Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• FBI investigating California massacre as 'act of terrorism'
• Turkish soldiers training Iraqi troops near Mosul: sources
• Turkish troops on Iraqi training mission moved near Mosul
• Turkey's Iraq deployment not part of U.S.-led coalition: officials
• Illinois medical pot users erroneously told to give up guns
• Oil smuggled into Turkey not enough to be profitable: U.S. official
• Risk of huge IS influx into Libya, France warns
• Officer killed in Planned Parenthood shooting honored
• Exclusive: Investigators piece together portrait of Pakistani woman in shooting massacre
• U.S. yet to agree details on new force's role in Iraq: officials
• Paris militant group had links to Britain: WSJ
• U.S. shale oil producers pummeled after OPEC decision
• OPEC rules out oil output cut despite price slump
• Hard hit by bombings, IS is turning to child soldiers: US
• Pentagon chief to military: Open all combat jobs to women
• Experts Urge State Department Not to Exclude Christians from Middle Eastern Genocide Declaration
• Hollande visits French carrier, Germany joins IS fight
• IS oil smuggling to Turkey insignificant: US official
• U.S. arms makers strain to meet demand as Mideast conflicts rage
• On American forces, Iraq PM caught between US and Iran
• Ex-soldier 'addicted to killing' guilty but mentally ill
• Hollande in Cyprus after carrier visit
• German parliament votes to send military support to fight ISIS
• Trump Takes His Biggest Lead Yet in the Polls
• Belgians seeking 2 new suspects in Paris attacks probe
• Greek minister: EU provided inadequate help for refugees
• 16 mass graves found in Iraq's Sinjar after IS retreat: UN
• Iraq oil minister says OPEC shouldn't have to cut output alone
• French aircraft carrier to move to Gulf 'in a few days': Hollande
• France's Hollande visits aircraft carrier off Syrian coast
• France flies surveillance missions over IS-held areas of Libya
• The New Battle Against ISIS in Raids and Laws
• U.S.-led air strikes hit Islamic State oil production in Syria
• Italy hopes to up pressure on Libya militias
• The Latest: Belgium seeks 2 new suspects in Paris attacks
• Turkey rounds up 3,000 migrants planning to cross into Greece
• AP PHOTOS: Editor's pick from Mideast, Pakistan-Afghanistan
• German parliament approves military action in Syria against IS
• OPEC set to maintain output levels as oil glut worsens
• Syria government, rebels could cooperate vs IS before Assad goes: Kerry

FBI investigating California massacre as 'act of terrorism' Posted: 04 Dec 2015 04:33 PM PST By Dan Whitcomb and Mark Hosenball SAN BERNARDINO, Calif./WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The FBI is investigating the massacre of 14 people in California by a married couple armed with assault rifles as an "act of terrorism," officials said on Friday, noting the wife was believed to have pledged allegiance to a leader of the militant group Islamic State. Tashfeen Malik, 27, a native of Pakistan who lived in Saudi Arabia for more than 20 years, and her U.S.-born husband, Syed Rizwan Farook, 28, were killed in a shootout with police hours after the Wednesday attack during a holiday party at the Inland Regional Center social services agency in San Bernardino, about 60 miles (100 km) east of Los Angeles.

Turkish soldiers training Iraqi troops near Mosul: sources Posted: 04 Dec 2015 04:13 PM PST By Humeyra Pamuk and Orhan Coskun ISTANBUL/ANKARA (Reuters) - Several hundred Turkish soldiers have been deployed to provide training for Iraqi troops in an area near the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, which is under Islamic State control, a Turkish security source told Reuters on Friday. Islamic State militants overran Mosul, a city of more than one million people, in June 2014, but a much anticipated counter-offensive by Iraqi forces has been repeatedly postponed because they are involved in fighting elsewhere. "Turkish soldiers have reached the Mosul Bashiqa region.

Turkish troops on Iraqi training mission moved near Mosul Posted: 04 Dec 2015 04:05 PM PST ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — A Turkish official says a military battalion has been deployed to a position close to the Islamic State-held city of Mosul as part of a training mission.

Turkey's Iraq deployment not part of U.S.-led coalition: officials Posted: 04 Dec 2015 03:55 PM PST The United States is aware of Turkey's deployment of hundreds of Turkish soldiers to northern Iraq but its move is not part of the U.S.-led coalition's activities, two U.S. defense officials said on Friday. A senior Turkish official said earlier the soldiers in the region were there to train (Kurdish) peshmerga fighters. Turkey has close relations with the Kurdish autonomous zone of northern Iraq, though it views Syrian Kurdish groups across the border as hostile to its interests.

