Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• Feds: New York man tried to support Islamic State group
• Taliban leader Mullah Omar, reclusive in life and death
• Editorial Roundup: Excerpts from recent editorials
• Russia puts Ukraine aviator in the dock
• Turkey's 'risky' two-front war: political opportunity for Erdogan?
• Turkey pounds PKK, allows US to use base against IS
• Allies tolerate Turkey's double game to boost IS fight: analysts
• Turkish attacks on Kurds muddle Obama's Islamic State fight
• Union boost for leftwinger hoping to lead UK's Labour party
• Cruise Controlled
• Fabius, visiting Tehran, invites Rouhani to France
• 'As a woman, be quiet!' Turkish deputy PM in new sexism row
• UN says too soon for new Syrian peace conference
• Taliban leader Mullah Omar is dead, Afghanistan says
• U.N. mediator proposes Syria working groups on roadmap to peace
• Syrian PM says power crisis worsens as militants target plants
• New York man charged with alleged IS terror support
• U.S., allies target Islamic State in Syria, Iraq with 14 air strikes: U.S. Military
• Hungary says fence to stop migrants will be done by Aug. 31
• Exclusive: GSK faces new corruption allegations, this time in Romania
• France seeks to warm up Iran ties with Rouhani invite
• Suicide attacks in Anbar kill at least 18 Iraqi troops
• Gulf Arab power UAE chides EU over opening to Iran
• Kuwait's Zain telecom Q2 profit dives over Arab unrest
• Q&A: Kurds fight Islamic State and endure Turkish attacks
• Turkish gov't not ready to restart peace talks with Kurds
• Turkey's Erdogan, China's Xi meet amid Uighur strains
• Sweltering Iraq declares four-day weekend from Thursday
• U.N. panel questions Iraq over use of torture
• Turkey launches heaviest air strikes yet on Kurdish group
• Turkey gives formal approval to US to use air base for anti-IS raids
• Germany warns of possible attacks on public transport in Istanbul
• China says to fight terror, people smuggling with Turkey
• Moving beyond suspicion, Muslims and Evangelicals seek common ground
• Saudi policeman killed, 2 hurt in attack: ministry
• Iraqi government declares 4-day holiday over severe heatwave
• U.S., Turkey weigh which Syrian rebels to support in border area
• Turkish air strikes hit PKK targets in Turkey, Iraq overnight: PM's office
• Iraq-Turkey pipeline attacked by saboteurs, crude flow halted: minister
• IS supporter in Florida charged with bomb plot: FBI

Feds: New York man tried to support Islamic State group Posted: 29 Jul 2015 03:14 PM PDT BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — A western New York man traveled overseas in a bid to join the Islamic State group after buying night-vision goggles, a machete and body armor and pledging his loyalty to the group on Twitter, federal authorities said Wednesday after arresting him on a charge of attempting to provide material support to a designated terrorist organization.

Taliban leader Mullah Omar, reclusive in life and death Posted: 29 Jul 2015 03:13 PM PDT Mullah Mohammad Omar, the secretive head of the Taliban and an al-Qaida ally who led a bloody insurgency against U.S.-led forces, eluded capture for more than a decade in spite of being one of the most-hunted fugitives on Earth.

Editorial Roundup: Excerpts from recent editorials Posted: 29 Jul 2015 02:20 PM PDT Excerpts from recent editorials in newspapers in the United States and abroad:

Russia puts Ukraine aviator in the dock Posted: 29 Jul 2015 02:19 PM PDT Russia on Thursday opens the high-profile trial of Ukrainian pilot Nadiya Savchenko in a politically charged case that could send ties between Moscow and Kiev to a new low. The 34-year-old helicopter navigator, who has been in detention for more than a year, faces up to 25 years in prison for her alleged involvement in the killing of two Russian journalists in eastern Ukraine last year. Savchenko, who is seen by her compatriots as a symbol of resistance against what most Ukrainians consider an insurgency fuelled by President Vladimir Putin's government, has denied any involvement.

Turkey's 'risky' two-front war: political opportunity for Erdogan? Posted: 29 Jul 2015 01:51 PM PDT Turkey's abrupt shift to a two-front war against Islamic State militants and Kurdish separatists has plunged the country into a period of uncertainty, exacerbating political turmoil at home while raising fears of violent domestic unrest. The past 24 hours have seen Turkey dramatically escalate its military campaign against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), with fighter jets pounding PKK positions in northern Iraq and in Turkey's Kurdish heartland. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan effectively declared the three-year-old peace process with the PKK over, and suggested that Kurdish lawmakers might face legal action for alleged links to terrorism.

