Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• Obama, Biden tell Kurdish leader US stands by unified Iraq
• Obama meets Iraqi Kurd leader
• Doubts raised about Islamic State's claim in Texas attack
• U.S. presidential hopeful Sanders: Break up the big banks
• FOR EUROPE, GENEROSITY MAY COME WITH A PRICE
• What 'Draw Muhammad' shootings say about Islamic State reach
• Too soon to say if IS group behind Texas attack: US
• 5 Things to Know About Gen. Joseph Dunford
• Republican Congressman DeSantis to run for Rubio Senate seat
• Saudi king warns of Iran threat, rebels hit border town
• U.S. probing Islamic State claims it was behind Texas cartoon attack
• Canada to pass anti-terror law critics say tramples rights
• Obama chooses Marine general as Joint Chiefs chairman
• US targets IS leaders with multi-million-dollar bounties
• Iranian opposition leader criticizes emerging nuclear agreement
• US offers multi-million dollar rewards for IS group leaders
• Obama picks Marine general as top military advisor
• U.S., allies conduct 13 air strikes in Syria, Iraq against Islamic State: coalition
• EU, China stress scope for stepped up security, climate cooperation
• In former PM Brown's home town, Scottish Labour Party fights for its life
• French lawmakers approve sweeping new spying powers
• Islamic State claims responsibility for Texas cartoon attack
• Iraq sends troops to key refinery amid Islamic State clashes
• Four killed in Baghdad car bombing near Shiite HQ
• Libya's official government conducts air strikes on militants
• Why does Sen. Tom Cotton hate the Iran deal so much?
• Turkish coastguard rescues 636 migrants trying to cross Aegean
• Key dates in Britain's coalition government
• Jordan hosts war games for troops from 18 countries
• Senate Heads For a Showdown on Iran Nuke Deal Bill
• Syrian barrel bomb attacks are 'crimes against humanity': Amnesty
• EU says seeking closer security cooperation with China
• Cleveland police officer's trial on fatal shootings nears end
• Syria-bound British family to be deported from Turkey to Moldova - source
• France, Saudi Arabia: Iran nuclear deal must be verifiable, no threat to region
• Jordan hosts 18-country military drill amid wars, tensions
• Australia terror accused 'planned to run down, behead police'
• U.S. military personnel have been convicted of $50 million worth of crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan
• Obama says goodbye to departing comedian Letterman

Obama, Biden tell Kurdish leader US stands by unified Iraq Posted: 05 May 2015 04:42 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden told the president of the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq that the United States remains committed to a united, federal and democratic Iraq.

Obama meets Iraqi Kurd leader Posted: 05 May 2015 04:41 PM PDT US President Barack Obama met the head of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region at the White House on Tuesday, courting a vital ally on the frontline of the fight against Islamic militants. Obama and Vice President Joe Biden met Massud Barzani to discuss the campaign to regain Iraqi territory lost to the Islamic State group. A US-led coalition has carried out more than 3,000 air strikes over Iraq since September in a bid to dislodge the jihadists. The city, a short distance from the Kurdish capital Arbil, holds special significance for the Islamic State militants.

Doubts raised about Islamic State's claim in Texas attack Posted: 05 May 2015 04:20 PM PDT PHOENIX (AP) — The Islamic State group claimed responsibility Tuesday for the assault on a Texas cartoon contest that featured images of the Prophet Muhammad, but counterterrorism experts said IS has a history of asserting involvement in attacks in which it had no operational role.

U.S. presidential hopeful Sanders: Break up the big banks Posted: 05 May 2015 03:39 PM PDT By Douwe Miedema WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Bernie Sanders, a self-described socialist U.S. senator who has launched a bid for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination, said on Tuesday he will introduce a bill to break up the biggest banks, a position far to the left of the party's front runner, Hillary Clinton. Calls for Wall Street's largest firms to be cut down were numerous after taxpayers spent billions of dollars to prevent the financial system from collapse during the 2007-09 financial crisis, but they have since gradually died down. Under the Sanders proposal, regulators on the existing Financial Stability Oversight Council would compile a list of institutions that are 'too big to fail' and implicitly rely on government support during a crisis. They would also be prohibited from using any customer funds for risky or speculative activities on financial markets.

