Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• Obama faces tough sell to get new war powers to fight IS
• Jury seated for trial over 'American Sniper' death
• Debate brews over whether Williams can survive controversy
• Illinois woman accused of aiding extremists appears in court
• NBC's Brian Williams says he 'assumed' helicopter took damage
• Obama readying request to use force against Islamic State
• Bush: Staffer's tweets inappropriate, but aide to remain
• Marine facing trial a decade after vanishing in Iraq
• Nigeria vows no more vote delays despite new Boko Haram threats
• How Far Will GOP Presidential Hopefuls Go to Destroy ISIS?
• NBC's Williams says didn't intentionally misstate Iraq War claims
• Trial begins for U.S. Marine accused of twice deserting to Lebanon
• Syria Kurds target new border town after retaking Kobane
• Obama to seek new authority for Islamic State fight by Wednesday -congressional aides
• Afghan officials: Drone strike kills Islamic State recruiter
• Bahrain ready to back Jordan fight against IS
• Kurds recapture ground from IS north of Mosul: US
• U.S. welcomes UAE decision to base fighter jets in Jordan
• Bush set to release e-book, emails ahead of likely '16 bid
• ABC beats Brian Williams' newscast in ratings Friday
• EU aims to disrupt networks of jihadis going to Middle East
• AP Interview: Iraq official appeals for more aid to fight IS
• Putin in Egypt in bid to expand Russian influence
• Iraq ground offensive looms as Baghdad bomb kills 14
• Mayor Giuliani, Gen. Shelton in Phoenix for Conference on Countering Islamic Fundamentalism, Nuclear-armed Iran
• 'American Sniper' Texas murder trial nears as jurors' screening completed
• Syria rejects foreign ground troops to fight IS
• Rape, acid attacks, kidnap: girls face rising violence in fight for education -UN
• Senior Afghan militant with suspected IS links 'killed in drone attack'
• Rape, acid attacks, kidnap: girls face rising violence in fight for education - U.N.
• Islamic State pulls forces and hardware from Syria's Aleppo: rebels
• Suicide attack, bombing kill at least 22 in Iraq's capital
• U.S., partners conduct nine air strikes in Iraq, Syria: U.S. military
• Prophet's grandson Hussein honored on grounds of Israeli hospital
• Iraqi commander denies paramilitary groups involved in killings
• Two bombs in Baghdad kill 15 civilians: sources
• Jordan's Foreign Minister Says 'This Is Our War' Against ISIS
• Sydney cafe siege inspired by IS 'death cult': PM

Obama faces tough sell to get new war powers to fight IS Posted: 09 Feb 2015 04:38 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — In seeking new war powers to fight the Islamic State group, the White House must reconcile demands from Democrats who don't want another ground war with the concerns of Republicans who want that option left open, congressional officials said Monday.

Jury seated for trial over 'American Sniper' death Posted: 09 Feb 2015 04:25 PM PST STEPHENVILLE, Texas (AP) — A jury was seated Monday in the trial of a man charged with killing the former Navy SEAL depicted in the Oscar-nominated movie "American Sniper," after extra efforts to keep publicity about the case and the movie from preventing a fair trial.

Debate brews over whether Williams can survive controversy Posted: 09 Feb 2015 04:17 PM PST NEW YORK (AP) — A vigorous debate over Brian Williams' future is brewing as "NBC Nightly News" aired Monday without the decade-long anchor.

Illinois woman accused of aiding extremists appears in court Posted: 09 Feb 2015 04:05 PM PST CHICAGO (AP) — A prosecutor told a federal judge Monday that a suburban Chicago mother of four accused of sending money and military equipment to militant groups in Syria and Iraq poses a danger to the community and is a flight risk, so should remain in custody.

