Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• Jordan pounds IS as Iraqi ground offensive looms
• Brian Williams cancels Letterman appearance: NBC source
• Iraqi ground offensive against IS 'within weeks': US pointman
• Brian Williams backs out of Letterman appearance
• Brian Williams Cancels Letterman Appearance
• Sec. Kerry: US-led coalition 'on the road' to defeating Islamic State
• Video Appearing to Show Jordanian Pilot's Burning Death 'Absolutely' Backfired Against ISIS
• Kurdish Leader Doubts Obama Has an ISIS Plan
• Erdogan unhappy with Turkish spy chief's resignation
• France holds six in suspected terrorism ring: interior minister
• Yemen Briefing: Who are the Houthis, and what do they want?
• Lebanon to start receiving French arms in April: Paris
• Spurring growth center stage as finance chiefs meet in Istanbul
• US-led coalition squeezing Islamic militants, Kerry insists
• Burning of pilot galvanized anti-Islamic State coalition: U.S. official
• France detains 6 suspected in jihadi network
• After a decade of twists, vanishing Marine goes to trial
• Prince Charles to tell Saudi king to halt blogger's flogging: report
• Brian Williams off the air. Will he ever be back?
• The Daily Fix: Gay Marriage Is About to Be Legal in Alabama
• Jordan says it launched 56 airstrikes against Islamic State
• Blind justice? Egypt's mass trials place state security 1st
• John Kerry: ‘We are on the road’ to defeating IS
• Brian Williams’ account of seeing dead body float by hotel during Katrina ‘very suspect,’ commander says
• Arab leaders bemoan lack of strategy, weapons against jihadists
• Tunisia arrests 32 suspected of plotting attacks
• Prince Charles tours camp for Syrian refugees; UK raises aid
• Iran's Khamenei hints ready to accept fair nuclear deal as talks proceed
• The Perverted, Powerful Logic Behind ISIS's Burned Pilot
• Japan seizes passport of journalist trying to visit Syria: reports
• Brian Williams taking himself off air temporarily
• Inarritu wins top Directors Guild Award for 'Birdman'
• Trial comes for Marine accused of killing 'American Sniper'

Jordan pounds IS as Iraqi ground offensive looms Posted: 08 Feb 2015 04:34 PM PST Jordan announced it has carried out dozens of air strikes on the Islamic State group, as a top US envoy said Iraqi troops would begin a major ground offensive against the jihadists in the week ahead. Jordanian air force chief Major General Mansour al-Jobour said Sunday the kingdom had launched 56 air raids since Thursday as part of an international assault against IS that Washington says is beginning to bite. Jordan has vowed an "earth-shattering" response after the Sunni extremists captured one of its air force pilots, Maaz al-Kassasbeh, burned him alive and released a gruesome video of the execution. "On the first day of the campaign to avenge our airman Maaz al-Kassasbeh, 19 targets were destroyed, including training camps and equipment," Jobour told reporters.

Brian Williams cancels Letterman appearance: NBC source Posted: 08 Feb 2015 04:00 PM PST (Reuters) - NBC News anchor Brian Williams has canceled a planned appearance with late-night talk show host David Letterman this week, an NBC News source said on Sunday, the latest fallout over misstatements by Williams over his experience reporting on the Iraq war. Williams, a star anchor who has garnered high ratings for the network, said on Saturday that he would voluntarily take himself off the evening newscast for several days while NBC looks into an issue that has damaged his credibility. The NBC source said Williams, whose return date to the nightly news has not been announced, would not be appearing on Thursday's Late Show with David Letterman.

Iraqi ground offensive against IS 'within weeks': US pointman Posted: 08 Feb 2015 03:59 PM PST Iraqi troops will begin a ground offensive "in the weeks ahead" to take back swathes of the country seized by the Islamic State (IS) group, the US coordinator for the international coalition against the jihadists said Sunday. "There will be a major counter offensive on the ground in Iraq," top US envoy John Allen said in an interview with Jordan's official Petra news agency. The US has been leading an aerial campaign against the jihadists, who have seized swathes of Iraq and Syria and have imposed a brutal form of Islam in the territory. US Secretary of State John Kerry said the assault was beginning to win back territory and deprive the jihadists of key funds.

Brian Williams backs out of Letterman appearance Posted: 08 Feb 2015 03:34 PM PST NEW YORK (AP) — Embattled NBC News anchor Brian Williams is backing out of scheduled appearance on David Letterman's "Late Show" on Thursday.

Brian Williams Cancels Letterman Appearance Posted: 08 Feb 2015 03:13 PM PST The anchor is in hot water surrounding his story about a 2003 helicopter ride in Iraq.