FOR EUROPE, GENEROSITY MAY COME WITH A PRICE Posted: 05 May 2015 03:00 PM PDT In 1973, a prominent French writer, Jean Raspail, set forth on the French literary stage a novel that managed to fascinate even as it shocked the West. To them, apparently, this picture of a refugee fleet, appropriately called "The Last Chance Armada," which had sailed several seas bringing no-chancers-at-all(DESPERATE IMMIGRANTS?) from faraway India to the luxurious southern borders of Europe, was not so horrifying as it was to the average Frenchman or Spaniard.

What 'Draw Muhammad' shootings say about Islamic State reach Posted: 05 May 2015 02:52 PM PDT The attempted terror attack by two Muslim-Americans in Garland, Texas, Sunday so far appears to confirm what terrorism experts have been saying for months: The Islamic State has no ability to carry out attacks in the United States. No evidence yet shared with the public suggests that the two men killed by a security officer when they opened fire on a building hosting a "Draw Muhammad" contest were hardened Islamic State operatives. The degree to which he and his Phoenix-area roommate, Nadir Soofi, reached out to the Islamic State – or the Islamic State (also known as ISIS) reached out to them – is unclear. The Islamic State doesn't have to try to send operatives to the US.

Too soon to say if IS group behind Texas attack: US Posted: 05 May 2015 02:39 PM PDT The White House said Tuesday it was too soon to tell if the Islamic State group was behind an attack in Texas targeting an exhibit of caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed, despite claims by the jihadists. The IS group earlier claimed responsibility for Sunday's attack, in which two gunmen shot a security guard in a Dallas suburb before being killed by a police officer outside an event showcasing the cartoons, which many Muslims find offensive. The case "is still under investigation by the FBI and other members of the intelligence community" to determine if the two assailants had any ties to the IS group, White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters. The IS claim marked the first time the extremist group, which has captured swathes of territory in Syria and Iraq using brutal methods, alleged to have carried out an attack in the United States.

5 Things to Know About Gen. Joseph Dunford Posted: 05 May 2015 02:37 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama nominated Marine Commandant Gen. Joseph Dunford on Tuesday to be chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the top U.S. military position, replacing Army Gen. Martin Dempsey.

Republican Congressman DeSantis to run for Rubio Senate seat Posted: 05 May 2015 02:04 PM PDT TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Republican U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis will run for the Florida Senate now held by Marco Rubio.

Saudi king warns of Iran threat, rebels hit border town Posted: 05 May 2015 01:45 PM PDT Saudi Arabia's King Salman on Tuesday urged his fellow Gulf leaders to stand up to Iran, as Yemeni rebels backed by Tehran bombarded a Saudi border city. Salman's call came at a summit of Gulf monarchs in Riyadh also attended by French President Francois Hollande, who said his country was "by the side" of the Gulf's Arab nations.

U.S. probing Islamic State claims it was behind Texas cartoon attack Posted: 05 May 2015 01:14 PM PDT By Mark Hosenball and Ian Simpson WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. investigators were looking into claims by the Islamic State that it was behind a failed attack on a Texas exhibit of cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad in which two gunmen were killed, but officials said on Tuesday they doubted the militant group's direct involvement. The Syria- and Iraq-based Islamic State (IS) said on its official online radio station that "two soldiers of the caliphate" carried out the attack on Sunday in Garland, a suburb of Dallas.

