Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• Tsarnaev lawyers ask appeals court to order trial moved
• U.S. hopes pilot's murder will toughen Jordan's resolve
• Islamic State shows burning of hostage, Jordan vows 'earth-shaking' response
• Police announce charges against alleged IS recruiting cell
• Militants' video shows Jordanian pilot burned alive
• Pope decrees slain Salvadoran Archbishop Romero a martyr
• Police arrest Canadian with links to IS group
• Jordanian king, Obama to meet after pilot's killing
• Jordan mourns murdered fighter pilot, vows revenge on Islamic State
• IS calls for new France attacks in latest video
• Obama decries 'cowardice, depravity' of Islamic State
• Iraq reconciliation would help counter Islamic State - U.S. military
• IS claims pilot burned alive, angry Jordan vows revenge
• U.S. plans to boost aid to Jordan to $1 billion per year
• UN 'alarmed' by photos of IS labels on its Syria food aid
• Senate Unanimously Passes Lifesaving Vets Bill
• UNESCO voices alarm over reported book-burning in Iraq
• Prince Ali taking on Blatter, FIFA 'culture of intimidation'
• Officials: Explosions in Iraq kill more than a dozen people
• Libya clashes kill 16 troops near Islamist hub, oil terminal
• Iraq cabinet approves national guard bill
• What Congress Is Doing to Help Lower The Number of Veteran Suicides
• Bill to address veterans' suicide heads to White House
• Ex-criminal turned back in Turkey attacks 3 French soldiers
• Unchecked militia with murky past fights Islamic State with US weapons: Report
• Obama: video is sign of 'viciousness and barbarity' of Islamic State
• Ancient tablets reveal life of Jews in Nebuchadnezzar's Babylon
• US to up aid to Jordan as it deals with regional turmoil
• Reluctant Islamic State fighters choose between death, jail
• Germany to clamp down on jihadi travel, financing
• UN agency alarmed over images of IS distributing its food
• Hezbollah faces hard choices between fighting Israel, Sunnis
• Relief official says UN trying to boost aid in Ukraine
• The cost of leaving Islamic State: Death or jail
• WFP alarmed by pictures of ISIS logos on its Syria food parcels
• Iraqi cabinet approves draft law to set up national guard
• Allied airstrikes continue to target Islamic State near Kobani: statement
• Scott Walker's Naive Foreign-Policy Beliefs
• The Three Hidden Messages Behind ISIS’s Bloody Rampages
• French police arrest eight in anti-jihadi operation

Tsarnaev lawyers ask appeals court to order trial moved Posted: 03 Feb 2015 03:55 PM PST BOSTON (AP) — Lawyers for Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev asked a federal appeals court again on Tuesday to order the judge to move his trial outside of Massachusetts, arguing he cannot get a fair trial here.

U.S. hopes pilot's murder will toughen Jordan's resolve Posted: 03 Feb 2015 03:51 PM PST By Phil Stewart and Warren Strobel WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Islamic State's burning to death of a captured Jordanian air force pilot is likely to harden Jordan's position as a member of the U.S.-led coalition striking the militant group in Syria, U.S. officials said on Tuesday. The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Jordan has not retrenched from the air campaign against Islamic State since the group captured pilot Mouath al-Kasaesbeh after his jet crashed in northeastern Syria in December. One official said he expected al-Kasaesbeh's killing "to have an electrifying effect" on Jordan.

Islamic State shows burning of hostage, Jordan vows 'earth-shaking' response Posted: 03 Feb 2015 03:10 PM PST By Suleiman Al-Khalidi AMMAN (Reuters) - Islamic State militants released a video on Tuesday appearing to show a captured Jordanian pilot being burnt alive in a cage, a killing that shocked the world and prompted Jordan to promise an "earth-shaking" response. A Jordanian official said the authorities would swiftly execute several militants in retaliation, including an Iraqi woman whom Amman had sought to swap for the pilot taken captive after his plane crashed in Syria in December. Reuters could not immediately confirm the content of the video, which showed a man resembling airman Mouath al-Kasaesbeh standing in a small black cage before being set ablaze. The furious reaction of the Jordanian authorities made clear they treated it as genuine.

Police announce charges against alleged IS recruiting cell Posted: 03 Feb 2015 03:08 PM PST TORONTO (AP) — Canadian police on Tuesday arrested one man who they say was part of an Islamic State recruiting cell and charged two more men who are overseas — one of whom may be dead.