Sec. Kerry: US-led coalition 'on the road' to defeating Islamic State Posted: 08 Feb 2015 01:36 PM PST In the wake of stepped-up airstrikes against Islamic State militants in Syria and some success in Iraq by Kurdish Peshmerga fighters, Secretary of State John Kerry says the US-led coalition is "on the road" to defeating Islamic State militants. Kerry said he "absolutely" believes the coalition is moving toward its goal of degrading and defeating the group also known as ISIS, including killing "a significant proportion" of their top leadership. "We believe everything, including the governing process in Iraq itself, is moving in the right direction," Kerry said. At a press conference Sunday, General Mansour Al-Jbour, head of the Royal Jordanian Air Force, said nearly 20 percent of the militants' capabilities have been degraded by the air attacks, including killing 7,000 of the enemy.

Video Appearing to Show Jordanian Pilot's Burning Death 'Absolutely' Backfired Against ISIS Posted: 08 Feb 2015 01:23 PM PST The ISIS video appearing to show a Jordanian pilot being burned alive "absolutely" backfired on the terror group, retired Marine Corps General John Allen told ABC News in an exclusive interview. "It will be one of these moments that created a unity of purpose and a unity of effort among the nations [of the world,]" Allen, the Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIS, said from Amman, Jordan. Allen arrived in Jordan to meet with King Abdullah and other officials after ISIS released video appearing to show Jordanian pilot Lt. Muath al-Kasabeh being burned alive while trapped in a cage. The video triggered outrage around the world and spurred Jordan to take more action against the terror group.

Kurdish Leader Doubts Obama Has an ISIS Plan Posted: 08 Feb 2015 12:35 PM PST The leader of a key U.S. ally in the fight against ISIS said in an interview that aired on Sunday that his people have seen little evidence of a strong commitment to defeat the terror group, and suggested ...

Erdogan unhappy with Turkish spy chief's resignation Posted: 08 Feb 2015 12:17 PM PST Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday he was unhappy with the decision by powerful intelligence chief Hakan Fidan to resign from his post and stand for parliament in June elections. "I do not view Hakan Fidan's candidacy positively," Erdogan said in televised comments at Istanbul airport before heading on a visit to Latin America. Erdogan said he had made his opinion on the matter clear to Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu but that the premier had the final say. Widely seen as one of Turkey's most powerful figures, Fidan served as head of the National Intelligence Agency (MIT) since 2010 and has always been regarded as one of Erdogan's closest allies.

France holds six in suspected terrorism ring: interior minister Posted: 08 Feb 2015 12:03 PM PST Six individuals suspected of belonging to a terrorist network were arrested in southern France on Sunday, the French interior minister said. In a short statement, Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said police arrested the suspects early on Sunday morning in the Toulouse and Albi regions. France is on high alert one month after the Islamist attacks in Paris, in which 17 people were killed. The arrests come five days after police broke up another suspected terrorism ring north of Paris in Saint-Seine-Denis and in the Lyon area, arresting eight people.

Yemen Briefing: Who are the Houthis, and what do they want? Posted: 08 Feb 2015 11:41 AM PST On Friday, the Shiite Houthi movement declared control over Yemen, weeks after it had seized the capital and placed the country's president under house arrest. There have been demonstrations against the takeover in many quarters of the country, and analysts worry that the takeover of the government by a movement stemming from the country's Shiite minority could lead to increased support for Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) as a protector of Sunni interests. What led to Yemen's current unrest? In 2011, inspired by the Arab Spring protests that  brought down Hosni Mubarak in Egypt and Muammar Qaddafi in Libya and sparked the bloody Syrian civil war, Saudi Arabia brokered the resignation of President Ali Abdullah Saleh in the middle of a popular uprising against his corrupt government.

Lebanon to start receiving French arms in April: Paris Posted: 08 Feb 2015 10:35 AM PST The first deliveries of Saudi-funded French weapons to help Lebanon combat jihadists will begin in April, a spokesman for Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said Sunday. Fabius confirmed the timeframe at a meeting with Lebanese Prime Minister Tammam Salam on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, Romain Nadal told reporters. The two leaders also called for more EU humanitarian assistance to Lebanon, which is hosting more than 1.1 million Syrian refugees, many living in dire conditions in makeshift camps. The EU is expected to release one billion euros in new aid to address the crises in Syria and Iraq and the threat posed by the Islamic State group, part of which is earmarked for Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey.

Spurring growth center stage as finance chiefs meet in Istanbul Posted: 08 Feb 2015 10:07 AM PST Finance ministers and central bankers face a tough task coordinating action to spur global growth at G20 meetings this week, with major economies running at different speeds and monetary policies diverging. Concern over the ability of the United States to sustain the global economy as most of the world slows will be high on the agenda as the Group of 20 leading economies hold talks in Istanbul on Monday and Tuesday. The meetings come as Greece casts a new shadow over Europe, cheap oil plays havoc with inflation and growth forecasts and a strengthening dollar threatens emerging economies. "There is a lot at stake," IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde said in a blog post on Friday.

