Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• Iraq's Kurdistan laments caught in middle of Turkey-PKK fight
• Los Angeles police return Afghan immigrants' lost wedding album
• Alleged leader of Israeli organized crime ring gets 32 years
• Demirtas the 'Kurdish Obama' faces his biggest test
• Seven Libyan soldiers killed in clashes with Islamic State
• Iraqi Kurdistan urges Turkey to halt PKK bombardment
• How Pentagon war fund became a budget buster Washington can't resist
• Record Heat: How the Body Reacts to Soaring Temperatures
• Hillary Clinton Emails: 1,300 Messages From Private Account Released
• Iraqis vent rage at power shortages, 'corrupt' leaders
• Cameroon arrests three Boko Haram suspects carrying explosives: sources
• Al-Qaeda in Syria attacks US-trained rebel base
• No bail for man charged with trying to join Islamic State
• Analysis: Afghan govt hopes to divide and conquer Taliban
• Al-Qaida attacks HQ of rebel group it calls US 'agents'
• Despite bombing, Islamic State is no weaker than a year ago
• More Than 5,000 Airstrikes and ISIS Is as Strong as Ever
• My Outrage Is Better Than Your Outrage
• Turkish warplanes hit Kurdish PKK militant targets in northern Iraq: media
• NATO agrees plan to strengthen Iraq's army
• Kerry off to Mideast with Egypt, Iran deal, Syria on agenda
• Four Indians held near Islamic State stronghold in Libya, two freed
• NATO agrees on support package for Iraq
• 'PKK attack' kills two police as Turkey tension mounts
• Indonesia, Turkey agree on cooperation to combat terrorism
• Taliban power transition raises hopes for Afghan peace talks
• Europe responsible for refugees "drowning in the sea": Erdogan
• What Lindsey Graham Fails to Understand About a War Against Iran
• EXCLUSIVE: Tough Questions for Feds After They Jailed an Innocent Man for Nine Years
• Chad reintroduces death penalty. Which other countries use it?
• US-led raids 'destroy IS bridges' on Syria-Iraq border
• Official: 2 Indians held near Libya's Sirte town, 2 safe
• Hillary Helps a Bank—and Then It Funnels Millions to the Clintons
• U.S.-led coalition stages 41 air strikes on Islamic State: military statement
• Why Turks, Kurds may want to keep wounded peace process alive
• Why Aren't There More Women Futurists?
• Turkey: 5 killed in clashes between authorities and PKK
• DOD Scrapped $160 Million in Equipment Meant for Afghanistan
• A College Without Classes
• Between the World and Me : A Journey, Not a Vacation

Iraq's Kurdistan laments caught in middle of Turkey-PKK fight Posted: 31 Jul 2015 04:32 PM PDT Iraq's Kurdistan region is suffering the fallout as Turkey launches strikes against Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) camps in northern Iraq, the region's top diplomat said on Friday, calling for both sides to return to a ceasefire. "We are caught in between (the) two sides," Falah Mustafa Bakir, head of the Kurdistan Regional Government's department of foreign relations, told a small group of reporters in Washington. Turkey has repeatedly attacked Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) camps in northern Iraq over the past week, in what it says is a response to a series of targeted killings of police officers and soldiers blamed on the Kurdish militant group.

Los Angeles police return Afghan immigrants' lost wedding album Posted: 31 Jul 2015 02:19 PM PDT By Alex Dobuzinskis LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Los Angeles airport police used Facebook to track down an Afghan immigrant couple who accidentally left their wedding album at the international terminal last year, leading to a ceremonial presentation this week of the long-lost memento, an official said on Friday. The couple landed at Los Angeles International Airport in September 2014 from Afghanistan, where the husband was a military interpreter and faced threats due to his work, said Rob Pedregon, a spokesman for Los Angeles Airport Police. On the day the couple flew into the airport, their wedding album was discovered tucked into a briefcase left in the international terminal, Pedregon said.

Alleged leader of Israeli organized crime ring gets 32 years Posted: 31 Jul 2015 02:17 PM PDT LOS ANGELES (AP) — A Los Angeles man who prosecutors say was a leader of an Israeli organized crime ring that moved drugs and money across the globe was sentenced Friday to 32 years in prison.