Militants' video shows Jordanian pilot burned alive Posted: 03 Feb 2015 02:51 PM PST AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — Islamic State militants put to death a captured Jordanian fighter pilot by burning him alive in a cage, according to a video the group released Tuesday. The kingdom vowed a swift and lethal response to what it called a "barbaric" act.

Pope decrees slain Salvadoran Archbishop Romero a martyr Posted: 03 Feb 2015 02:49 PM PST VATICAN CITY (AP) — Thirty-five years after he was gunned down by a right-wing death squad as he celebrated Mass, Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero moved a step closer to possible sainthood Tuesday when Pope Francis declared he was a martyr killed out of hatred for his Catholic faith.

Police arrest Canadian with links to IS group Posted: 03 Feb 2015 02:17 PM PST Federal police dismantled an Islamic State group recruiting network in Canada, by arresting a Canadian with ties to IS for allegedly helping others join the jihadists, authorities said Tuesday. International warrants were also issued through Interpol for the arrest of two other men, including a Canadian reportedly killed in Syria, for joining the banned terror group and encouraging others to follow suit. "We were able to disrupt an organized network associated with IS," said Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Assistant Commissioner James Malizia. "This network was involved in recruiting individuals for terrorism purposes and in sending them into Syria and Iraq for the benefit of this terrorist group," he added.

Jordanian king, Obama to meet after pilot's killing Posted: 03 Feb 2015 02:15 PM PST US President Barack Obama will host Jordan's King Abdullah II later Tuesday in a hastily arranged meeting just hours after a video emerged of a caged Jordanian pilot being burned alive by the Islamic State group. The White House said Obama would welcome the king to the Oval Office at 6:00 pm (2300 GMT) as Islamic State militants drew international condemnation for killing the 26-year-old Maaz al-Kassasbeh. Obama earlier decried the "cowardice and depravity" of the Islamic State, saying the brutal killing would only strengthen international resolve to destroy the extremists.

Jordan mourns murdered fighter pilot, vows revenge on Islamic State Posted: 03 Feb 2015 02:13 PM PST The calculated savagery of the self-styled Islamic State's murder of Jordanian F-16 pilot Muath al-Kasasbeh will likely prove to be one of the most polarizing atrocities carried out by the group. A video of his murder was posted online Tuesday and quickly generated widespread condemnation, from President Barack Obama to Jordan's King Abdullah.

IS calls for new France attacks in latest video Posted: 03 Feb 2015 01:58 PM PST The Islamic State group called for fresh attacks against France in a video released Tuesday, nearly a month after a deadly Islamist assault on a Paris magazine shocked the world. In the video, an unidentified, masked jihadist is seen surrounded by militants calling on French Muslims to quit their country for IS' self-proclaimed "caliphate", which covers parts of Iraq and Syria. In the video, which was widely shared on Twitter and jihadist forums by IS supporters, the masked fighter calls for more killings in France. He asks supporters to attack police and military targets, as well as those who participated in mass protests last month to condemn the killing of 12 people at the offices of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo on January 7.

Obama decries 'cowardice, depravity' of Islamic State Posted: 03 Feb 2015 01:32 PM PST US President Barack Obama decried the "cowardice and depravity" of the Islamic State on Tuesday, saying the apparent burning alive of a Jordanian pilot would only strengthen international resolve to destroy the extremists. "Today, we join the people of Jordan in grieving the loss of one of their own," the president added, as his administration reaffirmed its intention to give Jordan $3 billion in security aid over the next three years. Obama also offered his condolences to King Abdullah II, who is currently in Washington and who met Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State John Kerry.

Iraq reconciliation would help counter Islamic State - U.S. military Posted: 03 Feb 2015 01:04 PM PST By David Alexander WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S.-led air war against Islamic State militants has frozen the immediate threat from that group, and now is the time for Iraq's Shi'ite-dominated government to mend its rift with disenfranchised Sunnis, U.S. military officials said on Tuesday. "Quite frankly, we need to see in Iraq political outreach that addresses the fact that some 20 million Sunnis are disenfranchised with their government," Lieutenant General William Mayville told a hearing on global threats facing the United States. Mayville, director of operations for the Pentagon's Joint Staff, told lawmakers he endorsed the current steady, deliberate pace of efforts to defeat Islamic State in Iraq and Syria because it gave the Iraqi government time to act politically, a step he said was necessary to resolve the crisis.