Turkey pounds PKK, allows US to use base against IS Posted: 29 Jul 2015 01:48 PM PDT Turkish warplanes on Wednesday pounded targets of PKK rebels in northern Iraq in a new wave of strikes in its campaign against militant groups, as Ankara allowed the United States to use one of its bases to carry out air raids on jihadists. Turkey is simultaneously fighting Islamic State (IS) jihadists in Syria and Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants in Iraq, in an "anti-terror" operation that began last week after a string of deadly attacks in the country blamed on the two starkly opposed groups. With the controversial campaign inflaming tensions in Turkey after June 7 legislative elections failed to produce a conclusive result, parliament held an emergency session to discuss the operations.

Allies tolerate Turkey's double game to boost IS fight: analysts Posted: 29 Jul 2015 01:45 PM PDT Turkey's allies know it is playing a double game with its twin onslaught against Kurdish rebels and the Islamic State group, but are turning a blind eye to keep NATO's only Muslim member on side, analysts said. The very public show of solidarity for Turkey's fight against "terrorism" at an emergency NATO meeting on Tuesday hid the discomfort some allies feel about President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's strategy. Suspicions are swirling that Erdogan's sudden embrace of the US-led campaign against IS in Syria and Iraq simply provides the cover to pound Kurdish rebels, viewed in the West as a bulwark against the jihadists.

Turkish attacks on Kurds muddle Obama's Islamic State fight Posted: 29 Jul 2015 01:27 PM PDT ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — President Barack Obama's stepped-up partnership with Turkey in fighting the Islamic State may come at the cost of alienating another key group he's counting on for help in the same conflict: the Kurds.

Union boost for leftwinger hoping to lead UK's Labour party Posted: 29 Jul 2015 12:36 PM PDT Britain's opposition Labour party looked closer than ever to surging to the left on Wednesday after the anti-austerity, pro-nationalisation leadership candidate won the backing of two major trade unions. Long-serving lawmaker Jeremy Corbyn had initially been dismissed as an outsider with no chance of replacing Ed Miliband, who quit as Labour leader following the party's dismal showing in May's general election. Last week a YouGov poll put him well ahead of his rivals, while bookmakers William Hill, which initially had him as the 200/1 outsider, now has him as the favourite on 11/8, meaning you would have to gamble £8 to win £11.

Cruise Controlled Posted: 29 Jul 2015 12:36 PM PDT During the media blitz for Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation over the past two weeks, Tom Cruise has seemingly been everywhere. In New York, he faced off with Jimmy Fallon in a lip-sync battle on The Tonight Show and attended the Monday night premiere in Times Square. Stewart, who during his career has won two Peabody Awards for public service and the Orwell Award for "distinguished contribution to honesty and clarity in public language," represented the most challenging interviewer Cruise has faced om the tour, during a challenging year for the actor.

Fabius, visiting Tehran, invites Rouhani to France Posted: 29 Jul 2015 12:30 PM PDT By Sam Wilkin DUBAI (Reuters) - On the first visit to Iran for 12 years by a French foreign minister, Laurent Fabius conveyed an invitation from President Francois Hollande to Iran's President Hassan Rouhani to visit France in November. If Rouhani accepts, he will be the first Iranian president to make a state visit to France since 1999. Fabius is seeking to smooth over any strains in the relationship created by France's hard line during negotiations that produced a historic nuclear agreement on July 14, and thereby create a climate conducive to stronger economic ties.

'As a woman, be quiet!' Turkish deputy PM in new sexism row Posted: 29 Jul 2015 12:11 PM PDT Turkey's deputy prime minister on Wednesday ignited a new row over discrimination against women in Turkish politics when he told a female deputy who tried to interrupt his speech to "as a woman, be quiet!". Deputy premier Bulent Arinc made the remark while speaking during an emergency debate in parliament over the government's military intervention against jihadists in Syria and Kurdish militants in Iraq. Justifying the decision to attack Kurdish militants in Iraq, his comments were loudly mocked by members of the pro-Kurdish People's Democratic Party (HDP), including female lawmaker Nursel Aydogan.

UN says too soon for new Syrian peace conference Posted: 29 Jul 2015 11:59 AM PDT UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. point man on Syria said Wednesday it's too soon for another peace conference in Geneva and invited Syrians to hold intensive preparatory talks on key issues including a political transition and fighting terrorism.