Canada to pass anti-terror law critics say tramples rights Posted: 05 May 2015 01:07 PM PDT Lawmakers are expected to pass an anti-terror statute Wednesday granting Canada's spy agency sweeping new powers criticized by civil rights advocates. The final reading of the bill after several failed opposition attempts to water it down in recent days follows two deadly attacks in Canada last year. It will mark the the biggest overhaul of Canada's anti-terrorism legislation since 2001, when Ottawa rushed through new national security measures following attacks in the United States. A government spokesperson told AFP the House of Commons vote is scheduled for Wednesday evening.

Obama chooses Marine general as Joint Chiefs chairman Posted: 05 May 2015 12:59 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama tapped a highly respected combat commander as his next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Tuesday, signaling that the battles against al-Qaida and Islamic State militants threatening the Middle East and the West remain top priorities for the nation's military despite years of trying to change the focus to Asia.

US targets IS leaders with multi-million-dollar bounties Posted: 05 May 2015 12:41 PM PDT The United States ratcheted up pressure on the leaders of the Islamic State jihadist group on Tuesday, adding four names to those targeted by multi-million-dollar bounties. The IS group has seized a wide stretch of eastern Syria and northern Iraq and declared it a "caliphate," within which it has enslaved female captives, carried out sectarian massacres and murdered hostages. The militant with the largest price -- $7 million (6.25 million euros) -- on his head is Abdel Rahman Mustafa al-Qaduli, who was designated a global terrorist for the purpose of US Treasury sanctions in May last year. The State Department alleged that he had been a deputy to the late leader of Al-Qaeda's Iraqi faction, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, and had travelled to Syria to join the IS group in 2012 after he was freed from an Iraqi jail.

Iranian opposition leader criticizes emerging nuclear agreement Posted: 05 May 2015 12:10 PM PDT PARIS, May 5, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Maryam Rajavi, the president of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), addressed a conference at the French Senate on Monday, where she voiced her organization's criticism regarding the current Western policy toward Iran, including what she described as a policy of appeasement in the nuclear negotiations. She added that the failure of the regime to improve on its human rights situations and to cease its intrusive actions in the broader Middle East are sure signs that it has not given up on its nuclear ambitions either.

US offers multi-million dollar rewards for IS group leaders Posted: 05 May 2015 11:54 AM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration is offering rewards of up to $20 million for information leading to the whereabouts of four top leaders of the Islamic State group.

Obama picks Marine general as top military advisor Posted: 05 May 2015 11:52 AM PDT President Barack Obama nominated Marine General Joseph Dunford as chairman of the joint chiefs Tuesday, choosing an officer with battlefield experience in Iraq and Afghanistan for the military's top job. Describing Dunford as "one of the most admired officers in our military," Obama hailed the Boston native as a top-notch strategic thinker. I trust him," Obama said in a White House Rose Garden announcement ceremony. If confirmed by the Senate, Dunford will be drawing on his years fighting insurgents over the past decade when he advises Obama on the US-led war against the Islamic State group.

U.S., allies conduct 13 air strikes in Syria, Iraq against Islamic State: coalition Posted: 05 May 2015 10:20 AM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S.-led military coalition launched 12 air strikes in Iraq and one in Syria against Islamic State militants since Monday, the Combined Joint Task Force said in a statement. The military statement on Tuesday said the strike in Syria involved attack aircraft and was near Al Hasakah, while those in Iraq involved attack, bomber, fighter and drone aircraft and were near Bayji, Fallujah, Mosul, Ramadi and Tal Afar. The strikes all took place between 8 a.m. on Monday and 8 a.m. on Tuesday local time, the statement said. ...

EU, China stress scope for stepped up security, climate cooperation Posted: 05 May 2015 10:06 AM PDT The European Union and China on Tuesday expressed a desire to deepen cooperation on international security, diplomacy and climate change, though human rights appeared to remain a sensitive issue. EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and China's top foreign policy official Yang Jiechi held talks as part of a regular strategic dialogue in which the two sides exchange views and develop political and economic relations.