IS claims pilot burned alive, angry Jordan vows revenge Posted: 03 Feb 2015 12:58 PM PST The Islamic State group released a video Tuesday purportedly showing a Jordanian pilot being burned alive in a cage, in the jihadists' most brutal execution yet of a foreign hostage. The highly choreographed 22-minute video released online showed images of a man purported to be First Lieutenant Maaz al-Kassasbeh, captured in December, engulfed in flames. King Abdullah II cut short a visit to Washington to fly home, state television said, as Amman confirmed the death of the 26-year-old fighter pilot and vowed an "earth-shattering response". The video, whose authenticity was not immediately verified, enraged officials and the army in Jordan vowed to avenge the murder of the 26-year-old pilot.

U.S. plans to boost aid to Jordan to $1 billion per year Posted: 03 Feb 2015 12:43 PM PST The United States on Tuesday announced plans to increase annual aid to Jordan to $1 billion from $660 million to help it pay for the cost of housing refugees from Iraq and Syria and of fighting Islamic State militants. An agreement on the aid, which is subject to the approval of the U.S. Congress, was signed before the wide release of a video that appeared to show Islamic State militants burning a captured Jordanian pilot alive. Jordan is one of a handful of Arab states that have taken part in a U.S.-led air campaign against the Islamic State group, which last year seized swaths of Iraq and Syria. In a brief statement, the U.S. State Department said it planned to provide $1 billion per year to Jordan for each of the U.S. fiscal years for 2015, 2016 and 2017.

UN 'alarmed' by photos of IS labels on its Syria food aid Posted: 03 Feb 2015 12:39 PM PST The United Nations food agency expressed alarm over images circulating on social media showing its food aid being distributed from boxes bearing the logo of the Islamic State group. "WFP condemns this manipulation of desperately needed food aid inside Syria," Muhannad Hadi, the agency's emergency coordinator for the Syrian crisis, said in a statement late Monday. "We urge all parties to the conflict to respect humanitarian principles and allow humanitarian workers including our partners to deliver food to the most vulnerable and hungry families," he added. Images still circulating on Twitter Tuesday showed people, including children, gathered around and picking up boxes of food aid marked with the black and white flag of the IS jihadist group, which controls large swaths of territory in war-ravaged Syria and neighbouring Iraq.

Senate Unanimously Passes Lifesaving Vets Bill Posted: 03 Feb 2015 12:33 PM PST WASHINGTON—Chris Neiweem looked at the 22 miniature flags on the podium that represented the number of military veterans who die each day by suicide. "It's invisible," said Neiweem, 32, a former Army Reserve military police sergeant who served in Iraq and now works as a veterans advocate. "You can't visibly see post-traumatic stress disorder. Neiweem spoke at a news conference on the eve of Tuesday's 99–0 vote by the Senate to do something about an epidemic of suicides among veterans.

UNESCO voices alarm over reported book-burning in Iraq Posted: 03 Feb 2015 12:25 PM PST UNESCO on Tuesday voiced concern over reports of mass book-burning in Iraq, saying it would be one of the most "devastating" such actions in history if confirmed. "If confirmed, this would be one of the most devastating acts of destruction of library collections in human history," UNESCO said. Islamic State extremists currently hold the city of Mosul, the second-largest city in Iraq.

Prince Ali taking on Blatter, FIFA 'culture of intimidation' Posted: 03 Feb 2015 12:03 PM PST LONDON (AP) — Seeking to clean up scandal-scarred FIFA would seem a comparatively straightforward mission for Prince Ali bin al-Hussein compared with one of his current roles in Jordan.

Officials: Explosions in Iraq kill more than a dozen people Posted: 03 Feb 2015 11:52 AM PST BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi officials say a series of bombs across Baghdad have killed more than a dozen civilians, with a heavy focus on commercial areas.

Libya clashes kill 16 troops near Islamist hub, oil terminal Posted: 03 Feb 2015 11:51 AM PST Sixteen Libyan soldiers were killed and 38 wounded in clashes around an eastern Islamist stronghold and close to a key oil terminal, military officials said Tuesday. "The army lost 11 soldiers... in violent clashes with radical Islamists after an army offensive launched on Monday" near the town of Derna, said Colonel Ahmed al-Mashari. The jihadist Islamic State (IS) group that has seized chunks of Iraq and Syria is thought to have gained a foothold in Derna amid the chaos in Libya since the 2011 uprising that ousted dictator Moamer Kadhafi. Meanwhile, the Islamist-backed Fajr Dawn militia launched an offensive against troops loyal to Libya's internationally recognised government around the key oil hub of Al-Sidra, a military spokesman said.

