Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• U.S. rejects notion that Gulf rulers snubbing Obama summit
• US, Saudi Arabia play down rift
• Last chance for women in US Army Ranger test
• Marine convicted of 1 count of hazing; rank is reduced
• US admits must 'do better' on police practices
• The geopolitics of Seymour Hersh's Osama bin Laden story
• Gen. McChrystal: Americans should be very concerned about ISIS
• Saudi king's US absence signals discontent with Iran policy
• Jeb Bush: I would have authorized Iraq invasion
• U.S., allies conduct 18 air strikes against Islamic State militants: military
• No additional suspects in attack at Prophet Mohammad event: police
• Kurdish forces and allies 'broke IS spine': Kurdish leader
• Nineteen kidnapped Afghans released, 12 more could be freed soon: officials
• Australian teen 'terrorist' to stay in custody
• Swedish Supreme Court rejects Assange appeal
• Moroccan F-16 jet from Saudi-led coalition in Yemen goes missing
• 10 Things to Know for Monday

U.S. rejects notion that Gulf rulers snubbing Obama summit Posted: 11 May 2015 04:34 PM PDT By Matt Spetalnick and Angus McDowall WASHINGTON/RIYADH (Reuters) - The White House scrambled on Monday to counter perceptions that the Saudi king's absence from a summit later this week could undermine U.S. efforts to assure Gulf states it remains committed to their security against Iran. King Salman's abrupt decision to skip the U.S.-hosted regional talks shows how Gulf rulers, displeased by what they see as U.S. indifference to Iranian meddling in the Arab world, may hesitate to bless any final nuclear deal that President Barack Obama reaches with Tehran. Some analysts and diplomats in the Middle East and Washington interpreted Salman's decision to stay away from the meeting at the Camp David presidential retreat as a diplomatic snub, despite denials from U.S. and Saudi officials.

US, Saudi Arabia play down rift Posted: 11 May 2015 04:10 PM PDT The White House and Saudi Arabia scrambled to quell talk of a diplomatic rift Monday, after King Salman pulled out of a summit with President Barack Obama at the eleventh hour. Senior US and Saudi officials appeared in public to insist the Gulf royal's decision was not a snub nor part of a deeper crisis in never-easy ties that date back decades. Obama had invited six Gulf leaders to the presidential retreat, amid suspicions that Washington is no longer committed to their security and is not doing enough to stop Iran's destabilizing actions across the region. The US president has warned the deeply conservative monarchies that they must reform, and has launched nuclear talks with their arch-foe Iran.

Last chance for women in US Army Ranger test Posted: 11 May 2015 03:56 PM PDT The final eight women still trying to pass the US Army's Ranger School course have failed one phase of the test, but will get a final chance to try again this week. The eight, survivors from a group of 19 women on the previously men-only course, will be assessed as commanders decide whether to open the elite Ranger corps to female troops. They made it through a tough physical test in the first week of the course but they and 101 male soldiers will have to retake the second "Darby phase," which involves an obstacle course and training in patrolling and tactics. Most of those who have to repeat the Darby phase "were unsuccessful during several opportunities as a squad leader or team leader at leading a patrol," Colonel David Fivecoat, commander of the Airborne and Ranger Training Brigade, told AFP.

Marine convicted of 1 count of hazing; rank is reduced Posted: 11 May 2015 03:20 PM PDT NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — A decorated Marine accused of humiliating and physically abusing those under his command has been convicted of one count of hazing and was sentenced to a reduction in rank, the military said Monday.

US admits must 'do better' on police practices Posted: 11 May 2015 02:18 PM PDT The United States acknowledged before the UN Monday that it has not done enough to uphold civil rights laws, following a string of recent killings of unarmed black men by police. Speaking before the United Nations Human Rights Council, a US representative stressed the advances his country had made in establishing a range of civil rights laws since segregation ended more than half a century ago.

The geopolitics of Seymour Hersh's Osama bin Laden story Posted: 11 May 2015 02:01 PM PDT Veteran investigative reporter Seymour Hersh thinks the official US account of the death of Osama bin Laden is full of lies. A walk-in informer told the United States the Al Qaeda leader was in Pakistan – he wasn't found by a heroic CIA effort. Under US pressure, Pakistan agreed to turn bin Laden over, but insisted on a staged Navy SEAL team "raid" to make things look good. In essence, bin Laden was assassinated, as he was the only person shot in the famous Abbottabad compound.

Gen. McChrystal: Americans should be very concerned about ISIS Posted: 11 May 2015 01:02 PM PDT From the fighting in Yemen to the threat of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, battlefields across the globe make daily headlines in the U.S. But how concerned should average Americans be about these global flashpoints? Very concerned, says retired four-star general Stanley McChrystal, who was commander of U.S. and the international security forces in Afghanistan, in a video interview with Yahoo Finance.

Saudi king's US absence signals discontent with Iran policy Posted: 11 May 2015 11:48 AM PDT Discontent with American policy toward Iran is behind the last-minute pullout by Saudi King Salman from a summit with US President Barack Obama this week, analysts say. Obama invited Salman along with five other Gulf rulers to the White House on Wednesday followed by a retreat the following day at Camp David. He hopes to shore up wavering trust while Washington tries to reach a deal to curb the nuclear programme of Shiite Iran, the regional rival to Sunni-dominated Gulf monarchies. Only the leaders of Kuwait and Qatar will now likely attend the summit, indicating "a lack of consideration, a disagreement and a lack of respect for President Barack Obama," said Abdelkhaleq Abdallah, an analyst from the United Arab Emirates.