Demirtas the 'Kurdish Obama' faces his biggest test Posted: 31 Jul 2015 02:11 PM PDT Turkey's charismatic Kurdish leader Selahattin Demirtas, who led his party to a remarkable breakthrough in June 7 legislative polls, is facing the biggest test of his career as Ankara cracks down on militant Kurds. Demirtas, 42, known as the "Kurdish Obama" for his silky rhetorical skills, guided his Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) to 80 seats in the polls and prevented the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) from winning an overall majority.

Seven Libyan soldiers killed in clashes with Islamic State Posted: 31 Jul 2015 02:06 PM PDT By Ayman al-Warfalli BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) - Seven Libyan soldiers were killed on Friday when Islamic State militants stormed a checkpoint manned by forces loyal to the official government, military officials said. Five soldiers were killed and 15 have been missing since the Islamic State fighters attacked the checkpoint outside the eastern town of Ajdabiya, near the oil port of Brega, one military official said. Two more soldiers were killed when the government sent reinforcements.

Iraqi Kurdistan urges Turkey to halt PKK bombardment Posted: 31 Jul 2015 01:35 PM PDT Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region urged Turkey on Friday to halt its air strikes against PKK guerrilla bases on its territory and called for a negotiated settlement to the conflict. On a visit to Washington, Kurdistan's head of foreign relations, Falah Mustafa, criticized the PKK for abandoning its ceasefire but said bombarding them was not the answer. Mustafa said the Kurdistan Regional Government was already struggling to assist refugees fleeing the so-called Islamic State group, and that new fighting between Turkey and the PKK would not help.

How Pentagon war fund became a budget buster Washington can't resist Posted: 31 Jul 2015 01:17 PM PDT By Warren Strobel WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The number of U.S. troops deployed in battle zones is at its lowest level since before the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The contradiction is the legacy of an emergency war fund, started in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, that has become a favorite Washington way to sidestep the impact of fiscal constraints on military spending. The Overseas Contingency Operations account, or OCO, has been tapped to fund tens of billions of dollars in programs with questionable links, or none, to wars, according to current and former U.S. officials, analysts and budget documents.

Record Heat: How the Body Reacts to Soaring Temperatures Posted: 31 Jul 2015 01:15 PM PDT Officials in both Iran and Iraq declared a mandatory holiday this month after temperatures soared far into the triple digits. In Iraq, temperatures reached a sweltering 126 degrees and officials declared a mandatory holiday to try and protect people from succumbing to the heat. In Iran, the country faced possible record-breaking temperatures and high humidity that will leave residents feeling they are in temperatures as high as 151.2 degrees Fahrenheit, or 66.2 degrees Celsius.

Hillary Clinton Emails: 1,300 Messages From Private Account Released Posted: 31 Jul 2015 01:15 PM PDT The State Department released a third batch of highly sought after emails from former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's controversial private email account today. Posted on the State Department's Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) website, the collection includes just over 1,300 emails all dated in 2009.

Iraqis vent rage at power shortages, 'corrupt' leaders Posted: 31 Jul 2015 01:11 PM PDT Several hundred Iraqis took to the streets of Baghdad Friday to vent their anger at the chronic electricity shortages, which they blamed on government corruption. Iraq's infrastructure was severely damaged during the 2003 US-led invasion that ousted Saddam Hussein and the country has suffered chronic power shortages ever since. The government has repeatedly promised an end to the crisis, compounded by insurgent attacks since 2003, but shortages have continued and private generators flourished as an alternative.

Cameroon arrests three Boko Haram suspects carrying explosives: sources Posted: 31 Jul 2015 01:03 PM PDT Cameroon officials have arrested three suspects carrying a bag containing improvised explosive devices in the northern town of Maroua where a spate of suspected Boko Haram suicide attacks killed at least 40 last week, sources said on Friday. The men were caught on Thursday evening at the entrance of the city following a tip-off, a senior military source with the Central African nation's special forces in Maroua, told Reuters. The other two are Cameroonians, according to their identity cards," another senior local government administrator said by telephone from Maroua.

