Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• EU Counter-Terror Chief: More Attacks ‘May Happen’
• How 400 US Troops Will Train Syria's Moderate Opposition to Fight ISIS
• Belgium: hotbed of fighters heading to Syria and Iraq
• Homeland Security chief: Visa waivers fears to be addressed
• Europe anti-terror raids net dozens amid high anxiety
• Islamic State group reaches for Afghanistan and Pakistan
• Hundreds of US troops to train Syrian rebels: Pentagon
• Don't Let Iran's Clerics off the Hook
• 26 settle suit in Texas veterans parade crash that killed 4
• ICC prosecutor opens probe into war crimes against Palestinians
• Film Friday (1/16): This Week's New Movies & Trailers
• Iraq attacks kill 17, including 8 in village retaken from IS
• ‘Scores’ of Navy Officials Bribed with Cash, Prostitutes
• War crimes court opens probe into Palestinian territories
• France to stop would-be jihadists from travelling
• The Daily Fix: Thwarted Belgium Terror Attack Planned to Target Police Forces
• John Kerry reminds Paris: 'You've got a friend'
• Saudi carries out 10th beheading of 2015
• Lebanon absorbs bomb shock as talks ease tensions
• Pentagon to deploy 400 troops to train Syrian rebels
• Rights groups urge pressure on Bahrain to acquit activist
• Eleven more air strikes hit Islamic State in Syria, Iraq: U.S. military
• French resolve to act on world stage bolstered by attacks: Hollande
• American Sniper Makes a Case Against 'Support Our Troops'
• Asian Cup: Japan leads Group D, Jordan in contention
• Japan were never in danger, insists Aguirre
• Asian Cup: Japan edges Iraq 1-0 to take lead in Group D
• Asian Cup: Jordan downs Palestine 5-1 in Group D
• Europol chief: foiling every attack is 'extremely difficult'
• Syrian state news agency attacks U.S. plan to train rebels
• How Plunging Oil Prices Could Create Economic Upheaval
• Honda penalty earns win for profligate Japan
• Wilkins hails Jordan's 'Geoff Hurst' after 5-1 rout
• Should Germany House Asylum Seekers in a Former Nazi Barracks?
• France won't abandon foreign anti-terrorist operations
• Austria again detains 14-year-old on suspicion of terror offences
• Belgium on high alert after bloody police raid
• Islamic State kills 17 in Syria after hit-and-run attacks
• Jordan's Aldaradreh slams four in 5-1 rout of Palestine

EU Counter-Terror Chief: More Attacks ‘May Happen’ Posted: 16 Jan 2015 04:49 PM PST One of Europe's top counter-terrorism officials said today that it's impossible to guarantee 100 percent security and that other attacks could follow last week's incidents in Paris. "I don't have a crystal ball," Gilles de Kerchove, Counter-Terrorism Coordinator for the European Union, told ABC News of the possibility of future attacks. "But the message I want to send is a bit different from the U.S. because in a way after 9/11… the expectation of the American citizen is they want 100 percent security. I think [Europe] is a bit more resolute and accepts that there is nothing like 100 percent security.

How 400 US Troops Will Train Syria's Moderate Opposition to Fight ISIS Posted: 16 Jan 2015 04:47 PM PST Up to 400 American military trainers will begin this spring the next phase in the U.S. strategy against ISIS, training Syrian moderate rebels to fight the militant group inside Syria, Pentagon officials said today. But which rebels will be trained by the U.S. military has yet to be decided as the Pentagon continues to develop a screening program that would ensure that trainees don't end up siding with extremist forces in Syria. "Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar have agreed to host training sites and we anticipate the program to train and equip the moderate Syrian opposition will take approximately 400 U.S. trainers," said Commander Elissa Smith, a Pentagon spokesperson. The training program will be launched in early spring and the number of U.S. troops involved will grow as the trainers will also be accompanied by an undetermined number of support forces, officials said.

