Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• U.S. seeing rapid expansion of Sunni outreach at new Anbar base
• Air strike kills IS leader in Syria: Pentagon
• Top ISIS Leader Killed by US Drone Strike in Syria
• US drone strike kills Islamic State leader
• Jim Webb, Iraq war critic in Senate, running for president
• Where They Stand: Webb on some issues of 2016 campaign
• Obama's counterterrorism policy facing mounting criticism
• On the management and expansion of savagery
• Senior Islamic State leader killed in U.S.-led coalition strike
• The 2016 U.S. Presidential Race: A Cheat Sheet
• Democratic ex-senator Webb enters US presidential race
• White House Brief: Things to know about Jim Webb
• Kuwait promotes unity in wake of bombing designed to divide
• Flags stir intense emotions, but meaning depends on beholder
• IS destroys statue outside Syria's Palmyra museum
• U.N. aiming for pause in Yemen fighting for humanitarian relief
• Tunisia arrests eight with 'direct links' to beach massacre
• Unemployment rate for black Americans at 7-year low
• Morocco arrests nine over IS propaganda, recruitment
• Disillusioned ex-Israeli peace negotiator finds hope online
• Outcry as France's beloved satirical puppets face retirement
• Tunisia: 8 people suspected of direct links to beach attack
• Analysis: Spill settlement closure leaves BP open to growth, takeover
• Disaffected Tunisia youth 'ripe for radicalisation'
• Egypt's rising jihadist insurgency challenges Sisi in the Sinai
• UK minister: Illogical to attack IS in Iraq but not Syria
• My college friend is running for Senate. Can P.G. Sittenfeld make millennials stop hating politics?
• Police hold two women for alleged terror offences
• Gulf states tighten security for frightened Shi'ites after mosque blasts
• Islamic State looting Syrian, Iraqi sites on industrial scale: UNESCO
• Iraq Christians train to recapture homes from IS
• UK woman charged with being member of Islamic State, girl held
• Morocco breaks up militant cell linked to Islamic State
• Veterans' signs: Be courteous when setting off fireworks
• U.S., allies target Islamic State with 28 air strikes in Syria, Iraq
• Tunisia hunts for Libya-trained suspects after hotel attack
• Soccer-Indian league buzzing with reports of Carlos arrival
• Iraqi forces say most of Baiji town recaptured from Islamic State
• U.N. refugee agency urges Hungary not to tighten asylum rules
• British woman charged with being member of Islamic State

U.S. seeing rapid expansion of Sunni outreach at new Anbar base Posted: 02 Jul 2015 04:42 PM PDT By Phil Stewart WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is seeing signs that new efforts to draw Sunni tribesmen into Iraq's battle against Islamic State may be taking root at a military base near the fallen capital of Sunni-dominated Anbar province, U.S. officials say. A U.S. defense officials told Reuters the first group of 500 Sunni recruits would soon complete training at the Taqaddum military base near the city of Ramadi, making way for a second group of about 500 Sunnis who have agreed to participate. The number of confirmed Sunni recruits for Taqaddum is double the amount first disclosed last month by the U.S. military and follows U.S. President Barack Obama's June 10 order to deploy American troops for the first time to the base.

Air strike kills IS leader in Syria: Pentagon Posted: 02 Jul 2015 04:40 PM PDT A senior Islamic State leader who coordinated suicide bombings and recruited funds and fighters for the jihadists has been killed in a coalition air strike in Syria, the Pentagon said Thursday. Tariq bin Tahar al-Awni al-Harzi was killed in the northern city of Shaddadi on June 16, Pentagon spokesman Navy Captain Jeff Davis said in a statement. As of late 2013, Harzi was a key figure in suicide and car bombings in Iraq, the US says.

Top ISIS Leader Killed by US Drone Strike in Syria Posted: 02 Jul 2015 04:35 PM PDT A U.S. drone strike has killed a top ISIS leader in charge of the terror group's foreign fighter operations and moving people and supplies into Syria and Iraq. The Pentagon confirmed Thursday that Tariq bin Tahar-Al-Awni-al-Harzi was killed in an airstrike in Syria on June 16, the day after his brother Ali was killed in another drone strike in Mosul, Iraq. Ali bin Tahar-Al Awni-al Harzi was not only a top ISIS leader himself, but also a person of interest in the deadly 2012 attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya.

US drone strike kills Islamic State leader Posted: 02 Jul 2015 03:15 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — A coalition airstrike in Syria has killed a senior Islamic State leader, who has been responsible for moving fighters and weapons from Libya to Syria, the Pentagon said Thursday.