NBC's Brian Williams says he 'assumed' helicopter took damage Posted: 09 Feb 2015 04:05 PM PST NBC News anchor Brian Williams struggled to explain in an interview with U.S. military newspaper Stars and Stripes how he often misrepresented an Iraq war story of his helicopter coming under fire. In his first published interview, Williams, the anchor of top-rated "NBC Nightly News," said he assumed the helicopter took damage. Williams took himself off the air on Saturday as the Comcast Corp-owned network investigates his claims that he rode in a helicopter that was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade during the first days of the Iraq War in 2003. "It's very basic I would not have chosen to make this mistake," Williams told the newspaper on Feb 4.

Obama readying request to use force against Islamic State Posted: 09 Feb 2015 04:01 PM PST By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House will ask Congress by Wednesday for new authority to use force against Islamic State fighters, congressional aides said on Monday, paving the way for lawmakers' first vote on the scope of a campaign that is already six months old. The United States is leading an international coalition against Islamic State, and President Barack Obama launched an air campaign in August against the militant fighters, who have killed thousands of people while seizing swaths of territory in Iraq and Syria. The administration's failure so far to seek a formal Authorization to Use Military Force for the campaign has caused some members of Congress to express concern that it overstepped the president's constitutional authority. Others have said that lawmakers should weigh in on an issue as important as the use of military force.

Bush: Staffer's tweets inappropriate, but aide to remain Posted: 09 Feb 2015 03:34 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush on Monday decried messages posted to Twitter by a top technology aide as "inappropriate," but a spokeswoman said the recent hire would remain with Bush's nascent presidential campaign.

Marine facing trial a decade after vanishing in Iraq Posted: 09 Feb 2015 02:25 PM PST CAMP LEJEUNE, North Carolina (AP) — A U.S. Marine who vanished from his post in Iraq a decade ago and later wound up in Lebanon chose Monday to have his case decided by a military judge instead of a jury.

Nigeria vows no more vote delays despite new Boko Haram threats Posted: 09 Feb 2015 01:36 PM PST Nigeria insisted Monday it will crush Boko Haram militants and avoid another election postponement, even as violence raged and the Islamists' leader vowed to defeat a regional force hunting them. National Security Advisor Sambo Dasuki's comments came as Boko Haram launched another attack in neighbouring Niger and reports emerged of 20 people kidnapped in Cameroon, with 12 of them executed. Dasuki, who at the weekend secured a six-week delay to Nigeria's presidential elections, said "all known Boko Haram camps will be taken out" by the time of the rescheduled vote. Nigeria has previously set deadlines to defeat the insurgents that have come and gone.

How Far Will GOP Presidential Hopefuls Go to Destroy ISIS? Posted: 09 Feb 2015 01:15 PM PST Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina,  a likely candidate for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination, thinks President Obama should have the flexibility to deploy as many as 10,000 allied ground troops in Iraq and Syria if need be in the war against ISIS. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, another presidential aspirant, favors strict limits and a timetable for the U.S. effort against the jihadist terrorists. As Obama prepares to submit a proposal this week for a revision in his war powers to pursue his military objectives in the Middle East, Graham and Paul define the range of views among GOP senators eying a presidential bid on how far the Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) should go.

NBC's Williams says didn't intentionally misstate Iraq War claims Posted: 09 Feb 2015 01:08 PM PST (Reuters) - NBC News anchor Brian Williams said he did not intentionally misrepresent a harrowing experience of the Iraq War, speaking to U.S. military newspaper Stars and Stripes in his first published interview since NBC launched an inquiry into his reporting. Williams, the anchor of top-rated "NBC Nightly News," took himself off the air on Saturday as the Comcast Corp-owned network investigates his claims that he rode in a helicopter that was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade during the first days of the Iraq War in 2003. "It's very basic I would not have chosen to make this mistake," Williams told the newspaper on Feb 4. Stars and Stripes first reported on a number of soldiers who disputed the claims, saying Williams was not on or anywhere near the helicopter that was hit.