Al-Qaeda in Syria attacks US-trained rebel base Posted: 31 Jul 2015 12:57 PM PDT Al-Qaeda's Syria affiliate launched a fierce assault on the headquarters of a US-trained rebel group Friday, while claiming responsibility for capturing members of the "moderate" force earlier this week. Seven rebels died defending the base, which Al-Nusra failed to capture, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Al-Nusra accused Washington of recruiting "forces from what it calls 'the moderate opposition'... to undergo a training and rehabilitation programme run by the Central Intelligence Agency.

No bail for man charged with trying to join Islamic State Posted: 31 Jul 2015 12:48 PM PDT BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Arafat Nagi had made an oath to the Islamic State group, outfitted himself to fight and had a one-way ticket to the Middle East at the time of his arrest, federal authorities said Friday.

Analysis: Afghan govt hopes to divide and conquer Taliban Posted: 31 Jul 2015 12:15 PM PDT KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The new leader of the Afghan Taliban faces the twin challenges of bringing together an insurgency that he ran for years under another man's name and uniting a fractured movement that has seen fighters desert for more extreme groups such as the Islamic State. Meanwhile the Afghan government believes it can seize on the Taliban leadership crisis it has created by announcing that Mullah Mohammad Omar has been dead for more than two years to further weaken the insurgency.

Al-Qaida attacks HQ of rebel group it calls US 'agents' Posted: 31 Jul 2015 11:23 AM PDT BEIRUT (AP) — Members of al-Qaida's branch in Syria launched an attack early Friday on the headquarters of a rebel faction in northern Syria believed to have been trained by the U.S. government, killing at least five fighters and wounding more than a dozen, the militants and an activist group said. The Nusra Front, which has also abducted several members of the faction known as Division 30, vowed to cut off "the arms" of the American government in Syria.

Despite bombing, Islamic State is no weaker than a year ago Posted: 31 Jul 2015 10:50 AM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — American intelligence agencies have concluded that despite billions of dollars spent and more than 10,000 extremist fighters killed, the Islamic State group is fundamentally no weaker than it was when the U.S.-led bombing campaign began a year ago.

More Than 5,000 Airstrikes and ISIS Is as Strong as Ever Posted: 31 Jul 2015 10:28 AM PDT On Friday, the Associated Press reported American intelligence agencies believe the terror group hasn't grown any weaker in the year since the U.S. began its bombing campaign that has now seen more than 5,600 airstrikes.

My Outrage Is Better Than Your Outrage Posted: 31 Jul 2015 10:09 AM PDT Now is the point in the story of Cecil the lion—amid non-stop news coverage and passionate social-media advocacy—when people get tired of hearing about Cecil the lion. Even if they hesitate to say it.

Turkish warplanes hit Kurdish PKK militant targets in northern Iraq: media Posted: 31 Jul 2015 10:08 AM PDT ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish warplanes struck Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) targets in northern Iraq on Friday, CNN Turk television reported, in Ankara's latest push against Kurdish militants. More than 30 warplanes scrambled from the Diyarbakir air base and hit shelters, camps and ammunition depots, CNN Turk said. Turkish officials said they were aware of the reports but declined to comment on ongoing operations. (Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk and Orhan Coskun, editing by Larry King)

NATO agrees plan to strengthen Iraq's army Posted: 31 Jul 2015 10:06 AM PDT NATO will help Iraq reform and strengthen its security forces which are reeling from a near collapse a year ago in the face of an offensive by Islamic State fighters, NATO said on Friday. Iraq asked NATO for help training its security forces in December after Islamic State captured large parts of the country. The program will focus on seven priority areas including advice on reforming the security sector, cyber defense and military training, NATO said in a statement.

Kerry off to Mideast with Egypt, Iran deal, Syria on agenda Posted: 31 Jul 2015 09:58 AM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State John Kerry is returning to the Middle East on Friday for security talks in Egypt and discussions in Qatar with Arab foreign ministers whose countries are wary of the nuclear deal struck with Iran. He will not visit Israel, America's foremost Mideast ally and the primary foreign opponent of the Iran agreement.