Jeb Bush: I would have authorized Iraq invasion Posted: 11 May 2015 10:43 AM PDT Potential Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush said he would have authorized the 2003 invasion of Iraq, just as his brother George W. Bush had done. The former Florida governor, in an interview taped to air on Fox News on Monday, acknowledged the United States made mistakes in managing Iraq after ousting President Saddam Hussein, including lack of post-war security for Iraqis. George W. Bush," he said. "Yes, I mean, so just for the news flash to the world, if they're trying to find places where there's big space between me and my brother, this might not be one of those." Bush has said that he is "my own man" and not tied too closely to the policies of George W. or their father, former president George H.W. Bush.

U.S., allies conduct 18 air strikes against Islamic State militants: military Posted: 11 May 2015 09:50 AM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S.-led forces targeted Islamic State militants in Syria with nine air strikes from Sunday morning through Monday morning and conducted another nine strikes against the group in Iraq, the U.S. military said on Wednesday. Most of the Syrian strikes, six, hit targets near Al Hasakah, where they destroyed Islamic State fighting positions, vehicles, mortar positions, heavy machine guns and a supply point. There were also air strikes near Ar Raqqah and Kobani, according to a military state. ...

No additional suspects in attack at Prophet Mohammad event: police Posted: 11 May 2015 09:03 AM PDT By Jon Herskovitz AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - There were no suspects in last week's failed attack at a civic center outside Dallas other than the two men who were fatally shot while trying to storm an exhibit of caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad, police said on Monday. Roommates Elton Simpson and Nadir Soofi of Phoenix were killed by a Garland police officer and four Garland Police SWAT team members when they opened fire with assault rifles outside the cartoon event held in the Dallas suburb. "At this time, we have no evidence that there were any other suspects involved in this attack," said Garland Police Chief Mitch Bates.

Kurdish forces and allies 'broke IS spine': Kurdish leader Posted: 11 May 2015 08:59 AM PDT The leader of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region, Massud Barzani, said on Monday his forces had "broken the spine" of the Islamic State (IS) group with the help of international allies. "Thanks to (the Kurds') opposition and the help of their friends in the coalition, the spine of the Islamic State is broken," Barzani said after talks with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Budapest. Barzani said that although "the danger is not over", he was hopeful the days of the brutal militant organisation were numbered.

Nineteen kidnapped Afghans released, 12 more could be freed soon: officials Posted: 11 May 2015 08:01 AM PDT By Mustafa Andalib GHAZNI, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Nineteen Afghan men from among 31 kidnapped by gunmen from a bus in February were freed on Monday by their captors, and the rest could be released soon, officials said. The men are Hazaras, members of a largely Shi'ite Muslim ethnic minority persecuted under the Taliban movement's Sunni Islamist rule, although sectarian violence has been rare since the Taliban was ousted by a U.S.-led invasion in 2001. The kidnapping increased anxiety among the Hazaras, who fear becoming targets in a new, sectarian phase of Afghanistan's long war with Taliban insurgents and other Islamist militants. President Ashraf Ghani said government efforts led to the release of the 19 passengers.

Australian teen 'terrorist' to stay in custody Posted: 11 May 2015 02:25 AM PDT An Australian teenager charged with involvement in a "well advanced" terrorist bomb plot was remanded in custody Monday, with the 17-year-old saying nothing during a brief court appearance. Police allege the boy, who was arrested during a raid on his family home in a Melbourne suburb on Friday and cannot be named for legal reasons, was planning to target a public event. Three improvised explosive devices were allegedly found by police at the house in Greenvale and the teen was charged with planning a terrorist act and possessing items connected with a terrorist act.

Swedish Supreme Court rejects Assange appeal Posted: 11 May 2015 12:46 AM PDT Sweden's Supreme Court said Monday it had rejected an appeal by WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange against his arrest warrant for alleged rape and sexual assault. Sweden issued the arrest warrant in 2010 following allegations from two Swedish women, one who claimed rape and another who alleged sexual assault.

Moroccan F-16 jet from Saudi-led coalition in Yemen goes missing Posted: 10 May 2015 06:29 PM PDT By Aziz El Yaakoubi RABAT (Reuters) - A Moroccan F-16 warplane taking part in the Saudi Arabian-led coalition fighting in Yemen went missing on Sunday, the Moroccan Royal Armed Forces said in a statement. Backed by the United States, a Saudi-led coalition has been conducting air strikes against the Houthis and army units loyal to ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh since March 26 with the aim of restoring the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. Morocco announced its backing of Saudi Arabia since the beginning of the action and has had F-16 warplanes stationed in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). "One of the F-16s of the Royal Armed Force (FAR) made at the disposal of the coalition led by Saudi Arabia to restore the legitimacy in Yemen went missing on Sunday at 6 pm local time," FAR's statement carried by the Moroccan state news agency MAP said.

10 Things to Know for Monday Posted: 10 May 2015 06:13 PM PDT Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about Monday:

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