Belgium: hotbed of fighters heading to Syria and Iraq Posted: 16 Jan 2015 03:27 PM PST Anti-terror raids in Belgium appear to confirm long-standing fears the country has become a jihadist centre, with an often disaffected Muslim minority providing fertile ground for radicalisation. Belgium estimates that 335 of its people have gone to fight in Syria and Iraq in the last few years -- putting it top of the list of European nations in proportion to its small population of 11 million. The danger posed by returning fighters became clear Thursday when police killed two suspected militants and arrested 13 in raids on a cell of suspected Syria veterans who were allegedly planning attacks. The underlying problem in Belgium is well known -- a relatively large population of young Muslims without a job or a future who seek redemption in Syria or Iraq with groups such as the Islamic State.

Homeland Security chief: Visa waivers fears to be addressed Posted: 16 Jan 2015 03:03 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson acknowledged concerns Friday that terrorists might use the visa waiver program to enter the United States, and said his department is taking steps to address weaknesses in the program.

Europe anti-terror raids net dozens amid high anxiety Posted: 16 Jan 2015 02:57 PM PST BRUSSELS (AP) — Belgium ordered its army into the streets and anti-terror raids across Western Europe netted dozens of suspects Friday as authorities rushed to thwart more attacks by people with links to Mideast Islamic extremists.

Islamic State group reaches for Afghanistan and Pakistan Posted: 16 Jan 2015 02:16 PM PST CAMP SHORABAK, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghanistan and Pakistan, home to al-Qaida and Taliban militants and the focus of the longest war in U.S. history, face a new, emerging threat from the Islamic State group, officials have told The Associated Press.

Hundreds of US troops to train Syrian rebels: Pentagon Posted: 16 Jan 2015 02:14 PM PST The US military will send nearly 1,000 troops to train Syrian rebel forces as part of a long-planned effort to build up a moderate opposition to take on the Islamic State group, the Pentagon said Friday. The training will take place in Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar and is expected to start in the "early spring," spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby told a news conference. About 5,400 Syrian rebels would be trained and armed in the first year of the program, with an initial group of fighters possibly ready to enter battle "before the end of the year," he said. The US Congress backed legislation last month to fund the training and equipping of Iraqi forces and moderate Syrian rebels, allocating about $500 million for the Syrian effort.

Don't Let Iran's Clerics off the Hook Posted: 16 Jan 2015 12:37 PM PST Two and half years have passed since Congress passed the sanctions bill against Iran. Yet, since the talks have started with Iran, no access has been provided to the IAEA to any of the suspected military sites such as Parchin, and none of the outstanding questions relating to the possible military dimensions of the nuclear program has been resolved.  Legislators should also be aware of the "good guy (supposed moderates), bad guy (the conservatives)" narrative, being pitched by Iran and its U.S. lobby apparatus.

26 settle suit in Texas veterans parade crash that killed 4 Posted: 16 Jan 2015 12:16 PM PST LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — Twenty-six people who were hurt or had family members killed when a freight train struck a veterans parade float in Midland two years ago have settled their lawsuit against Union Pacific Railroad, both sides said Friday.

ICC prosecutor opens probe into war crimes against Palestinians Posted: 16 Jan 2015 11:53 AM PST The International Criminal Court's prosecutor on Friday opened a preliminary probe into possible war crimes committed against Palestinians, a move immediately blasted by Israel as "scandalous". Fatou Bensouda said her office would conduct an "analysis in full independence and impartiality" into alleged war crimes, including those committed during last year's Gaza war. Her decision comes after Palestine formally joined the ICC earlier this month allowing it to lodge war crimes and crimes against humanity complaints against Israel as of April.

Film Friday (1/16): This Week's New Movies & Trailers Posted: 16 Jan 2015 11:37 AM PST Find a guide to this weekend's new theatrical releases and watch all of the week's new movie trailers, including new looks at Avengers: Age of Ultron, Get Hard, Clouds of Sils Maria, Unfriended, and much more. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at Metacritic

Iraq attacks kill 17, including 8 in village retaken from IS Posted: 16 Jan 2015 11:17 AM PST BAGHDAD (AP) — A series of attacks in Iraq, including an explosion at a booby-trapped house in a village recently retaken from IS militants north of Baghdad, killed 17 people on Friday, officials said.