In former PM Brown's home town, Scottish Labour Party fights for its life Posted: 05 May 2015 09:54 AM PDT By Angus MacSwan KIRKCALDY, Scotland (Reuters) - - No election battle more starkly demonstrates the sudden collapse of Britain's Labour Party in Scotland than the one unfolding in the home town of former Prime Minister Gordon Brown, which his party looks set to lose for the first time in 80 years. The fight is not yet over and Labour still hopes to cling to the constituency of Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath in Thursday's election. In one of the biggest British political shakeups in decades, the SNP is predicted to win the vast majority of the 59 Scottish seats in the House of Commons, mostly at Labour's expense, to claim the balance of power in a United Kingdom it wants to break up.

French lawmakers approve sweeping new spying powers Posted: 05 May 2015 09:42 AM PDT France is still on high alert as it has received repeated threats from jihadist groups abroad and was reminded of the peril of homegrown extremism when police thwarted a planned attack on a church two weeks ago. The bill was passed by 438 votes to 86 in the lower house National Assembly, with broad support from both main parties. Amnesty International has also protested against the legislation, warning it will take France "a step closer to a surveillance state". The new law will allow authorities to spy on the digital and mobile communications of anyone linked to a "terrorist" inquiry without prior authorisation from a judge, and forces Internet service providers and phone companies to give up data upon request.

Islamic State claims responsibility for Texas cartoon attack Posted: 05 May 2015 09:38 AM PDT CAIRO (AP) — The Islamic State group claimed responsibility on Tuesday for a weekend attack at a center near Dallas, Texas, that was exhibiting cartoon depictions of the Prophet Muhammad — though it offered no evidence of a direct link to the attackers.

Iraq sends troops to key refinery amid Islamic State clashes Posted: 05 May 2015 09:26 AM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — Reinforcements were rushed to Iraq's key Beiji refinery amid heavy fighting with Islamic State militants who have been trying to capture the facility for months, Iraqi officials said Tuesday.

Four killed in Baghdad car bombing near Shiite HQ Posted: 05 May 2015 09:23 AM PDT A car bomb blast near the Baghdad headquarters of a Shiite militia fighting the Islamic State jihadist group in Iraq killed at least four civilians on Tuesday, police said. A police colonel told AFP that 13 other people were wounded in the explosion near the headquarters of Kataeb Imam Ali in the Karrada area of central Baghdad. The bomb went off in front of the Royal Hotel, less than 500 metres (yards) away, leaving the headquarters untouched but damaging cars and the hotel lobby, an AFP photographer said.

Libya's official government conducts air strikes on militants Posted: 05 May 2015 08:21 AM PDT By Ayman al-Warfalli BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) - Libya's internationally recognised government carried out air strikes on Tuesday against Islamic State militants in the eastern city of Derna, a senior commander said. The North African country is in the throes of a power truggle with two governments allied to dozens of armed groups fighting each other four years after the uprising that ousted veteran strongman leader Muammar Gaddafi. While unable to defeat each other on several front lines across the oil-producing state, both governments have also been clashing with Islamic State insurgents exploiting a security vacuum as in Iraq and Syria. Saqer al-Joroushi, air force commander of the official Libyan government based in the east since losing control of Tripoli in August, said his warplanes had hit Islamic State positions in Derna on Monday and Tuesday.

Why does Sen. Tom Cotton hate the Iran deal so much? Posted: 05 May 2015 06:37 AM PDT Freshman Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas is quickly becoming the next in a growing line of young Republican provocateurs. Take last Thursday, when Senator Cotton – one of John McCain's fledgling security hawks – engaged in another high-profile attack on the Obama administration's nuclear negotiations with Iran. Targeting the carefully constructed bipartisan bill that would guarantee congressional review of any Iran nuclear deal, the senator used a rare parliamentary maneuver that, he said, was intended to strengthen the bill. Opponents said the true goal was to kill the bill, which has veto-proof support in the Senate.