Iraq cabinet approves national guard bill Posted: 03 Feb 2015 11:48 AM PST Iraq's cabinet on Tuesday approved a draft law on establishing a national guard, a measure aimed at gaining support from the country's Sunni Arab minority. Sunni backing is key to Iraq's battle against the Islamic State jihadist group, which led an offensive last June that overran large areas north and west of Baghdad, many of them Sunni-majority. A statement from Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's office announced the approval of the bill -- which must now go before parliament -- but did not provide details on its content. Under a general proposal previously outlined by Abadi, the national guard would be made up of forces from the country's various provinces that would be responsible for local security.

What Congress Is Doing to Help Lower The Number of Veteran Suicides Posted: 03 Feb 2015 11:45 AM PST The Senate today passed legislation aiming to lower the amount of veteran suicides in the United States at time when as many as an estimated 22 veterans take their own lives each day. With a vote of 99-0, the Senate approved the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act, which has already passed the House of Representatives and will now head to the president's desk. The legislation was named after Clay Hunt, a Marine veteran who earned a Purple Heart after being struck in his wrist by a sniper's bullet while serving in Anbar Province. Hunt struggled with obtaining proper care through the VA and ultimately ended his own life in 2011.

Bill to address veterans' suicide heads to White House Posted: 03 Feb 2015 11:42 AM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — A bill aimed at reducing a suicide epidemic among military veterans is on its way to the president for his signature.

Ex-criminal turned back in Turkey attacks 3 French soldiers Posted: 03 Feb 2015 10:51 AM PST PARIS (AP) — A former criminal who had been blocked by French and Turkish police from traveling along a route used by jihadi fighters on Tuesday allegedly attacked three French soldiers with a knife outside a Jewish community center in southern France, officials said.

Unchecked militia with murky past fights Islamic State with US weapons: Report Posted: 03 Feb 2015 10:23 AM PST A Shiite militia group with an allegedly sordid past, the Badr Brigade, has been using American weapons in its campaign against the Islamic State.

Obama: video is sign of 'viciousness and barbarity' of Islamic State Posted: 03 Feb 2015 09:52 AM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama said on Tuesday a video purporting to show Islamic State burning a Jordanian pilot hostage alive, if authenticated, would be another sign of the "viciousness and barbarity" of the militant group. "Whatever ideology they're operating off of, it's bankrupt," Obama told reporters, noting the video would redouble the determination of the U.S.-led coalition fighting the group in Syria and Iraq. (Reporting by Roberta Rampton; Editing by Doina Chiacu)

Ancient tablets reveal life of Jews in Nebuchadnezzar's Babylon Posted: 03 Feb 2015 09:43 AM PST By Luke Baker JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A new exhibition of ancient clay tablets discovered in modern-day Iraq is shedding light for the first time on the daily life of Jews exiled to Babylon some 2,500 years ago. The exhibition is based on more than 100 cuneiform tablets, each no bigger than an adult's palm, that detail transactions and contracts between Judeans driven from, or convinced to move from, Jerusalem by King Nebuchadnezzar around 600 BC. Archaeologists got their first chance to see the tablets -- acquired by a wealthy London-based Israeli collector -- barely two years ago. "It was like hitting the jackpot," said Filip Vukosavovic, an expert in ancient Babylonia, Sumeria and Assyria who curated the exhibition at Jerusalem's Bible Lands Museum. It fills in a critical gap in understanding of what was going on in the life of Judeans in Babylonia more than 2,500 years ago." Nebuchadnezzar, a powerful ruler famed for the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, came to Jerusalem several times as he sought to spread the reach of his kingdom.

US to up aid to Jordan as it deals with regional turmoil Posted: 03 Feb 2015 09:24 AM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration is hoping to nearly double U.S. assistance to Jordan over the next two years as the country struggles to cope with domestic issues and pressure from the conflicts in Syria and Iraq.

Reluctant Islamic State fighters choose between death, jail Posted: 03 Feb 2015 09:21 AM PST TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — In Tunis, Ghaith stands furtively on a street corner, his face masked by a hoodie, his tense eyes scanning the crowd for any hint of Islamic State militants.

Germany to clamp down on jihadi travel, financing Posted: 03 Feb 2015 08:59 AM PST BERLIN (AP) — Germany plans to clamp down on the flow of would-be jihadis by making it an offense to travel abroad with the aim of joining the Islamic State group or other extremist organizations.

UN agency alarmed over images of IS distributing its food Posted: 03 Feb 2015 08:38 AM PST BEIRUT (AP) — The U.N.'s World Food Program says it is "extremely concerned" about images circulating on social media showing Islamic State labels affixed to its food aid boxes in Syria.