Taliban leader Mullah Omar is dead, Afghanistan says Posted: 29 Jul 2015 11:42 AM PDT Taliban supremo Mullah Omar died two years ago in Pakistan, Afghanistan said on Wednesday, after unnamed government and militant sources reported the demise of the reclusive warrior-cleric. The insurgents have not officially confirmed the death of their spiritual leader, who has not been seen publicly since the 2001 US-led invasion of Afghanistan that toppled the Taliban government in Kabul. Rumours of Omar's ill-health and even death have regularly surfaced in the past, but the latest claims -- just two days before fresh peace talks with the insurgents -- mark the first such confirmation from the Afghan government.

U.N. mediator proposes Syria working groups on roadmap to peace Posted: 29 Jul 2015 11:33 AM PDT By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United Nations mediator in Syria's conflict on Wednesday proposed inviting warring parties to take part in four U.N.-led working groups on how to implement a roadmap to peace, since the groups were not ready to hold formal peace talks. Mediator Staffan de Mistura told the U.N. Security Council that the groups would address safety and protection for all, political and constitutional issues, military and security issues, and public institutions, reconstruction and development. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the aim was to set up the working groups as soon as possible.

Syrian PM says power crisis worsens as militants target plants Posted: 29 Jul 2015 11:32 AM PDT By Suleiman Al-Khalidi BEIRUT (Reuters) - Electricity is being increasingly rationed in government-controlled areas of Syria after an escalation in attacks on power plants by Islamist militants. Prime Minister Wael Halaki, addressing parliament on Wednesday, cited several major attacks since May on gas plants in the desert near Palmyra since its capture by Islamic State. "In the last two months there has been a systematic targeting by these terror groups of gas fields and plants and gas pipelines towards power plants.

New York man charged with alleged IS terror support Posted: 29 Jul 2015 11:31 AM PDT A 42-year-old man from a small New York town on the edge of Lake Erie on Wednesday became the latest American charged with alleged support for extremists in Iraq and Syria, officials said. Prosecutors say that Arafat Nagi from Lackawanna pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) group in Iraq and Syria, and its leader Abu Bakr al Bagdadi.

U.S., allies target Islamic State in Syria, Iraq with 14 air strikes: U.S. Military Posted: 29 Jul 2015 11:26 AM PDT The United States and its allies conducted 11 air strikes in Iraq on Tuesday against the Islamic State and also targeted the militant group with three strikes in Syria, the U.S. military said. Strikes in Iraq were scattered throughout the country, with three hitting tactical units and destroying an armored vehicle, structure and fighting position near Ramadi, according to a statement released by the Joint Coalition Task Force on Wednesday. Two of the strikes in Syria were near Al Hasakah, hitting an Islamic State tactical unit and destroying two fighting positions, the statement said.

Hungary says fence to stop migrants will be done by Aug. 31 Posted: 29 Jul 2015 11:21 AM PDT BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — The construction of a fence meant to stop the flow of immigrants and refugees entering Hungary through its southern border with Serbia will be completed by Aug. 31, the Hungarian government said Wednesday.

Exclusive: GSK faces new corruption allegations, this time in Romania Posted: 29 Jul 2015 10:56 AM PDT Drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline, which was fined a record 3 billion yuan ($483 million) for corruption in China last year and is examining possible staff misconduct elsewhere, faces new allegations of bribery in Romania. GSK confirmed it was looking into the latest claims of improper payments set out in a whistleblower's email sent to its top management on Monday. The latest allegations say GSK paid Romanian doctors hundreds, and in one cases thousands, of euros between 2009 and 2012 for prescribing its medicines, including prostate treatments Avodart and Duodart and Parkinson's disease drug Requip.

France seeks to warm up Iran ties with Rouhani invite Posted: 29 Jul 2015 10:27 AM PDT France sought to revive its relations with Iran on Wednesday, inviting President Hassan Rouhani to visit Paris in November, in a gesture that swiftly follows this month's historic nuclear deal. The offer came in a letter delivered by French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, who was in Tehran on a short trip that has attracted a mixture of optimism and criticism. Fabius said the July 14 nuclear accord between Iran and six world powers including France offered the chance for rapprochement after years of strain.

Suicide attacks in Anbar kill at least 18 Iraqi troops Posted: 29 Jul 2015 10:20 AM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — Militants in Iraq used stolen Humvees loaded with explosives to unleash a series of suicide car bombings targeting Iraqi security forces on Wednesday, killing at least 18 Iraqi troops, officials said.