Illinois medical pot users erroneously told to give up guns Posted: 04 Dec 2015 03:51 PM PST CHICAGO (AP) — Nearly two years after Illinois decided medical marijuana users shouldn't be prohibited from owning guns, several patients received letters from state police telling them their firearms cards were being revoked.

Oil smuggled into Turkey not enough to be profitable: U.S. official Posted: 04 Dec 2015 03:19 PM PST By Lesley Wroughton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The amount of oil being smuggled into Turkey from Syria was not enough for anyone to profit from it significantly, a senior U.S. State Department official said on Friday, rejecting claims by Russia that top Turkish officials were benefitting by smuggling oil from areas of Syria controlled by Islamic State. The Russian defense ministry claimed this week that it has proof Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and his family were benefitting from smuggling oil from Islamic State-held territory. Erdogan denied the charges, saying he would stand down if such allegations were proven true.

Risk of huge IS influx into Libya, France warns Posted: 04 Dec 2015 03:17 PM PST There is an increasing risk of Libya becoming a haven for combatants from Islamic State, even as western nations target the extremist jihadist group in Iraq and Syria, the French defence minister warned in comments published Sunday. "We see foreign jihadists arriving in the region of Syrte (northern Libya) who, if our operations in Syria and Iraq succeed in reducing the territorial reach of Daesh (Islamic State, IS) could tomorrow be more numerous," defence minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told the Jeune Afrique weekly.

Officer killed in Planned Parenthood shooting honored Posted: 04 Dec 2015 02:33 PM PST COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — A campus police officer killed in the Planned Parenthood shooting was honored Friday for volunteering to rush to the clinic as shots rang out, an act those who knew him say was driven by his sense of purpose and faith.

Exclusive: Investigators piece together portrait of Pakistani woman in shooting massacre Posted: 04 Dec 2015 02:29 PM PST Tashfeen Malik's path to accused mass killer in California began in a small city on the Indus River in Pakistan's Punjab province. It was from here, when she was a toddler, that she moved with her father Gulzar 25 years ago to Saudi Arabia, where he became more deeply religious, more conservative and more hardline, according to a family member. A picture slowly emerged on Friday of the role and possible motivations of 27-year-old Malik in this week's killing of 14 people in California, including her apparent pledge of allegiance to the leader of the Islamic State militant group, according to U.S. officials.

U.S. yet to agree details on new force's role in Iraq: officials Posted: 04 Dec 2015 02:11 PM PST By Warren Strobel, Phil Stewart and Matt Spetalnick WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has yet to agree with Baghdad on crucial details governing the role of a new American special forces unit aimed at hunting Islamic State militants in Iraq, U.S. officials said, underlining the difficulties Washington faces dealing with Iraq's weakened leader. Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced on Tuesday the planned deployment of the small force, whose raids against Islamic State targets would be the first sustained military operations by U.S. forces in Iraq since American combat troops left in 2011.

Paris militant group had links to Britain: WSJ Posted: 04 Dec 2015 01:51 PM PST The militant network behind last month's attacks in Paris had links to people in Britain, the Wall Street Journal said on Friday, citing unidentified Western officials. Several people suspected of having connections to Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the Islamic State militant and alleged ringleader of the Nov. 13 attacks, are based in Britain, according to two Western officials, the Journal said. The officials told the Journal those people, including some of Moroccan heritage, were based in the Birmingham area, in central England, about 120 miles (190 km) from London.

U.S. shale oil producers pummeled after OPEC decision Posted: 04 Dec 2015 12:56 PM PST OPEC ministers, who control a third of the world's oil supply, ended their meeting in Vienna on a discordant note, unable to decide as a group how much it should pump in aggregate. It appeared for a while OPEC would raise its current 30 million barrels per day (bpd) cap on production, but negotiations broke down after Iran said it would not accept any limits until it emerges from Western-imposed sanctions. Iraq's oil minister echoed those sentiments, asking after the meeting why OPEC members should accept a production cap if non-OPEC oil producers do not have one.