Jim Webb, Iraq war critic in Senate, running for president Posted: 02 Jul 2015 02:08 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Jim Webb, a decorated Vietnam veteran and accomplished novelist who became a fierce critic of the Iraq war in the Senate, announced Thursday that he's challenging Hillary Rodham Clinton and other rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Where They Stand: Webb on some issues of 2016 campaign Posted: 02 Jul 2015 02:07 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb announced his candidacy Thursday for the 2016 Democratic nomination for president. Here's a look at where he stands on some issues:

Obama's counterterrorism policy facing mounting criticism Posted: 02 Jul 2015 02:05 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — At the CIA's Counterterrorism Center, it was a cause for celebration: Meticulous intelligence analysis backed by Hellfire missiles had paid off, once again.

On the management and expansion of savagery Posted: 02 Jul 2015 01:53 PM PDT In 2004, an Al Qaeda ideologue uploaded a book to the Internet that shifted jihadi thinking across the globe. The book had a powerful and lasting impact, particularly in Iraq, where in 2006 the local Al Qaeda affiliate changed its name to the Islamic State of Iraq and set about winning territory and imposing its harsh version of Islamic law. Recommended: How much do you know about the Islamic State?

Senior Islamic State leader killed in U.S.-led coalition strike Posted: 02 Jul 2015 01:18 PM PDT The U.S. military said on Thursday a coalition airstrike in Syria killed a senior Islamic State leader who helped fundraise, secure arms and transport fighters for the militant group. The June 16 strike killed Tariq bin Tahar al-'Awni al-Harzi, the Pentagon said, identifying him as the brother of another fighter linked to the 2012 attack on a U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya. "His death will impact ISIL's ability to integrate foreign terrorist fighters into the Syrian and Iraqi fight as well as to move people and equipment across the border between Syria and Iraq," said Captain Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, using an acronym for Islamic State.

The 2016 U.S. Presidential Race: A Cheat Sheet Posted: 02 Jul 2015 01:09 PM PDT In a different era's Democratic Party, Jim Webb might be a serious contender for the presidential nomination. In today's leftward drifting Democratic Party, however, it's hard to see Webb—who declared his candidacy Thursday—getting very far. As surprising as Bernie Sanders's rise in the polls has been, he looks more like the Democratic base than Webb does.

Democratic ex-senator Webb enters US presidential race Posted: 02 Jul 2015 12:46 PM PDT Former US senator Jim Webb of Virginia, a Vietnam war veteran who served as secretary of the navy, announced Thursday he is running for president, challenging frontrunner Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination. "After many months of thought, deliberation and discussion, I have decided to seek the office of the presidency of the United States," Webb said in a Facebook post. Webb's campaign is a long shot by any measure, but he is counting on appealing to voters from both sides of the aisle, his opposition to the invasion of Iraq, and his experience as a decorated US Marine to distinguish himself in the 2016 race.

White House Brief: Things to know about Jim Webb Posted: 02 Jul 2015 12:44 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — A look at former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb, who announced Thursday he would seek the Democratic presidential nomination.

Kuwait promotes unity in wake of bombing designed to divide Posted: 02 Jul 2015 11:37 AM PDT KUWAIT CITY (AP) — An Islamic State sympathizer's deadly bombing in a packed Kuwaiti mosque last week was designed to fit an all-too-familiar pattern: extremists attack Shiites to stoke sectarian hatred and then proclaim themselves the defenders of Sunnis against those they denounce as heretics.

Flags stir intense emotions, but meaning depends on beholder Posted: 02 Jul 2015 11:33 AM PDT Raised by firefighters from the smoking wreckage of the World Trade Center, a flag telegraphed both anguish and resolve. Planted atop a mountain on Iwo Jima, another piece of national cloth came to symbolize collective perseverance and conquest.

IS destroys statue outside Syria's Palmyra museum Posted: 02 Jul 2015 11:12 AM PDT Islamic State group jihadists have destroyed a famous statue of a lion outside the museum in the Syrian city of Palmyra, the country's antiquities director said Thursday. Maamoun Abdelkarim said the statue, known as the Lion of Al-Lat, was an irreplacable piece and was apparently destroyed last week. "IS members on Saturday destroyed the Lion of al-Lat, which is a unique piece that is three metres (10 feet) tall and weight 15 tonnes," Abdelkarim told AFP.