US-led coalition squeezing Islamic militants, Kerry insists Posted: 08 Feb 2015 09:58 AM PST An international coalition battling against Islamic militants in Iraq and Syria is beginning to win back territory and deprive the jihadists of key funds, US top diplomat John Kerry said Sunday as he denounced the group's "new level of depravity". Washington has rallied more than 60 countries in the fight against the Islamic State group, and while Kerry told a global security conference it would be a long battle, he said there were signs the strategy was working.

Burning of pilot galvanized anti-Islamic State coalition: U.S. official Posted: 08 Feb 2015 09:47 AM PST Islamic State's execution of a captured Jordanian pilot by burning him alive has backfired on the militant group by galvanizing the U.S.-led coalition that is fighting it in Syria and Iraq, a senior U.S. official said on Sunday. Retired General John Allen, the U.S. special envoy for building a coalition against Islamic State, told ABC's "This Week" program that the video released last week showing the pilot's death was "a very important moment for our Arab allies within the coalition" and would create "additional unity." Muslim clerics widely condemned the burning to death of the pilot, Mouath al-Kasaesbeh, saying such a form of killing was considered despicable by Islam. Allen is in Jordan to meet with King Abdullah and other officials on the fight against the militant group, which has captured large parts of Syria and Iraq. Jordan's foreign minister, Nasser Judeh, said Islamic State is "on the run" after coalition air strikes.

France detains 6 suspected in jihadi network Posted: 08 Feb 2015 09:43 AM PST PARIS (AP) — Police detained six suspected extremists in southwest France on Sunday in the second such sweep in five days, part of an effort aimed at snuffing out networks of Muslim radicals sending fighters abroad — stepped up since January attacks in Paris.

After a decade of twists, vanishing Marine goes to trial Posted: 08 Feb 2015 09:33 AM PST RALEIGH, North Carolina (AP) — A U.S. Marine who vanished from a base in Iraq and later wound up in Lebanon is set to face trial more than a decade after the puzzling case began.

Prince Charles to tell Saudi king to halt blogger's flogging: report Posted: 08 Feb 2015 09:08 AM PST Britain's Prince Charles will intervene in the case of a jailed Saudi blogger sentenced to 1,000 lashes and urge Saudi Arabia's new king to halt the punishment, the Mail on Sunday newspaper reported. Charles embarked on a six-day tour of the Middle East this weekend beginning in Jordan and is expected to also visit Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

Brian Williams off the air. Will he ever be back? Posted: 08 Feb 2015 08:58 AM PST "Upon my return, I will continue my career-long effort to be worthy of the trust of those who place their trust in us," Mr. Williams said in a memo to colleagues Saturday. The question now is, will Williams ever be back in his capacity as the major voice and face of network news broadcasting? Speculation has begun about who might permanently replace Williams if it comes to that. For now, his anchor spot will be filled by Lester Holt, who currently anchors 'NBC Nightly News" on weekends and has filled in for Williams.

The Daily Fix: Gay Marriage Is About to Be Legal in Alabama Posted: 08 Feb 2015 08:53 AM PST On Monday, Alabama will become the 37th state to allow same-sex marriage. Gay couples will be able to apply for licenses to wed at courthouses across the state, thanks to a ruling on Jan. 23 by U.S. District Judge Callie V. Granade. She struck down the constitutional ban approved by Alabama voters on a 4-to-1 margin in 2006, reported The Associated Press. Attorney General Luther Strange requested that the U.S. Supreme Court disregard Granade's order, since a nationwide ruling on gay marriage is expected before 2015 ends.

Jordan says it launched 56 airstrikes against Islamic State Posted: 08 Feb 2015 08:43 AM PST AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — Jordan has launched 56 airstrikes against Islamic State group weapons depots, training centers and military barracks since militants released a video of them burning a Jordanian pilot to death, Jordan's air force chief said Sunday.

Blind justice? Egypt's mass trials place state security 1st Posted: 08 Feb 2015 07:19 AM PST CAIRO (AP) — If you're branded an enemy of the state in Egypt, you may never get the chance to defend yourself in a justice system racking up convictions in lop-sided mass trials.

John Kerry: ‘We are on the road’ to defeating IS Posted: 08 Feb 2015 07:15 AM PST The secretary of state says the U.S.-led coalition is "on the road" to its goal of degrading and destroying the Islamic State militant group in Iraq and Syria.