OPEC rules out oil output cut despite price slump Posted: 04 Dec 2015 12:38 PM PST Following a meeting of the cartel in Vienna, OPEC president and Nigerian oil minister Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu said a reduction "is not going to make much of an impact in the market". Going into the meeting, OPEC -- whose members together pump out more than one third of world oil -- has consistently struggled to keep production at a target of 30 million barrels per day. The cartel is currently pumping out around 32 million barrels daily -- a figure that is set to rise in coming months as Iran looks to pump out more crude and after Indonesia's return to the organization was confirmed Friday.

Hard hit by bombings, IS is turning to child soldiers: US Posted: 04 Dec 2015 12:26 PM PST The Islamic State group is increasingly filling its ranks with child soldiers to replace thousands of its fighters killed in US-led coalition air strikes, a US military spokesman said Friday. Colonel Pat Ryder of the US military's Central Command said that the number of boy soldiers -- some as young as 10 -- had been growing steadily, and that some are even being used to put prisoners to death. The US military issues no official counts of enemy dead -- it was criticized during the Vietnam War for using "body counts" as a metric of progress -- as it leads the multinational coalition conducting air strikes against IS fighters in Iraq and Syria.

Pentagon chief to military: Open all combat jobs to women Posted: 04 Dec 2015 12:24 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — Removing the final barriers that kept women from serving in combat, Defense Secretary Ash Carter has ordered the military to open all military jobs to women, including the most dangerous commando posts.

Experts Urge State Department Not to Exclude Christians from Middle Eastern Genocide Declaration Posted: 04 Dec 2015 12:21 PM PST WASHINGTON, Dec. 4, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Christians must not be excluded from a finding of genocide in the Middle East, according to a letter sent today to Secretary of State John Kerry. The letter was signed by Supreme Knight Carl Anderson of the Knights of Columbus. It was also signed by religious leaders and experts in the fields of human rights, religious freedom and the Middle East.

Hollande visits French carrier, Germany joins IS fight Posted: 04 Dec 2015 12:20 PM PST President Francois Hollande visited France's aircraft carrier off the coast of Syria on Friday, while German lawmakers approved joining the intensifying fight against Islamic State jihadists. Three weeks to the day since IS gunmen killed 130 people in Paris, Hollande told the crew of the Charles de Gaulle they were locked "in the struggle that we have undertaken against terrorism" after the "cowardly and terrible attacks". Hollande ordered the carrier to the eastern Mediterranean after declaring "war" on IS in the wake of the carnage in the French capital and it is at the heart of a stepped-up air campaign against the jihadists in Syria and Iraq.

IS oil smuggling to Turkey insignificant: US official Posted: 04 Dec 2015 12:20 PM PST The amount of oil smuggled into Turkey from areas of Syria controlled by the Islamic State is economically insignificant, the United States said Friday, after Moscow accused Ankara of profiting from the trade. US officials said coalition air operations have seriously degraded the jihadists' oil infrastructure, but that in any case most of the crude pumped from its wells was absorbed inside Syria's war zone economy. Russia and Turkey have in recent days traded allegations that they are involved in the illegal trade, further ratcheting up tensions after Turkish jets downed a Russian bomber on the Syrian border.

U.S. arms makers strain to meet demand as Mideast conflicts rage Posted: 04 Dec 2015 12:19 PM PST By Andrea Shalal WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Top U.S. arms makers are straining to meet surging demand for precision missiles and other weapons being used in the U.S.-led fight against Islamic State and other conflicts in the Middle East, according to senior U.S. officials and industry executives. U.S. officials say arms makers have added shifts and hired workers, but they are bumping up against capacity constraints and may need to expand plants or even open new ones to keep weapons flowing. Islamic State's deadly attacks in Paris last month have added urgency to the U.S.-led bombing campaign against the group in Iraq and Syria.

On American forces, Iraq PM caught between US and Iran Posted: 04 Dec 2015 12:10 PM PST Iraq's premier wants Washington's assistance against the Islamic State group, but American remarks about anti-jihadist efforts and Iran-allied organisations' strong opposition to US combat troops put him in a bind. Trying to navigate the political minefield, Haider al-Abadi has issued increasingly strident statements about foreign forces over the past week, most recently saying the deployment of such "ground combat forces (is) a hostile act". First, senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham came to Baghdad, called for the number of US troops in the country to be roughly tripled and said Abadi wanted increased American involvement.

Ex-soldier 'addicted to killing' guilty but mentally ill Posted: 04 Dec 2015 11:26 AM PST DOVER, Del. (AP) — A former soldier who said he became "addicted to killing" while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan pleaded guilty but mentally ill Friday to charges of raping and killing a Delaware woman.