U.N. aiming for pause in Yemen fighting for humanitarian relief Posted: 02 Jul 2015 11:06 AM PDT By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United Nations has alerted aid groups to be prepared for a possible humanitarian pause in fighting in Yemen, starting as early as Friday, that would allow them to deliver assistance to some of the 21 million people in need. A Saudi Arabia-led coalition of Arab states has been bombing the Iranian-allied Houthi rebel movement since late March in a bid to restore to power Yemen's elected president, who is backed by neighboring Saudi Arabia and has fled to Riyadh. A senior U.N. aid official in Yemen wrote in an email to aid groups, sent on Wednesday and seen by Reuters, that U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon "is calling for the pause to start as soon as this Friday, 3 July." U.N. special envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed is currently in Jeddah to meet with Saudi officials, the U.N. said.

Tunisia arrests eight with 'direct links' to beach massacre Posted: 02 Jul 2015 11:00 AM PDT Tunisia has arrested eight people in connection with last week's jihadist massacre at a seaside resort, as the remains of more slain Britons were flown home Thursday. Friday's attack saw 23-year-old student Seifeddine Rezgui gun down 38 foreign tourists, including 30 Britons, after pulling a Kalashnikov assault rifle from a beach umbrella at the resort of Port El Kantaoui, near Sousse. It was the worst ever massacre in Tunisia and saw Britain's worst loss of life in such an attack since the July 2005 London bombings.

Unemployment rate for black Americans at 7-year low Posted: 02 Jul 2015 10:53 AM PDT Black Americans made strides in the job market in June, with their unemployment rate reaching its lowest level in seven years. The black unemployment rate fell to 9.5 percent, the best showing since a ...

Morocco arrests nine over IS propaganda, recruitment Posted: 02 Jul 2015 10:10 AM PDT Morocco said Thursday it arrested nine suspects for spreading Islamic State group propaganda and trying to recruit people to join the jihadist organisation. The nine were suspected of "spreading propaganda on behalf of IS, encouraging youths to join the group and training them to use arms and make bombs," said the ministry.

Disillusioned ex-Israeli peace negotiator finds hope online Posted: 02 Jul 2015 10:03 AM PDT TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Four years ago, disillusioned former peace negotiator Uri Savir launched a Facebook group aimed at bringing together moderate voices from Israel and across the Arab world. Now he's celebrating his vision with a near million-strong online movement stretching across the Middle East's most hostile borders.

Outcry as France's beloved satirical puppets face retirement Posted: 02 Jul 2015 09:42 AM PDT They have lampooned the political elite for decades, at home and abroad, but now the merciless puppets hosting France's favourite comedy show have been threatened with retirement, sparking an outcry Thursday. Several French media outlets reported that France's longest-running comedy show, "Les Guignols de l'Info," a satirical 10-minute newscast peopled by latex puppets, was going to be pulled off the air in September. The move is a decision by businessman Vincent Bollore, who owns the Canal Plus television channel from where the show has provoked mirth and often ire with its send ups of hot topics and politicians since 1988.

Tunisia: 8 people suspected of direct links to beach attack Posted: 02 Jul 2015 09:34 AM PDT TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — Eight people are in custody in Tunisia, suspected of having direct links to a deadly beach attack that killed 38 people, but four other possible suspects have been released, a minister said Thursday.

Analysis: Spill settlement closure leaves BP open to growth, takeover Posted: 02 Jul 2015 09:27 AM PDT By Karolin Schaps and Ron Bousso LONDON (Reuters) - BP's $18.7 billion settlement over the 2010 Gulf of Mexico spill draws a line under years of uncertainty to allow it to focus once again on growth but could make it an acquisition target. The British energy giant, whose shares are still some 35 percent below their value before the largest offshore spill in U.S. history, still faces headwinds from the sharp decline in oil prices and its large exposure to Russia. The settlement lifts a huge weight off Bob Dudley, BP's first U.S. chief executive who was appointed leader just six months after the oil spill.

Disaffected Tunisia youth 'ripe for radicalisation' Posted: 02 Jul 2015 08:47 AM PDT Disillusioned with the outcome of the revolution they spearheaded, young Tunisians have become easy prey for jihadist recruiters in the birthplace of the Arab Spring, where thousands have been radicalised, experts say. To political scientist Olfa Lamloum, this comes as little surprise. After Tunisia's 2011 uprising brought down longtime strongman Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, many young people "believed a better world was possible," she said.