‘Scores’ of Navy Officials Bribed with Cash, Prostitutes Posted: 16 Jan 2015 11:15 AM PST He admitted to showering "scores" of Navy officials with $500,000 worth of cash bribes, sending them on free trips to exotic locations and setting them up with high-end prostitutes. In return, corrupt Navy officers turned a blind eye when he bilked the military services of tens of millions by overcharging for food, fuel and basic services when they docked their ships and submarines in Asian ports. In the climax to one of the worst war-time contract corruption scandals in Navy history, a Malaysian defense contractor named Leonard Glenn Francis pleaded guilty in federal court in San Diego on Thursday to bribery and corruption charges.

War crimes court opens probe into Palestinian territories Posted: 16 Jan 2015 10:50 AM PST THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court launched a preliminary probe Friday that could clear the way for a full-scale investigation into possible war crimes in Palestinian territories — plunging the court into the most politically charged conflict it has ever tackled.

France to stop would-be jihadists from travelling Posted: 16 Jan 2015 09:41 AM PST PARIS (AP) — French authorities can now ban suspected jihadists from leaving the country, confiscate passports and stop non-citizens who live in France from returning if they pose a danger.

The Daily Fix: Thwarted Belgium Terror Attack Planned to Target Police Forces Posted: 16 Jan 2015 08:29 AM PST The suspected jihadist groups targeted by special forces in a major anti-terror raid Thursday night were planning to kill police officers in public and in police stations, state prosecutors told The Telegraph. The raid resulted in the death of two suspected terrorists shot dead in Verviers, Belgium, 13 other suspects arrested, and two others arrested in France. CNN International is reporting that the terror threat appears to involved up to 20 sleeper cells of between 120 and 180 people ready to attack France, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. "The investigation... has shown that these people had the intention to kill several policemen in the street and at police commissariats [police stations]," Belgium prosecutor Eric Van Der Sypt told BBC News.

John Kerry reminds Paris: 'You've got a friend' Posted: 16 Jan 2015 07:17 AM PST His visit comes less than a week after the US was castigated for not sending a higher-level official to Paris's unity march in honor of the 17 victims of the terrorist attacks at satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and at a kosher supermarket. "There is an increasing blurring of the external and the internal, and of foreign policy issues and domestic policy issues," she says.

Saudi carries out 10th beheading of 2015 Posted: 16 Jan 2015 06:40 AM PST Saudi Arabia beheaded one of its citizens Friday for shooting dead a compatriot with a machine gun, officials said, bringing to 10 the number of executions in just over two weeks. Murdi al-Shakra had been tried and sentenced to death for murdering fellow tribesman Faraj al-Shakra, the interior ministry said in a statement carried by the official SPA news agency. The beheading brings to 10 the number of executions since the start of the year, according to an AFP tally. It comes as Saudi Arabia postponed until next week Friday's flogging of blogger Raef Badawi jailed for insulting Islam, citing medical reasons, a week after he received the first 50 of a 1,000-lash sentence.

Lebanon absorbs bomb shock as talks ease tensions Posted: 16 Jan 2015 06:39 AM PST By Tom Perry and Laila Bassam BEIRUT (Reuters) - A double suicide bombing at a cafe in the Lebanese city of Tripoli was meant to ignite a new round of civil strife in a country whose stability has been repeatedly strained by the war in neighboring Syria. Instead, the fragile Lebanese state appears to have emerged a little stronger from the Sunni militant attack that killed nine people in an Alawite neighborhood, helped by new political talks that are containing sectarian tensions. Lebanon, with its own combustible sectarian mix, has felt the force of that conflict in suicide bombings and bloody confrontations between the army and militant groups. Sunni militant leaders remain at large, with plenty of opportunity to recruit among disaffected Lebanese Sunnis, in Palestinian refugee camps, and from a pool of well over a million Syrian refugees.