Trial begins for U.S. Marine accused of twice deserting to Lebanon Posted: 09 Feb 2015 12:14 PM PST (Reuters) - The U.S. military on Monday began the court-martial of a Lebanese-born Marine who is accused of deserting the military in Iraq in 2004 before turning up in Lebanon claiming to have been kidnapped and then deserting again the following year. Corporal Wassef Hassoun, 35, is being tried at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina on charges of desertion, destruction of government property and larceny, according to the Marine Corps. The Marine Corps said Hassoun first deserted the military in June 2004, when he vanished from his base in Iraq. He reappeared a month later in Lebanon and claimed that he had been kidnapped by militants, the military said.

Syria Kurds target new border town after retaking Kobane Posted: 09 Feb 2015 12:13 PM PST Syrian Kurdish forces have set their sights on taking back from jihadists Tal Abyad, another strategic town on the border with Turkey, after recapturing Kobane, a monitor said Monday. Tal Abyad, located about 65 kilometres (40 miles) east of Kobane, is an Arab and Kurd town in the Syrian province of Raqa used by jihadists of the Islamic State group to cross into Turkey. The Sunni extremist IS seized Tal Abyad from Kurdish and rebel combatants who have been fighting to oust the regime of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad since 2011.

Obama to seek new authority for Islamic State fight by Wednesday -congressional aides Posted: 09 Feb 2015 12:02 PM PST The White House will ask Congress for new authority to use force against Islamic State fighters by Wednesday, congressional aides said on Monday. The United States is leading an international coalition against Islamic State, and President Barack Obama launched an air campaign in August against IS fighters in Iraq and Syria. The delay has caused some members of Congress to express concern that the campaign against the militant group overstepped the president's constitutional authority.

Afghan officials: Drone strike kills Islamic State recruiter Posted: 09 Feb 2015 11:19 AM PST KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The top recruiter for the Islamic State group's affiliate in Afghanistan was killed by a drone strike Monday, local officials said, marking the first such attack on the extremist group in a volatile country where it has a small but growing following.

Bahrain ready to back Jordan fight against IS Posted: 09 Feb 2015 11:11 AM PST Bahrain's ruler has told his Jordanian counterpart that he is ready to assist the kingdom in its fight against the Islamic State group, the royal palace in Amman said Monday. King Hamad of Bahrain, quoted in a palace statement, told King Abdullah II that he was "proud to provide all the help Jordan needs to combat terrorism and protect Islam from Daesh (IS)". Talks between the two monarchs in Amman on Monday focused on reinforcing military cooperation between their countries, notably their air forces, the statement said.

Kurds recapture ground from IS north of Mosul: US Posted: 09 Feb 2015 11:01 AM PST Kurdish forces backed up by US-led air strikes have recaptured territory from Islamic State jihadists near the strategic city of Mosul in northern Iraq, the American military said Monday. The advance is the latest push by Kurdish forces around Mosul, considered a crucial battleground for an eventual major counteroffensive against the IS group by Iraqi government troops and the Kurds. "Security forces from the Kurdish region seized three bridgeheads on the west bank of the Tigris River, north of Mosul in formerly held Daesh (IS) areas," the US military command overseeing the air war said in a statement.

U.S. welcomes UAE decision to base fighter jets in Jordan Posted: 09 Feb 2015 11:00 AM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States welcomes a decision by the United Arab Emirates to base its F-16 fighter jets in Jordan for operations against Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria, a U.S. State Department spokeswoman said on Monday. The UAE had suspended flights as part of the U.S.-led coalition conducting air strikes against Islamic State in view of concerns about search and rescue capabilities after a Jordanian pilot was downed and captured. UAE fighters would now join raids from inside Jordan, a Jordanian army source said on Saturday. ...

Bush set to release e-book, emails ahead of likely '16 bid Posted: 09 Feb 2015 10:07 AM PST Declaring a singular focus on a potential White House bid, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush is ready to release thousands of emails and the first chapter of a related e-book intended to highlight what he calls ...

