town of Subotica, not far from the border between Serbia and Hungary. Human Rights Watch said in its report released Wednesday, April 15 that thousands of people fleeing Afghanistan, Syria and other violence-ravaged countries in Asia and Africa have been targets of assaults, threats, insults and extortion as they pass through Serbia on their way to the border with Hungary where they try to sneak into the European Union. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic, File)BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Migrants fleeing wars and persecution are experiencing widespread harassment and abuse by police as they cross Serbia while trying to find shelter in Western European states, a leading rights group said Wednesday.


Four Britons who sought to get to Syria arrested on return to UK

Posted: 15 Apr 2015 01:05 AM PDT

Four Britons who were detained in Turkey on suspicion of trying to cross illegally into Syria were arrested on their return to England on Wednesday, police said. The four were part of a group of nine people, all members of the same family, who were detained in Turkey at the beginning of the month. One of the nine, a 21-year-old man named in the media as Waheed Ahmed, the son of a British local politician, was arrested when he returned to Britain on Tuesday. Thousands of foreigners have joined the ranks of Islamic State and other militant groups in Syria and Iraq, many of them crossing via Turkey.

New U.N. site for flights in conflict zones issues warnings on Libya, Egypt

Posted: 15 Apr 2015 01:01 AM PDT

A new United Nations website distributing warnings about risks to aircraft in conflict zones issued its first advisories on Wednesday, for countries including Libya, Iraq, Egypt and South Sudan. The website was set up after the downing of a Malaysian passenger aircraft over an area of fighting in Ukraine last year and is hosted by the U.N.'s International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). The initial advisories came from the United Kingdom, and warned of the risks of anti-aircraft weaponry in Libya, Iraq, South Sudan and the Sinai peninsula area of Egypt.

Australia defence minister unable to name IS chief

Posted: 14 Apr 2015 07:22 PM PDT

Kevin Andrews (C), Australia's Minister for Defence, inspects a Royal Australian Navy helicopter flight simulator at the Australian International Airshow at the Avalon Airfield on February 27, 2015Australia's defence minister has been left red-faced after apparently being unable to name the head of Islamic State on the day he committed more troops to help defeat the jihadist group. Kevin Andrews was repeatedly asked during a television interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation late Tuesday to identify the IS chief -- widely seen as Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. She added: "Minister, you're responsible for putting Australian men and women in harm's way in the cause of this mission, I'm surprised that you can't tell me the name of Islamic State's leader. It came just hours after he jointly announced with Prime Minister Tony Abbott that 330 non-combat troops were heading to Iraq for two years.


Retaking all of Iraq's Anbar out of reach for now, say analysts

Posted: 14 Apr 2015 05:48 PM PDT

Smoke billows on March 11, 2015 after the Anbar Governorate building in provincial capital Ramadi was hit by a mortarBaghdad has announced its next battle against the Islamic State group is retaking Anbar province, but analysts say entrenched jihadists and limited Iraqi forces put a full reconquest out of reach for now. Anbar is by far Iraq's largest province, shares a border with jihadist-held territory in Syria and has historically been a difficult area to control. Iraqi security forces and allied paramilitaries are on a high after retaking most of Salaheddin province and its capital Tikrit in recent weeks, but those victories will not be easy to replicate. "Anbar differs from Tikrit and Salaheddin more broadly because IS is much more entrenched there," said Kirk Sowell, the publisher of the Inside Iraqi Politics newsletter.


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