Pentagon to deploy 400 troops to train Syrian rebels Posted: 16 Jan 2015 06:31 AM PST The U.S. military is planning to send more than 400 soldiers to train Syrian rebels to fight Islamic State along with hundreds of U.S. support personnel, a Pentagon spokesman said on Thursday. The training mission is expected to begin in the spring at sites outside Syria, Colonel Steve Warren said. The Syrian state news agency SANA said the plan showed Washington was "continuing to support terrorism in Syria". Syria's government describes all of its armed opponents as terrorists.

Rights groups urge pressure on Bahrain to acquit activist Posted: 16 Jan 2015 06:30 AM PST Rights groups urged Bahrain's Western allies on Friday to pressure the kingdom to drop charges against prominent activist Nabeel Rajab, on trial over tweets deemed insulting to public institutions. Rajab, a member of Bahrain's Shiite majority which has held protests against the Gulf kingdom's Sunni rulers since 2011, was released from custody in November and will stand trial on January 20. "Bahrain's allies including the United Kingdom, Germany, France and other European countries should publicly call on Manama to drop charges against the human rights advocate Nabeel Rajab," Human Rights Watch and the Gulf Center for Human Rights (GCHR) said. Bahrain, home to the US Fifth Fleet, is among the countries that have joined the international coalition against the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq.

Eleven more air strikes hit Islamic State in Syria, Iraq: U.S. military Posted: 16 Jan 2015 06:15 AM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States led six more air strikes against Islamic State in Syria and five in Iraq since early Thursday, according to the U.S.-led military coalition. The strikes in Syria centered around the key border town of Kobani, destroying nine of the militants' fighting positions, the Combined Joint Task Force said in a statement on Friday. In Iraq, the five strikes near Ramadi, al-Qaim, al-Asad and Mosul struck various fighting positions as well a building, boats and a barge used by Islamic State, according to the statement. (Reporting by Washington Newsroom)

French resolve to act on world stage bolstered by attacks: Hollande Posted: 16 Jan 2015 06:07 AM PST By John Irish PARIS (Reuters) - Deadly Islamist attacks on France only reinforce its resolve to act on the international stage, intervening in world hotspots and using its diplomatic weight to help solve crises, President Francois Hollande said on Friday. France, a permanent U.N. Security Council member and nuclear power, has thousands of troops hunting down al Qaeda-linked militants in Africa's Sahel-Sahara region and is part of the U.S.-led coalition striking Islamic State fighters in Iraq. "France has come out of this ordeal with its determination intact to act on the international scene," Hollande told an annual gathering of about 200 foreign and French ambassadors. "Our response must be firm and can only be collective." Hollande has been applauded in France for his handling of attacks during which Islamist militants killed 17 people, both in terms of security forces' quick response to track down the killers and his sharing in the grief of victims' families.

American Sniper Makes a Case Against 'Support Our Troops' Posted: 16 Jan 2015 06:01 AM PST The military, as James Fallows put it in this month's Atlantic cover story, has become "exotic territory" to most of the American public. Bumper stickers remind us to "support the troops," which is the functional equivalent of a bumper-bound request to "imagine world peace." Newscasts feature "In Remembrance" lists of "The Fallen," which fill our screens for five seconds before the rerun of The Big Bang Theory begins. Not only because the world isn't a Toby Keith song, but because the easy, empty logic of "supporting the troops" gives civilians leave to do a disservice to the people we reflexively thank for their service: It allows us to be ignorant of what that service entails in the first place. The best thing you can say about American Sniper, which enters into wide release today after an official, Oscar-contention-timed premiere in December and a long period of controversy and critical praise, is that it is, above all, complex.