Hollande in Cyprus after carrier visit Posted: 04 Dec 2015 11:16 AM PST French President Francois Hollande paid a brief visit to Cyprus Friday after addressing forces on the aircraft carrier at the heart of France's campaign of air strikes against Islamic State jihadists. An AFP reporter on board the carrier Charles de Gaulle in the eastern Mediterranean said Hollande flew by helicopter to Larnaca airport where he met Anastasiades before leaving for Paris on board a Falcon jet. A French presidential source said Hollande thanked Cyprus for its help over the French military action against IS in Syria.

German parliament votes to send military support to fight ISIS Posted: 04 Dec 2015 11:04 AM PST German lawmakers voted Friday to provide military assistance in the fight against Islamic State in Syria. Germany will send reconnaissance aircraft, a refueling aircraft, and a frigate to protect the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle off the Syrian coast, but Germany will not engage in active combat. Recommended: How much do you know about the Islamic State?

Trump Takes His Biggest Lead Yet in the Polls Posted: 04 Dec 2015 11:04 AM PST For those greatly concerned about foreign policy, Trump moved up to 32 percent. As for the rest of the field, it is beginning to look somewhat grim: Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson continues to lose ground with 14 percent of the Republican vote. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, who still must be considered an up and comer, is at 12 percent.

Belgians seeking 2 new suspects in Paris attacks probe Posted: 04 Dec 2015 10:35 AM PST BRUSSELS (AP) — Belgian and French authorities were hunting two new suspects Friday in the Paris attacks who they say used fake identity cards around Europe and sent money to a relative of the man who orchestrated the attacks the day before the ringleader died in a shootout with French police.

Greek minister: EU provided inadequate help for refugees Posted: 04 Dec 2015 10:16 AM PST ATHENS, Greece (AP) — The European Union has provided far less than is needed to help Greece deal with the massive influx of refugees and other migrants this year, the country's European affairs minister said Friday.

16 mass graves found in Iraq's Sinjar after IS retreat: UN Posted: 04 Dec 2015 10:15 AM PST Sixteen mass graves have been discovered in Sinjar in northern Iraq since it was recaptured from Islamic State, the UN said Friday, which also detailed "gross human rights violations" by the extremist group. The UN human rights group said civilians had been kidnapped, burned and beheaded in IS-controlled areas, with "widespread" attacks on Sunnis suspected of supporting the jihadists. "We have received reports that some 16 mass graves containing the bodies of individuals murdered by ISIL have been discovered in Sinjar," said Cecile Pouilly, spokeswoman for the UN human rights agency, using an alternative acronym for IS.

Iraq oil minister says OPEC shouldn't have to cut output alone Posted: 04 Dec 2015 10:14 AM PST VIENNA (Reuters) - OPEC alone shouldn't have to bear the burden of cutting oil output, Iraqi Oil Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi said on Friday after the group had completed its meeting in Vienna.

French aircraft carrier to move to Gulf 'in a few days': Hollande Posted: 04 Dec 2015 10:13 AM PST The aircraft carrier at the heart of France's campaign of air strikes on Islamic State jihadists will move from the eastern Mediterranean to the Gulf "in a few days", President Francois Hollande told its crew during a visit Friday. The Charles de Gaulle will take over duties from a US carrier in the Gulf, coordinating strikes on IS targets in Iraq and, increasingly, in Syria. "You will continue in another way the struggle that we have undertaken against terrorism," Hollande told the crew.

France's Hollande visits aircraft carrier off Syrian coast Posted: 04 Dec 2015 10:05 AM PST President Francois Hollande visited France's Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier off the Syrian coast on Friday, telling military personnel that their mission was to intensify strikes against Islamic State militants. "In a few days you will be deployed in a new zone and will take command responsibilities of our allies in the framework of the coalition," Hollande said in a speech on board the carrier. "After the cowardly and terrible attacks on our country, I decided to intensify the battle against Daesh ... that means intensifying strikes," he said, using the Arabic acronym for Islamic State.

France flies surveillance missions over IS-held areas of Libya Posted: 04 Dec 2015 10:05 AM PST By John Irish and Marine Pennetier PARIS (Reuters) - French military aircraft have flown reconnaissance and intelligence missions over Libya, including areas controlled by Islamic State, and more are planned, a presidential document shows. According to the press dossier provided on Friday ahead of President Francois Hollande's visit to the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier off the coast of Syria, two missions were flown on Nov. 20 and 21 around the towns of Sirte and Tobruk. French warplanes have been bombing Islamic State in Iraq for more than a year, and in Syria since September.