Brian Williams’ account of seeing dead body float by hotel during Katrina ‘very suspect,’ commander says Posted: 08 Feb 2015 07:14 AM PST The U.S. Army commander of the joint task force during Hurricane Katrina says Brian Williams' story about seeing a dead body float by his New Orleans hotel room during the 2005 storm is "suspect" at best.

Arab leaders bemoan lack of strategy, weapons against jihadists Posted: 08 Feb 2015 06:47 AM PST By Shadia Nasralla MUNICH (Reuters) - Arab leaders bemoaned what they called a lack of strategy and weapons in the fight against jihadists like Islamic State (IS) at a security conference attended by Western leaders in Munich on Sunday. IS fighters have brought large areas in Syria and Iraq under their control, using extreme violence against civilians, journalists and Arab and Kurdish soldiers. U.S.-led air strikes and arms deliveries from Western countries to Kurdish fighters have helped contain IS expansion into Kurdish territory in northern Iraq. I don't see it... Unless the air strikes is a strategy.

Tunisia arrests 32 suspected of plotting attacks Posted: 08 Feb 2015 06:23 AM PST TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — Tunisian authorities have arrested 32 extremists and thwarted an ambitious plot to attack civilian and military sites around the country, including the Interior Ministry.

Prince Charles tours camp for Syrian refugees; UK raises aid Posted: 08 Feb 2015 05:30 AM PST AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — Prince Charles has toured a sprawling camp for Syrian refugees in Jordan, chatting with residents and sampling tea and bread on a walk down the main road.

Iran's Khamenei hints ready to accept fair nuclear deal as talks proceed Posted: 08 Feb 2015 05:19 AM PST By Mehrdad Balali and Shadia Nasralla DUBAI/MUNICH (Reuters) - Iran's paramount leader suggested on Sunday he could back a fair nuclear accord with world powers in which neither side got everything it wanted, boosting Iranian negotiators under fire from hardliners at home opposed to rapprochement with the West. No agreement is better than an agreement which runs contrary to our nation's interests," clerical Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a statement issued by his office carried by ISNA news agency. "This means that one side would not end up getting all it wants," said Khamenei, in office since 1989 and long known for his rejectionist stances against detente with the West until he cleared Rouhani to try to end the long-running nuclear dispute with the West, which has cost Iran international isolation.

The Perverted, Powerful Logic Behind ISIS's Burned Pilot Posted: 08 Feb 2015 03:30 AM PST In 1977, The Washington Post leaked that the late king Hussein of Jordan was on the payroll of the CIA, solidifying Jordan's status as a target for radical Islamists. Jordan's participation in the 2014 air campaign was crucial, not only because of its tactical aircraft raids, but because the Jordanian intelligence service is one of the most vital sources about potential targets of the raids. Jordan acquired this intelligence after years of working with the Syrian rebels since 2011. For ISIS decision makers, such as the emirate council headed by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the decision to kill al-Kaseasbah involved clear pros and cons.

Japan seizes passport of journalist trying to visit Syria: reports Posted: 08 Feb 2015 12:15 AM PST Japan has seized the passport of a journalist planning to travel to Syria following the brutal killing of two Japanese hostages by the Islamic State group there, local media said Sunday. They said the foreign ministry on Saturday confiscated the passport of Yuichi Sugimoto, a freelance photographer who had planned to enter Syria on February 27 to cover refugee camps among other places.

Brian Williams taking himself off air temporarily Posted: 08 Feb 2015 12:05 AM PST LOS ANGELES (AP) — Brian Williams said he is temporarily stepping away from the "NBC Nightly News" amid questions about his memories of war coverage in Iraq, calling it "painfully apparent" that he has become a distracting news story.

Inarritu wins top Directors Guild Award for 'Birdman' Posted: 08 Feb 2015 12:01 AM PST By Mary Milliken LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Mexican filmmaker Alejandro G. Inarritu won the top Directors Guild Award on Saturday for "Birdman," his satirical take on show business, raising his and his film's chances for Oscars in two weeks. The Directors Guild of America's award for feature film director has correctly predicted the best director Academy Award for 10 of the past 11 years. Inarritu thanked the room of Hollywood directors for backing the risky film, which stars Michael Keaton as a washed up, former superhero actor trying to make an improbable comeback with his own Broadway play. "If this is considered a great film, it has nothing to do with me, it is a miracle," Inarritu said alongside last year's DGA winner, fellow Mexican Alfonso Cuaron.

Trial comes for Marine accused of killing 'American Sniper' Posted: 07 Feb 2015 07:45 PM PST STEPHENVILLE, Texas (AP) — Eddie Ray Routh had been talking crazy for a while. So when he showed up on his sister's doorstep one afternoon two Februarys ago and claimed to have shot two men, she didn't know what to think.

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