ABC beats Brian Williams' newscast in ratings Friday Posted: 09 Feb 2015 10:01 AM PST Brian Williams' nightly newscast on NBC was beaten soundly in the ratings by ABC's "World News Tonight" on Friday, two days after Williams apologized for telling a false story about being in ...

EU aims to disrupt networks of jihadis going to Middle East Posted: 09 Feb 2015 09:59 AM PST BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union is launching a program with countries in North Africa, the Middle East and the Balkans to disrupt the networks of jihadis heading to Syria and Iraq.

AP Interview: Iraq official appeals for more aid to fight IS Posted: 09 Feb 2015 09:45 AM PST DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The U.S.-led coalition helping Iraq push back Islamic State group militants is not doing enough to match the scale of the threat, a senior Iraqi official said Monday as he called for increased firepower to defeat the extremists.

Putin in Egypt in bid to expand Russian influence Posted: 09 Feb 2015 09:39 AM PST President Vladimir Putin arrived on Monday in Egypt as Russia seeks to expand its reach in the Arab world's most populous country at a time when Cairo-Washington ties remain frayed. Putin's first visit to Egypt in a decade comes after a 2011 popular uprising that ousted ex-strongman Hosni Mubarak, whom he leader met on his previous trip in 2005. President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi welcomed Putin on arrival at Cairo's international airport where the two leaders held talks for half an hour, officials said. Putin is a key non-Arab backer of Sisi, who faces harsh US criticism for his deadly crackdown on dissent since Islamist leader Mohamed Morsi was ousted by the then army chief in July 2013.

Iraq ground offensive looms as Baghdad bomb kills 14 Posted: 09 Feb 2015 09:15 AM PST A top US envoy said Iraqi troops would launch a major ground offensive against the Islamic State group in the coming weeks, as a suicide bomber killed 14 people in Baghdad Monday. IS spearheaded an offensive that swept through large areas north and west of Baghdad last June, and Iraqi forces are battling to regain ground with support from US-led air strikes. "When the Iraqi forces begin the ground campaign to take back Iraq, the coalition will provide major firepower associated with that," he told Jordan's official Petra news agency. Iraqi forces have already carried out operations near Baghdad and in Diyala and Salaheddin provinces north of the capital.

Mayor Giuliani, Gen. Shelton in Phoenix for Conference on Countering Islamic Fundamentalism, Nuclear-armed Iran Posted: 09 Feb 2015 09:00 AM PST PHOENIX, Feb. 9, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Mayor Rudy Giuliani and General Hugh Shelton, 14th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will be joined by Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich, at a symposium Friday, February 13, 2015, from 3:30 to 5:30 pm at the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Hotel to discuss ways to counter Islamic Fundamentalism and prevent the Iranian regime from obtaining nuclear weapons.  Former White House Director of Public Liaison, Linda Chavez will moderate the event, which is being organized by the Iranian American Community of Arizona. ...

'American Sniper' Texas murder trial nears as jurors' screening completed Posted: 09 Feb 2015 08:03 AM PST By Jon Herskovitz AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - Final jury selection began on Monday in a Texas court for the trial of the U.S. veteran accused of fatally shooting former Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, whose best-selling autobiography was turned into the hit movie "American Sniper." The screening of about 800 potential jurors began last week in a court in rural Erath County for the trial of Eddie Ray Routh, 27, charged with murdering Kyle and his friend Chad Littlefield in 2013 at a shooting range about 70 miles (110 km) southwest of Fort Worth. "American Sniper," directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Bradley Cooper, has grossed more than $282 million since opening in mid-January and has been nominated for six Academy Awards, including best picture.

