Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• APNewsBreak: Marine general chosen Joint Chiefs chairman
• Obama to name Marine general to become top U.S. military officer
• Senegal to send 2,100 troops to join Saudi-led alliance
• French leader oversees Qatar jet deal, to attend Gulf summit
• Former CIA leader defends drone strikes, torture
• French president visits Qatar, deepening ties to Gulf
• Where they stand: Fiorina on key topics of 2016 campaign
• Iraqi forces plead for help as Islamic State closes in on refinery
• U.S. probes possible international terrorism link with Texas shootings
• Syria crisis: Spooked by rebel gains, Jordan doubles down on Islamic State
• Wounded Warrior Project participates in The Big Give S.A
• Hamas security HQ in Gaza bombed after threat
• The 2016 Presidential Race: A Cheat Sheet
• In the face of IS successes, al-Qaida adapts, grows stronger
• Where Hillary Stands on Taxes, Trade, Deficit, Wall Street
• Iraqi city still a ghost town a month after defeat of IS
• Today in History

APNewsBreak: Marine general chosen Joint Chiefs chairman Posted: 04 May 2015 04:34 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama will nominate Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford Jr. as the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, choosing a widely respected, combat-hardened commander who led the Afghanistan war coalition during a key transitional period during 2013-14, U.S. officials said Monday.

Obama to name Marine general to become top U.S. military officer Posted: 04 May 2015 04:20 PM PDT President Barack Obama on Tuesday will nominate Marine Corps' Commandant Joseph Dunford as the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, U.S. officials said on Monday, disclosing a widely expected pick likely to win swift Senate confirmation. Dunford, 59, would replace Army General Martin Dempsey, who is expected to step down in September as the top military officer after a tumultuous four-year period that saw most U.S. forces withdraw from Afghanistan but thousands return to Iraq. Dunford has experience in both wars and, before becoming Marine Corps commandant in late 2014, led U.S. and international forces in Afghanistan as they handed over greater responsibility to Afghan troops battling a still-resilient Taliban.

Senegal to send 2,100 troops to join Saudi-led alliance Posted: 04 May 2015 01:02 PM PDT Senegal will send 2,100 troops to Saudi Arabia as part of an international coalition combating Houthi rebels in neighbouring Yemen, the West African nation's foreign minister said on Monday. Senegalese President Macky Sall said, after returning from a visit to Saudi Arabia last month, he was considering a request to deploy troops in the Saudi-led coalition battling the Houthi, a Shi'ite Muslim group allied to Iran. Saudi Arabia - the world's top oil exporter and the Sunni Muslim regional rival of Iran - said Houthi forces posed a threat to its security after they captured Yemen's capital and began advancing across the country in September. "The international coalition is aiming to protect and secure the holy sites of Islam, Medina and Mecca," Senegalese Foreign Minister Mankeur Ndiaye told parliament.

French leader oversees Qatar jet deal, to attend Gulf summit Posted: 04 May 2015 12:38 PM PDT French President Francois Hollande sought to boost ties in the Gulf Monday as he oversaw the signing of a warplanes deal with Qatar and arrived in Saudi Arabia for a summit. Hollande was to be the first Western head of state to attend a Gulf Cooperation Council leaders' meeting when they gather in Riyadh on Tuesday. The extraordinary summit comes at a crucial time for the six-nation GCC, with a Saudi-led coalition bombing rebels in Yemen, concern over the rise of Islamist militants and regional worries over a potential final nuclear deal with Iran. With Hollande in attendance, the CEO of French aerospace firm Dassault, Eric Trappier, signed the 6.3-billion-euro ($7-billion) deal with Qatari defence officials in Doha.

Former CIA leader defends drone strikes, torture Posted: 04 May 2015 12:11 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama ordered a barrage of CIA drone strikes in Yemen in 2013 that killed the al-Qaida operatives behind the most serious plotting against American interests in years, a former CIA leader says in a new memoir that broadly defends the targeted killing of terrorists.

French president visits Qatar, deepening ties to Gulf Posted: 04 May 2015 11:17 AM PDT DOHA, Qatar (AP) — French President Francois Hollande, seeking to strengthen political and business ties with the energy-rich Gulf states, held talks with the ruler of Qatar on Monday at the start of a two-nation trip that includes a visit to neighboring Saudi Arabia.