Gulf Arab power UAE chides EU over opening to Iran Posted: 29 Jul 2015 09:45 AM PDT By William Maclean DUBAI (Reuters) - Gulf Arab power the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Wednesday criticized the European Union for seeking Iranian cooperation in stabilizing the region, saying that an "aggressive" Tehran was helping to polarize the countries there, A senior UAE official said that EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, who visited Iran this week, failed to understand Iran's aims and her praise for the commitment shown by its negotiators in nuclear talks appeared misplaced. Prior to her visit, Mogherini wrote in Britain's Guardian newspaper that EU foreign ministers had asked her to explore ways in which the bloc could promote a more cooperative regional framework involving Iran following the nuclear agreement between Terhan and world powers.

Kuwait's Zain telecom Q2 profit dives over Arab unrest Posted: 29 Jul 2015 09:23 AM PDT Kuwait telecom giant Zain's net profit in the second quarter slumped 34 percent as its businesses were hit by unrest in some Arab countries, the company said on Wednesday. Zain said it posted a net profit of 39 million dinars ($129 million) in the April-June period from 59.1 million dinars ($196 million) a year ago. Overall net profit of Kuwait's largest mobile operator in the first six months also dropped by 30 percent to 80 million dinars ($265 million) from 115 million dinars ($381 million) a year earlier, Zain said in a statement.

Q&A: Kurds fight Islamic State and endure Turkish attacks Posted: 29 Jul 2015 09:06 AM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — U.S. and Turkish plans to create an "Islamic State-free zone" in Syria along the Turkish border could escalate the conflict between Turkey and Kurdish fighters in Syria and Iraq.

Turkish gov't not ready to restart peace talks with Kurds Posted: 29 Jul 2015 09:02 AM PDT ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish jets hit Kurdish rebel targets in northern Iraq overnight and the government said strikes would continue until the rebels lay down their arms, despite calls Wednesday by the pro-Kurdish opposition for an immediate end to the violence and the resumption of peace efforts.

Turkey's Erdogan, China's Xi meet amid Uighur strains Posted: 29 Jul 2015 08:34 AM PDT Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held talks with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Wednesday, with a Beijing official saying that the two sides will enhance cooperation in battling "terrorism". Xi welcomed Erdogan outside Beijing's Great Hall of the People where the two leaders inspected an honour guard before entering the ornate building, a day after Ankara secured NATO's backing for its fight against Islamic State (IS) militants. "At present we are moving in a constructive direction bringing more content to our strategic cooperative relationship," Erdogan told Xi.

Sweltering Iraq declares four-day weekend from Thursday Posted: 29 Jul 2015 07:54 AM PDT A searing heat wave forecast to sweep through Iraq prompted the government to declare a four-day holiday starting on Thursday and order regular power cuts at state institutions. The weekend in Iraq is Friday and Saturday. Summer temperatures normally reach up to the mid-40s Celsius and can cause frequent power shortages because the electricity grid has been worn down by years of war and under-investment.

U.N. panel questions Iraq over use of torture Posted: 29 Jul 2015 07:54 AM PDT By Tom Miles GENEVA (Reuters) - Iraqi officials were challenged on Wednesday to name a single person the country had jailed for torture by a U.N. committee investigating suspected human rights abuses in a justice system that had "gone astray". "Is there anyone in Iraq in prison, sentenced for torturing another human being? Ten?" the chairman of the U.N. Committee against Torture Claudio Grossman asked the Iraqi delegation.

Turkey launches heaviest air strikes yet on Kurdish group Posted: 29 Jul 2015 07:30 AM PDT By Humeyra Pamuk and Nick Tattersall ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish jets launched their heaviest assault on Kurdish militants in northern Iraq overnight since air strikes began last week, hours after President Tayyip Erdogan said a peace process had become impossible. The strikes hit Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) targets including shelters, depots and caves in six areas, a statement from Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu's office said. Iraq condemned the air strikes as a "dangerous escalation and an assault on Iraqi sovereignty", saying it was committed to ensuring militant attacks on Turkey were not carried out from within its territory.

Turkey gives formal approval to US to use air base for anti-IS raids Posted: 29 Jul 2015 06:31 AM PDT The Turkish government has given its formal approval for the United States to use the Incirlik air base in southern Turkey for raids against Islamic State (IS) militants in Syria, a foreign ministry official said Wednesday. The accord came after months of tough negotiations between the two NATO allies that saw Washington grow increasingly frustrated over Turkey's reluctance to play a robust role in the international coalition against jihadists. The decree signed by the cabinet authorises the implementation of an agreement between Turkey and the United States on the base that was thrashed out during a visit to Ankara by US presidential envoy John Allen earlier this month.