Syria rejects foreign ground troops to fight IS Posted: 09 Feb 2015 07:53 AM PST Syria will not allow foreign ground troops on its territory to fight the Islamic State group, Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem said on Monday. Speaking at a news conference in Damascus, Muallem also said Jordan had not responded to a Syrian request to coordinate efforts against IS after the group killed a captured Jordanian pilot. "So far, there is no coordination between Syria and Jordan in the fight against terrorism," Muallem said at the joint news conference with Belarus Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei.

Rape, acid attacks, kidnap: girls face rising violence in fight for education -UN Posted: 09 Feb 2015 07:28 AM PST High-profile attacks such as the abduction 300 schoolgirls by Boko Haram in Nigeria and the shooting of Malala Yousafzai in Pakistan are a fraction of what is suffered by girls trying to get an education, the U.N. human rights office said on Monday. Many of the attacks are done in the name of religion or culture, while others are gang-related, notably in El Salvador and other parts of Central America, Veronica Birga, chief of the women's human rights and gender section at the U.N. human rights office, said at a presentation to launch the report. Such violence is on the rise, the U.N. report said, citing acid attacks and poisoning by the Taliban in Pakistan and Afghanistan, girls from a Christian school in India abducted and raped in 2013, and Somali girls taken out of school and forced to marry al Shabaab fighters in 2010.

Senior Afghan militant with suspected IS links 'killed in drone attack' Posted: 09 Feb 2015 07:21 AM PST By Mohammad Stanekzai LASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan (Reuters) - A missile-firing drone killed at least six in Afghanistan on Monday including a veteran militant believed to have defected to Islamic State (IS) from the Taliban, Afghan officials said. The senior militant, former Guantanamo Bay detainee Mullah Abdul Rauf, was killed in violence-plagued Helmand, officials in the southern province said. Provincial police chief Nabi Jan Mullahkhel said Rauf was traveling in a car when the drone attacked. The United States operates drones over Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan.

Rape, acid attacks, kidnap: girls face rising violence in fight for education - U.N. Posted: 09 Feb 2015 07:20 AM PST High-profile attacks such as the abduction 300 schoolgirls by Boko Haram in Nigeria and the shooting of Malala Yousafzai in Pakistan are a fraction of what is suffered by girls trying to get an education, the U.N. human rights office said on Monday. Many of the attacks are done in the name of religion or culture, while others are gang-related, notably in El Salvador and other parts of Central America, Veronica Birga, chief of the women's human rights and gender section at the U.N. human rights office, said at a presentation to launch the report. Such violence is on the rise, the U.N. report said, citing acid attacks and poisoning by the Taliban in Pakistan and Afghanistan, girls from a Christian school in India abducted and raped in 2013, and Somali girls taken out of school and forced to marry al Shabaab fighters in 2010.

Islamic State pulls forces and hardware from Syria's Aleppo: rebels Posted: 09 Feb 2015 06:42 AM PST By Suleiman Al-Khalidi AMMAN (Reuters) - Islamic State has withdrawn some of its insurgents and equipment from areas northeast of the Syrian city of Aleppo, rebels and residents say, adding to signs of strain in the Syrian provinces of its self-declared caliphate. The group, which has recently lost ground to Kurdish and Syrian government forces elsewhere in Syria, has pulled fighters and hardware from several villages in areas northeast of Aleppo, they said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which tracks the war using a network of sources on the ground, said Islamic State had redeployed forces from Aleppo province to join battles further east with Kurdish forces and mainstream rebel groups. Islamic State-held areas northeast of Aleppo mark the western edge of a domain that expanded rapidly in Syria and Iraq last year after the jihadists seized the Iraqi city of Mosul.

Suicide attack, bombing kill at least 22 in Iraq's capital Posted: 09 Feb 2015 05:22 AM PST BAGHDAD (AP) — Attacks in Baghdad killed at least 22 people and wounded dozens on Monday, just days after the government lifted a nighttime curfew that had been in place in the Iraqi capital for over a decade.