Where they stand: Fiorina on key topics of 2016 campaign Posted: 04 May 2015 10:03 AM PDT DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A snapshot of where former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina stands on issues likely to be debated during the 2016 Republican presidential nomination race, as she opens her campaign:

Iraqi forces plead for help as Islamic State closes in on refinery Posted: 04 May 2015 09:58 AM PDT Iraqi forces besieged inside the country's largest oil refinery are running low on food and pleading for reinforcements to save them from Islamic State militants who have advanced deep into the compound in the past week. The insurgents now hold large sections of the sprawling Baiji refinery complex in northern Iraq where some 200 policemen, soldiers and elite special forces are holding out. Daesh is the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State group, also known as ISIS or ISIL in English. We tear our uniforms to bandage other soldiers' and policemen's wounds." Mohanad, who is from Baghdad, said he had set aside one bullet to end his own life in case they were overcome by the militants: "It's an easier way to die than being beheaded".

U.S. probes possible international terrorism link with Texas shootings Posted: 04 May 2015 09:49 AM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. authorities are investigating possible links between gunmen shot dead by police at an anti-Muslim event near Dallas and international terrorist groups, a U.S. government source said on Monday. The source said the FBI and other U.S. agencies believed the incident on Sunday could have been instigated or directed by foreign-based militants such as Islamic State, which operates mainly in Syria and parts of Iraq. (Reporting by Mark Hosenball; Editing by David Storey and Susan Heavey)

Syria crisis: Spooked by rebel gains, Jordan doubles down on Islamic State Posted: 04 May 2015 09:46 AM PDT For much of Syria's civil war, Jordan has quietly supported the rebels fighting to topple the regime. In recent months, various coalitions of rebel forces have scored major battlefield gains, seizing towns and villages from the regime in the north and south of Syria. Alarmed by the strength of Islamist militants in the rebels' ranks and their recent seizure of a critical Jordanian border crossing, officials here say their priorities have changed from unseating President Bashar al-Assad to taking the fight to jihadists, including the self-declared Islamic State. Now Jordan wants to train thousands of tribal fighters in eastern Syria, potentially opening up a new front against IS, also known as ISIS.

Wounded Warrior Project participates in The Big Give S.A Posted: 04 May 2015 09:35 AM PDT SAN ANTONIO, May 4, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) will be one of many local, non-profit organizations to benefit from The Big Give S.A., a community-wide, online day of giving on Tuesday in San Antonio, Texas. The 24-hour day of giving is hosted by participating community foundations to help increase public awareness and support for the impact that non-profit organizations make in their communities. The Big Give S.A. is part of the national day of giving called Give Local America. The event will raise awareness of the pressing needs affecting San Antonio, and encourages the community to give in their own backyard to organizations impacting the areas in which we live and work.

Hamas security HQ in Gaza bombed after threat Posted: 04 May 2015 07:16 AM PDT A bomb blast targeted Hamas's security headquarters in Gaza City on Monday, witnesses said, after radical Islamists issued a threatening message calling for the release of prisoners. The security forces, run by de facto Gaza rulers and Islamist movement Hamas, were not immediately available for comment. An online statement just hours before the blast, apparently issued by anti-Hamas radical Islamists, threatened to "act against chosen targets" if jihadist prisoners were not freed within 72 hours. It was unclear if the statement and the explosion were linked, but radical Islamists in Gaza have issued similar threats in the past.

The 2016 Presidential Race: A Cheat Sheet Posted: 04 May 2015 06:29 AM PDT The field is expected to grow again on Tuesday when Mike Huckabee—the former Arkansas governor who made a strong showing in 2008, placing third in the Republican primary—makes his decision about a run formal. Is he running?

In the face of IS successes, al-Qaida adapts, grows stronger Posted: 04 May 2015 06:11 AM PDT CAIRO (AP) — When al-Qaida overran the Yemeni port city of Mukalla last month, the group's commanders immediately struck a deal to share power with the area's tribesmen. No jihadi banners were raised. Al-Qaida even issued a statement denying rumors that it had banned music at parties or men wearing shorts.

Where Hillary Stands on Taxes, Trade, Deficit, Wall Street Posted: 04 May 2015 03:30 AM PDT One of the huge benefits Hillary Rodham Clinton derives from being the only Democrat in the field for the 2016 presidential nomination that hasn't had to focus too much on economic policy. In the past year, the debate over where a wage floor should be set has moved substantially among those advocating for an increase.

Iraqi city still a ghost town a month after defeat of IS Posted: 03 May 2015 11:11 PM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi government forces drove the Islamic State group out of Abu Mustafa's hometown of Tikrit over a month ago, but he has yet to return, fearing the Shiite militias that now patrol its bombed and battered streets.

Today in History Posted: 03 May 2015 09:00 PM PDT Today is Monday, May 4, the 124th day of 2015. There are 241 days left in the year.

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