Turkish coastguard rescues 636 migrants trying to cross Aegean Posted: 05 May 2015 06:30 AM PDT Turkey's coastguard has rescued more than 600 people trying to cross the Aegean sea over the last five days, including women and children fleeing war-torn Syria in rubber boats, a provincial governor's office said on Tuesday. More than 400 of the 636 rescued migrants were from Syria, while others were from Iraq, Afghanistan, Myanmar and some African countries, the office of the governor of the coastal Izmir province said in a statement.

Key dates in Britain's coalition government Posted: 05 May 2015 06:04 AM PDT British Prime Minister David Cameron's coalition government came to power in 2010 but could be broken up after Thursday's tightly-fought general election. May 11, 2010: Cameron's Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats form a coalition government -- the first since World War II -- following the resignation of Gordon Brown as prime minister after elections ending Labour's 13 years in power. November 10, 2010: Violence breaks out at student protests in London against government plans to raise university tuition fees, including outside Conservative Party headquarters. A car carrying Prince Charles and his wife Camilla is attacked.

Jordan hosts war games for troops from 18 countries Posted: 05 May 2015 06:00 AM PDT Thousands of soldiers from 18 countries took part Tuesday in military drills in Jordan jointly overseen by the US army, officials said. Around 10,000 troops are participating in Jordan's fifth "Eager Lion" annual war games, which will last for two weeks. The aerial, ground and naval exercises come as a US-led coalition battles the Islamic State (IS) group in neighbouring Iraq and Syria. As well as troops from the US and Jordan, military contingents from several nearby Arab states and troops from France, Italy and Pakistan will take part in drills in the Jordanian desert.

Senate Heads For a Showdown on Iran Nuke Deal Bill Posted: 05 May 2015 06:00 AM PDT For  a while late last week, a fast-moving bill to provide Congress with the right to review and block a  nuclear non-proliferation deal with Iran looked as if it might be derailed. The Senate debate was interrupted Thursday when freshman Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AK), in an unusual parliamentary maneuver, brought two highly controversial amendments to the floor, over the wishes of Foreign Relations Committee Chair Bob Corker (R-TN), who is managing the deliberations.

Syrian barrel bomb attacks are 'crimes against humanity': Amnesty Posted: 05 May 2015 05:35 AM PDT By Kieran Guilbert LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Syrian government forces are targeting civilians in barrel bomb attacks in Aleppo that have forced hospitals and schools to move underground, Amnesty International said on Tuesday, describing the bombings as "crimes against humanity". Barrel bombs -- containers packed with explosives and projectiles that are dropped from helicopters -- killed some 3,000 civilians in the northern Aleppo governorate last year, and have killed more than 11,000 in Syria since 2012, Amnesty said. "I saw children without heads, body parts everywhere ... it was how I imagine hell to be," one factory worker told Amnesty in a report.

EU says seeking closer security cooperation with China Posted: 05 May 2015 05:33 AM PDT By Ben Blanchard BEIJING (Reuters) - Europe aims to improve security and defense cooperation with China, especially in the Middle East and in the fight against human trafficking, the European Union's foreign policy chief said on Tuesday following high-level talks in Beijing. Federica Mogherini's two-day visit comes as Beijing launches a diplomatic offensive to move Sino-European relations beyond trade and raise China's international profile, buoyed by its success winning European participation in a new Asian bank. Trade is still at the core of the relationship, worth 467 billion euros ($519 billion) last year, but China's bid to deepen cooperation on world affairs resonates with the EU as it seeks to forge a more unified foreign policy among its 28 member countries.