Egypt's rising jihadist insurgency challenges Sisi in the Sinai Posted: 02 Jul 2015 08:38 AM PDT Despite a two-year campaign, Egypt is facing an increasingly powerful and sophisticated insurgency in the Sinai Peninsula and the jihadist hotbed is emerging as President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's biggest challenge. The arid and rugged peninsula bordering Israel and the Gaza Strip has long been a breeding ground for militancy, especially from Bedouin tribes who have complained of being marginalised by Cairo. Fighters from the Islamic State group's Egyptian affiliate launched an unprecedented wave of brazen attacks on Wednesday in the North Sinai town of Sheikh Zuweid.

UK minister: Illogical to attack IS in Iraq but not Syria Posted: 02 Jul 2015 08:19 AM PDT LONDON (AP) — Britain's defense minister says lawmakers should consider expanding Royal Air Force airstrikes against the Islamic State from Iraq into Syria.

My college friend is running for Senate. Can P.G. Sittenfeld make millennials stop hating politics? Posted: 02 Jul 2015 08:07 AM PDT What kind of person becomes a politician?

Police hold two women for alleged terror offences Posted: 02 Jul 2015 08:06 AM PDT Police on Thursday charged a 26-year-old woman with inciting terror through Twitter and membership of the Islamic State group, and arrested a 15-year-old girl on suspicion of preparing an attack. Officers were also continuing an investigation into the disappearance of a family of 12, including three generations, believed to have travelled to Syria. The 26-year-old woman was detained at Heathrow Airport after returning from Turkey.

Gulf states tighten security for frightened Shi'ites after mosque blasts Posted: 02 Jul 2015 07:45 AM PDT By Sami Aboudi and Taghreed Almadani DUBAI (Reuters) - It may have been a prank, albeit a malevolent one, or a genuine threat of violence, when flyers featuring the Islamic State flag were placed near a Shi'ite Muslim mosque in Bahrain this week. The Shi'ite community - a minority in most Gulf Arab states but the majority in Bahrain and some eastern parts of Saudi Arabia - has worked hard, often with local security forces, to step up security and calm communal relations. In Kuwait and in Bahrain, Sunnis and Shi'ites will pray together in main mosques, as a sign of national unity and in a challenge to the militant group, which is expanding, notably in Egypt, Libya and Yemen, from its strongholds in Iraq and Syria.

Islamic State looting Syrian, Iraqi sites on industrial scale: UNESCO Posted: 02 Jul 2015 07:43 AM PDT By Andrew Osborn LONDON (Reuters) - Islamic State militants are looting ancient sites across Iraq and Syria on an industrial scale and selling on treasures to middlemen to raise cash, Irina Bokova, the head of the U.N. cultural agency UNESCO said on Thursday. One fifth of Iraq's about 10,000 official world-renowned sites have were Islamic State control and heavily looted, and it was unclear what was happening in "thousands more" areas, Bokova told a meeting of experts in London. Some sites in Syria had been ransacked so badly they no longer had any value for historians and archaeologists, and UNESCO was also increasingly worried about Libya, she said.

Iraq Christians train to recapture homes from IS Posted: 02 Jul 2015 07:38 AM PDT With wooden crosses around their necks and others tattooed on their arms, several dozen Iraqi Christians are training to recapture their homes overrun by the Islamic State jihadist group. A year ago, IS launched a fierce offensive in northern Iraq, quickly capturing second city Mosul, with its large Christian minority, and Christian-populated areas in the surrounding Nineveh province. "We heard that the Christians had an opportunity for jihad (holy war), and we all came and volunteered," said 17-year-old Chaldean Christian Frank Samir.

UK woman charged with being member of Islamic State, girl held Posted: 02 Jul 2015 07:27 AM PDT British police said on Thursday they had charged a woman with being a member of Islamic State and inciting terrorism on social media, and in a separate case had arrested a 15-year-old girl on suspicion of a terrorism offence. The woman, 26, from Burton upon Trent in central England who cannot be named for legal reasons, was arrested by counter-terrorism officers at London's Heathrow Airport in February after arriving on a flight from Turkey. West Midlands Police said she had been charged with publishing messages on Twitter in October last year which encouraged people to commit or prepare acts of terrorism, and being a member of the banned organisation Islamic State (IS).

Morocco breaks up militant cell linked to Islamic State Posted: 02 Jul 2015 07:02 AM PDT Morocco said on Thursday security forces had dismantled an Islamist militant cell affiliated to the Islamic State group, including members with knowledge in handling weapons and explosives. The attack was claimed by Islamic State. It had been in contact with the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and had tried to encourage young volunteers to fight for the group, the statement said.