The New Battle Against ISIS in Raids and Laws Posted: 04 Dec 2015 09:53 AM PST The news from France may have quieted down, but that doesn't mean it has been quiet. In the aftermath of last month's attacks, France has launched more than 2,200 raids, made more than 250 arrests, and closed at least three mosques  as authorities empowered by the country's emergency measures crack down.

U.S.-led air strikes hit Islamic State oil production in Syria Posted: 04 Dec 2015 09:41 AM PST The U.S.-led coalition carried out 26 air strikes against Islamic State militants on Thursday, targeting oil production in Syria and supporting the Iraqi effort to retake the city of Ramadi, the military said in a statement on Friday. Coalition aircraft carried out two strikes against an oil field well head near Abu Kamal, Syria, and six strikes against an oil and gas separation plant near Dayr az Zawr, Syria, the statement by the coalition said.

Italy hopes to up pressure on Libya militias Posted: 04 Dec 2015 08:59 AM PST Italy hopes its international conference on war-torn Libya will up the pressure on rival militias and speed up the formation of a national unity government, its foreign minister said Friday. The December 13 conference in Rome aims to give "a decisive push for the conclusion of a deal for a national government in Libya", where the Islamic State group is exploiting the chaos and taking root, Paolo Gentiloni told journalists. "We want an agreement between the Libyan parties, leading very quickly indeed to a national unity government and a UN Security Council resolution," the minister said.

The Latest: Belgium seeks 2 new suspects in Paris attacks Posted: 04 Dec 2015 08:53 AM PST PARIS (AP) — The latest developments regarding the fight against the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq: All times local:

Turkey rounds up 3,000 migrants planning to cross into Greece Posted: 04 Dec 2015 07:53 AM PST Turkish authorities have rounded up in the past four days nearly 3,000 migrants planning to cross the Aegean Sea to EU member Greece, local media said Friday. The detentions were part of a major operation that was launched on Monday, a day after Turkey and the European Union reached a deal to stem the flow of refugees into Europe. The Turkish coastguard apprehended a total of 2,933 migrants, mainly from Syria and Iraq, as they were preparing to make their way to the Greek island of Lesbos from the northwestern town of Ayvacik in Canakkale province, Dogan news agency reported.

AP PHOTOS: Editor's pick from Mideast, Pakistan-Afghanistan Posted: 04 Dec 2015 07:18 AM PST This week in the Middle East, millions of Shiite Muslims took part in Arbaeen rituals on a holiday that marks the end of the 40-day mourning period following the anniversary of the 7th century martyrdom of Imam Hussein, the Prophet Muhammad's grandson.

German parliament approves military action in Syria against IS Posted: 04 Dec 2015 07:07 AM PST Lawmakers on Friday approved plans for Germany to take on a direct role in the battle against the Islamic State group in Syria, answering France's appeal for help after the deadly Paris attacks. The green light for the mission that could become Germany's biggest deployment abroad comes three weeks after jihadists killed 130 people in a series of attacks in Paris. The atrocities prompted France to invoke a clause requiring EU states to provide military assistance to wipe out the IS group in Iraq and Syria.

OPEC set to maintain output levels as oil glut worsens Posted: 04 Dec 2015 06:43 AM PST By Rania El Gamal, Alex Lawler and Reem Shamseddine VIENNA (Reuters) - OPEC looked unlikely to take steps to cut oil production to lift languishing prices at a meeting on Friday, potentially worsening one of the worst crude gluts in history. Benchmark Brent oil futures are below $45 per barrel, just a few dollars above their 6-year lows. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries' (OPEC) own basket of crude grades is below $38 per barrel - a fraction of what most members need to balance their budgets.

Syria government, rebels could cooperate vs IS before Assad goes: Kerry Posted: 04 Dec 2015 06:24 AM PST U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Friday it might be possible for the Syrian government and rebel forces to cooperate against Islamic State militants without Syrian President Bashar al-Assad having first left power. Kerry was asked at a news conference during a visit to Greece whether Assad's departure was a precondition for Western-backed rebels to cooperate with government troops against IS, which has captured a swathe of Syria and Iraq and carried out a string of attacks in other countries.

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