Four Indians held near Islamic State stronghold in Libya, two freed Posted: 31 Jul 2015 09:37 AM PDT India said on Friday that four of its nationals had been detained near the Libyan coastal city of Sirte, an area that is under the control of Islamic State militants, but that it had secured the release of two of them. The Indian men, who have been in Libya for more than a year and were working at Sirte University, were detained at a checkpoint about 50 km (30 miles) outside Sirte late on Wednesday while on their way back to India, Foreign Ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup said in a statement. "I am happy we have been able to secure the release of Lakshmikant and Vijay Kumar," Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted.

NATO agrees on support package for Iraq Posted: 31 Jul 2015 09:34 AM PDT BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO allies agreed Friday on a package of measures to help strengthen Iraqi security and defense forces, including in the fields of military training, demining and countering improvised explosive devices.

'PKK attack' kills two police as Turkey tension mounts Posted: 31 Jul 2015 09:22 AM PDT Two more Turkish police were killed Friday in an attack blamed on Kurdish militants as tensions in the country boiled over amid the military's cross-border bombing campaign against extremists in Syria and Iraq. With Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu vowing to pursue the bombing campaign to the end, criminal investigations were also opened against the co-leaders of Turkey's largest pro-Kurdish party. Ankara has launched a two-pronged anti-terror offensive against Islamic State (IS) jihadists in Syria and Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants at their bases in northern Iraq after a wave of deadly attacks in the country.

Indonesia, Turkey agree on cooperation to combat terrorism Posted: 31 Jul 2015 08:24 AM PDT JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia and Turkey agreed Thursday to strengthen their intelligence cooperation as a way to bolster their efforts to combat terrorism and prevent the spread of radicalism.

Taliban power transition raises hopes for Afghan peace talks Posted: 31 Jul 2015 07:52 AM PDT The Afghan Taliban named Mullah Akhtar Mansour as their new chief Friday, a historic power transition that raises hopes a more moderate leadership will pave the way for peace talks despite divisions within insurgent ranks. The Taliban also announced his deputies -- Sirajuddin Haqqani, who leads the Taliban-allied Haqqani network and has a $10 million US bounty on his head, and Haibatullah Akhundzada, former head of the Taliban courts. The appointment of Mansour, seen as a pragmatist and a proponent of peace talks, comes a day after the Taliban confirmed the death of their near-mythical leader Mullah Omar, who led the fractious group for some 20 years.

Europe responsible for refugees "drowning in the sea": Erdogan Posted: 31 Jul 2015 07:49 AM PDT Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Europe on Friday of not doing enough to help refugees fleeing conflict in Syria and Iraq, suggesting it was responsible for people "drowning in the sea". Turkey, which has taken in some 1.8 million Syrian refugees since the conflict started in 2011, has repeatedly said that it has been left to shoulder a disproportionate burden as Western states stand by. Erdogan has championed an "open-door" policy toward Syrian refugees, despite their increasing presence in major Turkish cities stoking tensions with locals.

What Lindsey Graham Fails to Understand About a War Against Iran Posted: 31 Jul 2015 07:48 AM PDT Earlier this week, Senator Lindsey Graham, a hawkish Republican from South Carolina, used a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing to stage a theatrical display of his disdain for the Obama administration's nuclear deal with Iran. Graham: Could we win a war with Iran? Who wins the war between us and Iran?

EXCLUSIVE: Tough Questions for Feds After They Jailed an Innocent Man for Nine Years Posted: 31 Jul 2015 07:32 AM PDT Attorney Mark Reichel has been waiting years for answers. Documents had emerged, two months earlier, that were absent at his trial, including correspondence supporting his claim that he had been entrapped by an FBI operation involving a paid informant.

Chad reintroduces death penalty. Which other countries use it? Posted: 31 Jul 2015 07:24 AM PDT Amid several suicide bombings in the past few months, Chad reintroduced the death penalty for acts of terrorism. The Chadian parliament voted unanimously on Thursday to reauthorize the death penalty, six months after its abolition, the BBC reported. Chad has beefed up its security in recent weeks, following a spate of deadly Boko Haram attacks.