Asian Cup: Japan leads Group D, Jordan in contention Posted: 16 Jan 2015 05:49 AM PST BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Keisuke Honda agreed he needed to adjust his radar despite guiding Japan to the top of Group D with a match-winning penalty against Iraq on Friday, putting the defending champions into a prime position to secure a spot in the knockout stages of the Asian Cup.

Japan were never in danger, insists Aguirre Posted: 16 Jan 2015 05:25 AM PST Japan coach Javier Aguirre said the defending Asian Cup champions were never in any real danger despite only narrowly beating Iraq 1-0 in on Friday. Keisuke Honda's first-half penalty proved the difference as Japan, who won a record fourth title in 2011, went three points clear at the top of Group D. The AC Milan midfielder coolly converted from the spot for the second time in as many games after 23 minutes to give the Blue Samurai a thoroughly deserved victory in front of a crowd of 23,000 in Brisbane. The scoreline flattered the surprise 2007 winners Iraq, who were under immense pressure throughout and could have conceded five or six if the Japanese had brought their shooting boots. "It was a very complicated game because Iraq defended well and we couldn't penetrate," Aguirre told reporters.

Asian Cup: Japan edges Iraq 1-0 to take lead in Group D Posted: 16 Jan 2015 05:07 AM PST BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Keisuke Honda converted a penalty and hit the woodwork three times as defending champion Japan edged Iraq 1-0 Friday to take the Group D lead and move a step closer to qualifying for the Asian Cup quarterfinals.

Asian Cup: Jordan downs Palestine 5-1 in Group D Posted: 16 Jan 2015 04:32 AM PST MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Hamza Aldaradreh's dominating four-goal performance against Palestine has given Jordan coach Ray Wilkins a selection dilemma ahead of his team's must-win final group match against Japan.

Europol chief: foiling every attack is 'extremely difficult' Posted: 16 Jan 2015 04:03 AM PST THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The large number of radicalized Muslim extremists across Europe, their lack of command structure and growing sophistication make it "extremely difficult" for law enforcement agencies to foil every terror attack, the head of European Union police agency Europol said Friday.

Syrian state news agency attacks U.S. plan to train rebels Posted: 16 Jan 2015 03:55 AM PST The Syrian state news agency on Friday attacked U.S. military plans to train and equip Syrian rebels, saying they amounted to support for terrorists. The plan is part of the U.S. strategy to roll back the Islamic State group that has seized much of eastern and northern Syria. Senior U.S. officials met Syrian opposition and civil society leaders in Istanbul this week to discuss the program. A Pentagon spokesman told Reuters on Thursday the U.S. military is planning to deploy more than 400 troops to help train the Syrian rebels.

How Plunging Oil Prices Could Create Economic Upheaval Posted: 16 Jan 2015 03:30 AM PST This includes not just the oil and gas industry, but also finance, manufacturing and more. Economy-watchers generally believe that lower gas prices will benefit the U.S. overall, because savings on gas can be recommitted to other consumer spending. Of course, these same economists never saw the fall in oil prices coming.

Honda penalty earns win for profligate Japan Posted: 16 Jan 2015 03:30 AM PST Keisuke Honda's first-half penalty proved the difference as defending champions Japan downed Iraq 1-0 in their Asian Cup Group D match on Friday. Honda coolly converted from the penalty spot in the 23rd minute to give the Blue Samurai a well-deserved win in front of almost 23,000 fans at Brisbane Stadium. The 1-0 scoreline flattered 2007 winners Iraq, who were under immense pressure throughout and could have conceded a hatful if the Japanese had converted their many chances. Honda was guilty of a glaring miss when he hit the post in the second half with the goal begging -- the third time he hit the woodwork.