Veterans' signs: Be courteous when setting off fireworks Posted: 02 Jul 2015 06:59 AM PDT NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. (AP) — Veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are asking their neighbors to be considerate when setting off fireworks this Fourth of July weekend.

U.S., allies target Islamic State with 28 air strikes in Syria, Iraq Posted: 02 Jul 2015 06:22 AM PDT U.S.-led coalition forces conducted 18 air strikes against Islamic State in Iraq and 10 in Syria on Wednesday, the U.S. military said. The strikes in Iraq targeted eight cities including Falluja, Haditha, Mosul, Sinjar and Makhmur, destroying buildings, vehicles, weapons and tactical units, the task force in charge of the strikes said in a statement Thursday. The task force said the Syria strikes included six near Hasaka, the northeastern city stormed last week by Islamic State fighters who drove out thousands of civilians.

Tunisia hunts for Libya-trained suspects after hotel attack Posted: 02 Jul 2015 06:21 AM PDT By Tarek Amara TUNIS (Reuters) - Tunisian authorities were on Thursday hunting further suspects in the Sousse hotel attack identified by officials as part of a group trained in a Libyan jihadist camp alongside gunmen who carried out a massacre at a Tunis museum. In March, two gunmen killed 21 people at the Tunis Bardo museum, before they were also shot. Authorities say suspects in both attacks were trained in military tactics across the border in Libya, where several Islamist armed groups have profited from the country's political chaos to expand their influence and set up base.

Soccer-Indian league buzzing with reports of Carlos arrival Posted: 02 Jul 2015 06:05 AM PDT By Sudipto Ganguly MUMBAI, July 2 (Reuters) - Amid talks of former Brazil and Real Madrid defender Roberto Carlos joining the Delhi team as marquee manager, the second season of the Indian Super League is kicking up the same kind of buzz that preceded the inaugural edition of the tournament. The eight-team league kicked off with a rousing start last year with Brazilian Zico headlining the managers' list and marquee players including Italian duo Alessandro Del Piero and Marco Materazzi, and Frenchman Nicholas Anelka. While Zico has returned for his second year at the helm of FC Goa, who also signed Carlos' 2002 World Cup-winning teammate and former Bayern Munich defender Lucio as their marquee player, the Mumbai team retained Anelka as player-cum-coach.

Iraqi forces say most of Baiji town recaptured from Islamic State Posted: 02 Jul 2015 05:46 AM PDT Iraqi forces have cleared Islamic State militants from most of the northern town of Baiji and hope to drive them from the nearby oil refinery within days, a spokesman for the Shi'ite militias leading the fight said on Thursday. If the Shi'ite Hashd Shaabi fighters and Iraqi security forces regain full control around Baiji, it could help them push north towards the Islamic State-held city of Mosul and offset losses to the Sunni militants in the western province of Anbar. Ahmed al-Asadi, a Hashd Shaabi spokesman, said there were still "pockets of resistance" to the northeast and northwest of the town, and Islamic State fighters were trying to launch attacks from Siniya village, 5 km to the west.

U.N. refugee agency urges Hungary not to tighten asylum rules Posted: 02 Jul 2015 05:11 AM PDT The U.N. refugee agency urged Hungary on Thursday not to pass a bill aimed at tightening asylum rules, saying the move would make it impossible for Budapest to give sanctuary to anyone fleeing war-stricken countries. Hungary's right-wing government wants to shorten the time frame for screening asylum claims and to reject claims from those migrants who, on their journey from Syria, Afghanistan or Iraq, have already passed through so-called safe third countries and did not request asylum there. The location of Hungary, a landlocked central European country of 10 million people in the European Union's visa-free Schengen zone has made it an attractive transit route for tens of thousands of migrants entering Europe through the Balkans from the Middle East and Africa.

British woman charged with being member of Islamic State Posted: 02 Jul 2015 04:26 AM PDT British police said on Thursday they had charged a 26-year-old woman with being a member of Islamic State and inciting terrorism on social media. The woman, from Burton upon Trent in central England who cannot be named for legal reasons, was arrested by counter-terrorism officers at London's Heathrow Airport in February after arriving on a flight from Turkey. West Midlands Police said she had been charged with publishing messages on Twitter in October last year which encouraged people to commit or prepare acts of terrorism, and being a member of the banned organization Islamic State (IS).

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