US-led raids 'destroy IS bridges' on Syria-Iraq border Posted: 31 Jul 2015 06:51 AM PDT US-led coalition air strikes destroyed early Friday two key bridges used by the Islamic State group on the Syrian side of the Iraqi border, a monitoring group said. The Pentagon confirmed strikes in the area, and a senior US officer said they will have a "profound impact" on IS abilities to carry out operations in the neighbouring and strategically important Iraqi province of Anbar. The coalition "destroyed two bridges between the Syrian city of Albu Kamal and the Iraqi border," said Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Official: 2 Indians held near Libya's Sirte town, 2 safe Posted: 31 Jul 2015 06:32 AM PDT NEW DELHI (AP) — Four Indian nationals were detained near the Libyan city of Sirte, India's foreign ministry said Friday, but declined to say who had held the men.

Hillary Helps a Bank—and Then It Funnels Millions to the Clintons Posted: 31 Jul 2015 06:31 AM PDT The Swiss bank UBS is one of the biggest, most powerful financial institutions in the world. As secretary of state, Hillary Clinton intervened to help it out with the IRS. The Wall Street Journal reported all that and more Thursday in an article that highlights huge conflicts of interest that the Clintons have created in the recent past.

U.S.-led coalition stages 41 air strikes on Islamic State: military statement Posted: 31 Jul 2015 06:03 AM PDT The United States and its allies hit Islamic State forces with 41 air strikes in Iraq and Syria on Thursday, concentrating the attacks on the Syrian city of Deir ez-Zor, a joint command statement said on Friday. Seventeen air strikes were carried out near Deir ez-Zor, hitting Islamic State staging areas, bridges, checkpoints, a training center and a logistics site. Seven strikes near Hasakah were aimed at tactical units, fighting positions, vehicles and a command center, the statement from the Command Joint Task Force said.

Why Turks, Kurds may want to keep wounded peace process alive Posted: 31 Jul 2015 06:00 AM PDT Turkey's Kurdish peace process is quickly unraveling, with Ankara currently putting more effort into crippling Kurdish militants than stepping up its role in the US-led alliance against the Islamic State. On Tuesday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared it impossible for Turkey to continue engaging with Kurdish militants. Recommended: Think you know Turkey?

Why Aren't There More Women Futurists? Posted: 31 Jul 2015 05:47 AM PDT In the future, everyone's going to have a robot assistant. That's the story, at least. And as part of that long-running narrative, Facebook just launched its virtual assistant. They're calling it Moneypenny—the secretary from the James Bond Films. Which means the symbol of our march forward, once again, ends up being a nod back. In this case, Moneypenny is a send-up to an age when Bond's womanizing was a symbol of manliness and many women were, no matter what they wanted to be doing, secretaries.

Turkey: 5 killed in clashes between authorities and PKK Posted: 31 Jul 2015 05:21 AM PDT ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Kurdish rebels raided a Turkish police station and fired on railway workers in two separate attacks that left five dead, officials said Friday, amid renewed conflict between the security forces and insurgents that has wrecked a fragile peace process.

DOD Scrapped $160 Million in Equipment Meant for Afghanistan Posted: 31 Jul 2015 05:00 AM PDT A top government watchdog says the Pentagon wound up junking nearly $160 million of military equipment it purchased but never actually made it into the hands of the Afghan National Army (ANA). In its latest quarterly report to Congress the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) states that the Defense Department, which can reclaim equipment Afghan forces say they don't need, only exercised that option for about $16 million worth of equipment out of a total of roughly $175 million purchased. The figures are striking when set against a backdrop of the security situation plaguing Afghanistan.

A College Without Classes Posted: 31 Jul 2015 04:45 AM PDT MANCHESTER, Mich.—Had Daniella Kippnick followed in the footsteps of the hundreds of millions of students who have earned university degrees in the past millennium, she might be slumping in a lecture hall somewhere while a professor droned. But Kippnick has no course lectures. She has no courses to attend at all. No classroom, no college quad, no grades. Her university has no deadlines or tenure-track professors.

Between the World and Me : A Journey, Not a Vacation Posted: 31 Jul 2015 03:27 AM PDT Over the next few weeks, The Atlantic will be publishing a series of responses to Ta-Nehisi Coates's Between the World and Me. (An excerpt is available online.)

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