Germany warns of possible attacks on public transport in Istanbul Posted: 29 Jul 2015 05:59 AM PDT "There could be increased attack activity by the PKK," the foreign ministry said in a statement on its website, referring to the Kurdistan Workers Party. "Beyond that there are indications of possible attacks on the underground rail network and bus stops in Istanbul," the ministry added. The number of foreign visitors to Turkey fell by 2.25 percent to 14.89 million people in the first six months, data from the Tourism Ministry showed on Wednesday.

China says to fight terror, people smuggling with Turkey Posted: 29 Jul 2015 05:35 AM PDT By Ben Blanchard BEIJING (Reuters) - The leaders of China and Turkey agreed on Wednesday to strengthen cooperation in fighting terror and people smuggling, a senior Chinese diplomat said, following friction between the two over Uighurs from China's Xinjiang who have fled to Turkey. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of Uighurs, a largely Muslim ethnic minority that calls Xinjiang home, have left China in recent years, traveling to Turkey via Southeast Asia, having first illegally crossed the Chinese border. Hundreds of people have died in unrest in Xinjiang in the last three years, blamed by Beijing on Islamist militants.

Moving beyond suspicion, Muslims and Evangelicals seek common ground Posted: 29 Jul 2015 05:29 AM PDT Pastor Bob Roberts is a committed evangelical Christian, a barbeque-loving Texan, and head of a large conservative congregation just outside Dallas with an essential mission to plant new churches around the world. Many have come to the US for political asylum.

Saudi policeman killed, 2 hurt in attack: ministry Posted: 29 Jul 2015 04:58 AM PDT A Saudi lawman was killed and two others were wounded during an attack in a Shiite-dominated area of Eastern Province, the interior ministry said Wednesday. "One policeman was killed and two injured," an interior ministry spokesman said. Eastern Province was also the scene of periodic clashes involving security forces after demonstrations broke out four years ago alongside a Shiite-led protest movement in neighbouring Bahrain.

Iraqi government declares 4-day holiday over severe heatwave Posted: 29 Jul 2015 02:55 AM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq's Council of Ministers has declared a four-day mandatory holiday beginning Thursday as temperatures are set to soar above 50 degrees Celsius (123 degrees Fahrenheit).

U.S., Turkey weigh which Syrian rebels to support in border area Posted: 29 Jul 2015 02:42 AM PDT By Phil Stewart and Warren Strobel WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and Turkey have not yet agreed which Syrian rebels they will support in a joint effort to help clear Islamic State from an area along the Turkish border, officials said on Tuesday, underscoring uncertainty surrounding the campaign plan. Washington and Ankara this week announced their intention to provide air cover for Syrian rebels and jointly sweep Islamic State fighters from a strip of land along the border, with U.S. warplanes using bases in Turkey for strikes.

Turkish air strikes hit PKK targets in Turkey, Iraq overnight: PM's office Posted: 29 Jul 2015 01:45 AM PDT ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish air strikes hit six Kurdish militant targets in Turkey and northern Iraq overnight, a statement from the prime minister's office said on Wednesday. Turkish authorities have also detained a total of 1,302 people in 39 provinces as part of a crackdown targeting members of Islamic State, the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and illegal leftist groups, the statement said. (Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk; Editing by Nick Tattersall)

Iraq-Turkey pipeline attacked by saboteurs, crude flow halted: minister Posted: 29 Jul 2015 01:28 AM PDT ANKARA (Reuters) - Oil flow on an Iraqi pipeline carrying Kirkuk and Kurdish oil to Turkey's Mediterranean port of Ceyhan has been halted after saboteours attacked it, Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said on Wednesday. "The pipeline has been damaged and the flow is halted due to sabotage by terrorists," Yildiz said in a statement, but added that there was no impact so far on the country's oil supply. (Reporting by Orhan Coskun, Writing by Humeyra Pamuk, Editing by Nick Tattersall)

IS supporter in Florida charged with bomb plot: FBI Posted: 29 Jul 2015 12:41 AM PDT A self-professed Islamic State group supporter in the US state of Florida was charged with attempting to set off a backpack bomb, the FBI said. Harlem Suarez, 23, from Key West, Florida drew authorities' attention because of his extremist Facebook posts, the FBI said Tuesday. A user of the social site contacted the police after Suarez allegedly tried to recruit them to support the Islamic State group, according to the government's criminal complaint.

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