U.S., partners conduct nine air strikes in Iraq, Syria: U.S. military Posted: 09 Feb 2015 04:52 AM PST U.S. and partner nations conducted three air strikes in Syria and six in Iraq since Sunday in their battle against Islamic State, according to the U.S. military. The strikes in Iraq hit a tactical unit and destroyed an Islamic State building and heavy machine gun near Mosul, the Combined Joint Task Force said in a statement on Monday. The air strikes in Syria hit near Kobani, Dayr az Zawr and ar Raqqa, destroying five vehicles and hitting a tactical unit, the statement said.

Prophet's grandson Hussein honored on grounds of Israeli hospital Posted: 09 Feb 2015 04:41 AM PST By Rami Amichay ASHKELON, Israel (Reuters) - About 50 Shi'ite Muslim pilgrims settle down to chant and prostrate themselves in worship near an ancient tomb. Not an unusual scene in the Middle East, but this shrine is located on the grounds of an Israeli hospital known mainly for treating the casualties of conflict in the nearby Gaza Strip. The Barzilai Medical Center in the coastal town of Ashkelon is home to a tomb where, in the view of some Shi'ite Muslims, the head of Hussein ibn Ali, grandson of the Prophet Mohammed, lay interred for centuries following his death in battle. "We pray, first of all, to respect the head of Hussein because he was martyred," the worshippers' leader, Sheikh Moiz Tarmal, told Reuters.

Iraqi commander denies paramilitary groups involved in killings Posted: 09 Feb 2015 04:00 AM PST By Ned Parker and Stephen Kalin BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi lawmaker and paramilitary commander Hadi al-Amiri defended Shi'ite fighters at the forefront of the battle against Islamic State from accusations of mass executions and burning homes, and urged the United States to upgrade Iraq's military capabilities. Amiri, one of Iraq's most powerful men, told Reuters in an interview over the weekend nobody from pro-government paramilitary groups had set foot in the village of Barwanah where the worst of the atrocities is alleged. Amiri, who heads the Badr Organization, a political movement with an armed wing, is tasked with Diyala's security file, giving him control of army and police there in addition to the government-run Hashid Shaabi, or popular mobilization committee, which includes paramilitary groups and volunteers. He has led the campaign against Islamic State in other parts of the country as well, answering directly to the prime minister.

Two bombs in Baghdad kill 15 civilians: sources Posted: 09 Feb 2015 12:42 AM PST At least 15 people were killed in two bombings in and around Baghdad on Monday, police and medical sources said, the latest in a string of deadly attacks to hit the Iraqi capital in the last two weeks. A suicide bombing at a security checkpoint in the Shi'ite neighborhood of Kadhimiya killed 13 civilians and wounded more than 30 others, the sources said. Two people were later killed when a bomb went off on a main street in a northern suburb, police and medical sources said. At least 37 people were killed in a wave of bombings on Saturday.

Jordan's Foreign Minister Says 'This Is Our War' Against ISIS Posted: 08 Feb 2015 07:10 PM PST Jordan's foreign minister said today his government wants to send the message that America's Arab allies are not pursuing the U.S.'s goals in the battle against ISIS, but instead have their own reasons to battle the group's advance. "This is not the West's fight and we are joining it," the foreign minister continued.

Sydney cafe siege inspired by IS 'death cult': PM Posted: 08 Feb 2015 06:38 PM PST A cafe siege by a lone gunman in Sydney in which two hostages were killed was inspired by the Islamic State "death cult", Prime Minister Tony Abbott declared Monday as he offered condolences in parliament. Iranian-born Man Haron Monis, a self-styled cleric with a history of extremist views, took 17 people hostage at the Lindt chocolate cafe in the city's business hub on December 15. The stand-off came to an end some 16 hours later after Monis shot dead cafe manager Tori Johnson, 34, prompting police to storm the building and kill him. Barrister and mother-of-three Katrina Dawson, 38, died in the crossfire.

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