Hezbollah faces hard choices between fighting Israel, Sunnis Posted: 03 Feb 2015 08:19 AM PST BEIRUT (AP) — Hezbollah's ambitions are spreading far beyond its Lebanon home as the militant Shiite movement appears increasingly bent on taking on Sunni foes across the Middle East. It has sent thousands of its fighters into Syria and senior military advisers to Iraq, helped Shiite rebels rise to power in Yemen and threatened Bahrain over its abuse of the Shiite majority.

Relief official says UN trying to boost aid in Ukraine Posted: 03 Feb 2015 08:17 AM PST BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — The United Nations is trying to increase aid activities in Ukraine to help more than 5 million people affected by the conflict between the government and Russia-backed rebels, the organization's emergency relief coordinator said Tuesday.

The cost of leaving Islamic State: Death or jail Posted: 03 Feb 2015 06:27 AM PST TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — The man stands furtively on a street corner near the broad avenue cutting through Tunis, his face masked by a hoodie, his tense eyes scanning the workday crowd for any hint of Islamic State militants.

WFP alarmed by pictures of ISIS logos on its Syria food parcels Posted: 03 Feb 2015 06:06 AM PST By Tom Miles and Oliver Holmes GENEVA/BEIRUT (Reuters) - The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has declared itself "extremely concerned" by photographs showing its food parcels being handed out in Syria with Islamic State logos on them. Images circulating on social media show food being distributed from cardboard boxes with "Islamic State in Syria" labels pasted over the WFP logo. Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, rules over millions of people in Syria and Iraq, and keeping the public fed is part of its effort to portray its "caliphate" as a genuine government.

Iraqi cabinet approves draft law to set up national guard Posted: 03 Feb 2015 05:20 AM PST Iraq's cabinet on Tuesday approved a draft law creating a national guard, which Sunni political figures have described as a necessary step to achieving national reconciliation. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's spokesman Rafid Jaboori applauded the sending of the national guard law to parliament as "a way to confront ISIL", a reference to the militant group Islamic State which controls large sections of the country. Sunni political and tribal leaders have billed the national guard law as a way to handle their own security in combating the militant group. The guard would be a locally-based force, answerable to the provincial government, and then the prime minister.

Allied airstrikes continue to target Islamic State near Kobani: statement Posted: 03 Feb 2015 04:27 AM PST U.S. and allied forces staged airstrikes on 14 Islamic State targets in Iraq and Syria in a 24-hour period, the Combined Joint Task Force said on Tuesday. Two of the strikes hit Islamic State tactical units near the Syrian city of Kobani, where Kurdish militia have been pushing out the group with the help of the coalition. Two strikes near al Hasaka targeted Islamic State oil equipment and another near ar Raqqa destroyed vehicles and a building, the task force said in a statement. In Iraq, attacks near the cities of Bayji, Tal Afar, Falluja and Mosul hit tactical units and vehicles.

Scott Walker's Naive Foreign-Policy Beliefs Posted: 03 Feb 2015 03:00 AM PST As the governor of Wisconsin, Scott Walker could be forgiven for knowing very little about foreign policy. On Sunday, Martha Raddatz, a Senior Foreign Affairs Correspondent at ABC News, pressed Governor Walker to defend his qualifications in a prospective race where many of his GOP rivals will have more foreign affairs experience. What is your big, bold idea in Syria? RADDATZ: You don't think 2,000 air strikes is taking it to ISIS in Syria and Iraq?

The Three Hidden Messages Behind ISIS’s Bloody Rampages Posted: 03 Feb 2015 02:15 AM PST This past weekend, ISIS executed a second Japanese hostage, took a minor oil field in Northern Iraq for a few days, stormed the oil-rich city of Kirkuk and intensified the fighting against Iraqi government forces, Shiite militias, Kurdish peshmerga and Sunni tribes.

French police arrest eight in anti-jihadi operation Posted: 03 Feb 2015 01:31 AM PST French anti-terrorism police arrested eight people on Tuesday on suspicion of being part of a network linked to recruiting young people for jihad in Syria, Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said. The suspects, who can be held for up to 96 hours without charge, were arrested in the northern suburbs of Paris and the Lyon region, he said, according to remarks published on the ministry's Twitter feed. The government estimates that about 1,300 French citizens have links to recruitment cells for Syria and Iraq, of which about 400 are already fighting alongside militants. The arrests come after President Francois Hollande's Socialist government unveiled a raft of new security measures in response to attacks in Paris in January by homegrown Islamist militants in which 20 people were killed, including the three attackers.

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