Cleveland police officer's trial on fatal shootings nears end Posted: 05 May 2015 04:38 AM PDT By Kim Palmer CLEVELAND (Reuters) - A Cuyahoga County judge will soon decide whether a Cleveland police officer is guilty of voluntary manslaughter in the fatal shooting of two unarmed suspects after a long, high-speed chase in November 2012. Closing arguments are set for Tuesday in the trial of Officer Michael Brelo, 31, before Judge John O'Donnell in the deaths of Malissa Williams and Timothy Russell. Williams and Russell were black and Brelo, a Marine who served in Iraq, is white. The chase, which started in downtown Cleveland after reports that there was gunfire coming from Russell's car, went through multiple cities at speeds topping 90 mph and ended with 13 Cleveland police officers firing 137 rounds.

Syria-bound British family to be deported from Turkey to Moldova - source Posted: 05 May 2015 04:33 AM PDT A British couple and their four young children detained in Turkey last month on suspicion of seeking to travel to a part of Syria controlled by Islamic State militants will be deported to Moldova, a senior Turkish official said on Tuesday. Asif Malik, his partner Sara and the four children - who are aged between less than 12 months and 7 years old - were detained in Ankara just over two weeks ago after British police appealed for information on their whereabouts. "The family will be deported to Moldova of their own will," the Turkish official said, declining to be identified because of the sensitivity of the issue. A second Turkish official confirmed that the family were being deported to a country other than Britain but gave no further details.

France, Saudi Arabia: Iran nuclear deal must be verifiable, no threat to region Posted: 05 May 2015 03:43 AM PDT By John Irish RIYADH (Reuters) - France and Saudi Arabia believe that any future nuclear accord between Iran and six major powers must be robust, verifiable and no threat to Tehran's neighbors, the two countries said ahead of a summit in Riyadh on Tuesday. Saudi Arabia invited French President Francois Hollande, whose country is deemed to have the toughest stance among the six world powers negotiating with Iran, to Riyadh to discuss regional issues with Gulf Arab leaders who fear a rapprochement with Tehran could further inflame the region. "France and Saudi Arabia confirmed the necessity to reach a robust, lasting, verifiable, undisputed and binding deal with Iran," Hollande and the new Saudi King Salman said in a statement after meeting on Monday.

Jordan hosts 18-country military drill amid wars, tensions Posted: 05 May 2015 03:36 AM PDT AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — Jordan has kicked off a two-week military exercise with some 10,000 participants from 18 countries, many members of a U.S.-led military coalition against the Islamic State group, which controls much of neighboring Iraq and Syria.

Australia terror accused 'planned to run down, behead police' Posted: 05 May 2015 02:30 AM PDT Two Australian teenagers arrested last month on terror charges allegedly planned to run down police officers with a car, behead them and then shoot other people, reports said Tuesday. Two Melbourne men, Sevdet Besim and Harun Causevic, were charged with conspiring to commit a terrorist act, allegedly at an Anzac Day parade for Australia's soldiers on April 25. Besim, 18, has withdrawn his application for bail but lawyers for Causevic told Melbourne Magistrates Court that their client, who is also 18, should be released pending his hearing, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported. The case against Causevic was "far more limited" than that against his co-accused Besim, his lawyer Michael O'Connell told the court, the national broadcaster said.

U.S. military personnel have been convicted of $50 million worth of crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan Posted: 05 May 2015 02:00 AM PDT Large cash transactions, loose military oversight, and deeply corrupted local cultures have lured many to steal and rig contracts

Obama says goodbye to departing comedian Letterman Posted: 05 May 2015 12:56 AM PDT No stranger to late night American TV, President Barack Obama bid farewell Monday to David Letterman, a retiring comic heavyweight beloved by US night owls. Obama joked: "Are you saying that is how you felt this morning? Just days after his wife Michelle appeared on the same show as Letterman prepares to retire late this month after 33 years on the air, Obama both sparred playfully and talked serious policy stuff in the roughly hour-long chat. Obama also spoke at length about the riots that broke out last week in Baltimore, just an hour's drive from Washington, after the funeral of a young black man who died of a spinal injury sustained apparently while in police custody last month.

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