Wilkins hails Jordan's 'Geoff Hurst' after 5-1 rout Posted: 16 Jan 2015 03:21 AM PST Jordan coach Ray Wilkins compared four-goal hero Hamza Aldaradreh to England's World Cup-winning striker Geoff Hurst after his side's 5-1 rout of Palestine at the Asian Cup on Friday. Wilkins revealed that Aldaradreh had been his third-choice striker and only played after sharp-shooter Ahmad Hayel collapsed from dehydration during a doping test earlier this week. "I go back to 1966 when England won the World Cup -- Jimmy Greaves was one of the best centre-forwards in the world and Sir Alf Ramsey had to make a choice to keep Geoff Hurst in," Wilkins told reporters after Jordan avoided an early Asian Cup exit in Melbourne.

Should Germany House Asylum Seekers in a Former Nazi Barracks? Posted: 16 Jan 2015 03:00 AM PST A former satellite post of the Buchenwald concentration camp is newly controversial. European news outlets are abuzz over a plan announced by municipal authorities in the German town of Schwerte to house 20 asylum seekers–refugees fleeing violence in their home countries–in barracks once used by the SS.

France won't abandon foreign anti-terrorist operations Posted: 16 Jan 2015 02:52 AM PST PARIS (AP) — President Francois Hollande says France is "waging war" against terrorism and will not back down from international military operations against Islamic extremists despite recent deadly attacks.

Austria again detains 14-year-old on suspicion of terror offences Posted: 16 Jan 2015 02:16 AM PST Austrian police have detained a 14-year-old boy for the second time on suspicion of belonging to a terrorist organization, planning to travel to Syria and researching how to build bombs, a police spokesman said on Friday. The boy from Lower Austria province was first detained in October but released from investigative custody after a few days on condition he remain in contact with authorities. When his mother reported him missing this week, authorities renewed the arrest warrant. About 170 people have left Austria to fight with jihadis in the Middle East, according to the Interior Ministry, some of whom have been killed.

Belgium on high alert after bloody police raid Posted: 16 Jan 2015 02:06 AM PST By Alastair Macdonald and Christian Levaux BRUSSELS/VERVIERS (Reuters) - Belgian security forces were on high alert on Friday after police killed two gunmen recently returned from Syria during one of several raids across the country against an Islamist network suspected of planning imminent attacks. Daily routines for most were little changed, a day after the bloodshed in the eastern town of Verviers, but there was additional security at some public buildings, notably police stations which officials said were the group's planned target. Some Jewish schools in Belgium and the Netherlands were closed, reflecting the heightening of an atmosphere of caution that has prevailed across Europe since Islamist gunmen killed 17 people in Paris last week at a Jewish grocery and the offices of the satirical French newspaper Charlie Hebdo. A separate inquiry is probing whether the Paris gunmen obtained arms in Belgium.

Islamic State kills 17 in Syria after hit-and-run attacks Posted: 16 Jan 2015 01:49 AM PST Islamic State has beheaded or shot 17 men in Syria in the past two days as it faces increasing attacks from unidentified gunmen in areas it controls, a monitoring group said on Friday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which uses a network of sources across the country to report on the war, said the spike in execution-style killings follows the killing of 10 Islamic State fighters in hit-and-run attacks in several areas around Deir al-Zor province this month. Deir al-Zor stretches from Raqqa to the border with Iraq and links Islamic State's self-declared caliphate in the two countries. Syrian state news agency SANA said on Thursday Islamic State executed three civilians and displayed their bodies in the town of al-Mayadin.

Jordan's Aldaradreh slams four in 5-1 rout of Palestine Posted: 16 Jan 2015 01:30 AM PST Hamza Aldaradreh scored the first hat-trick of the Asian Cup on Friday as Jordan hammered Palestine 5-1 to keep themselves alive in the competition. Aldaradreh finished with four goals, helping Jordan end a miserable run of 11 games without a win, but their hopes of advancing still hang in the balance with defending champions Japan to come in their final Group D game on Tuesday. Yousef Ahmad scored with a superb curling effort after 33 minutes, before Aldaradreh doubled Jordan's advantage moments later. The striker grabbed his second in first-half stoppage time to leave Palestine with a mountain to climb and completed his treble with a clinical strike in the 75th minute.

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