Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• 'American Sniper' suspect told cop he took 'couple of souls'
• US House leader: Obama force proposal needs toughening
• Islamic State fighters seize parts of western Iraqi town: officials
• Report: Rise of lone wolf domestic terrorists is ‘dangerous situation’
• Boehner says Obama military force proposal needs toughening
• Turkey's Erdogan chides Obama for silence on Chapel Hill Muslim murders
• Lawsuit against Union Pacific over deadly Texas collision dismissed
• Body of 'American Sniper' Kyle surrounded by weapons, Ranger testifies
• North Carolina Muslims call for calm as students buried
• EU leaders agree on new anti-terror measures
• France: Egypt 1st foreign buyer of French Rafale fighters
• New Pentagon chief could collide with White House
• Oscar race is all about timing (except when it's not)
• France clinches first foreign sale of Rafale jets with Egypt contract
• Jordan's air force resumes raids against Islamic State
• Carter Confirmed Quickly As War Power Plans Stumble
• As sign-up deadline nears, a new risk for Obama health law
• US commander wants flexibility in Afghanistan troop drawdown
• CBS' Bob Simon remembered as master storyteller
• Amid shock over murder of Muslim-Americans, a counter to creeping Islamophobia
• Attorneys spar as trial begins for Marine who disappeared
• Obama signs veterans suicide prevention bill
• US official: US was surprised by collapse of Yemen govt
• Bradley Cooper favored for best actor: Reuters/Ipsos Oscar poll
• Al Jazeera's reporters may go free, but a muzzled press in Egypt is here to stay
• Senate confirms Obama's pick for Pentagon chief
• Appeals court to hold hearing on Tsarnaev bid to move trial
• Islamic State says it's holding 'Israeli spy' in Syria
• UN adopts resolution to crack down on terrorist financing
• Islamic State fighters seize western Iraqi town: officials
• U.S. commander in Afghanistan offers drawdown options
• Will NBC ever let Brian Williams return?
• After years in limbo, 'Bosch' comes to life as Amazon series
• In Mideast and Europe, a bad year for press freedom, watchdog finds
• The Slap Aims for Searing Yuppie Drama, but Misses Its Mark
• CBS '60 Minutes' correspondent Bob Simon dies in car crash
• UN takes aim at Islamic State financing from oil, antiquities
• Ancient tablets displayed in Jerusalem fuel looting debate
• U.N. urges Europe to start major migrant rescue mission in Mediterranean

'American Sniper' suspect told cop he took 'couple of souls' Posted: 12 Feb 2015 04:36 PM PST STEPHENVILLE, Texas (AP) — A police officer told a Texas jury Thursday that a former Marine charged in the deaths of two men, including "American Sniper" author Chris Kyle, told him he had "taken a couple of souls" and had more to take.

US House leader: Obama force proposal needs toughening Posted: 12 Feb 2015 04:35 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. congressional Republicans vowed Thursday to toughen President Barack Obama's day-old legislation to authorize military force against Islamic State fighters, and House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi warned, "It's going to be hard" to find common ground.

Islamic State fighters seize parts of western Iraqi town: officials Posted: 12 Feb 2015 04:31 PM PST Islamic State insurgents took control on Thursday of large parts of the western Iraqi town of al-Baghdadi, threatening an air base where U.S. Marines are training Iraqi troops, officials said. Al-Baghdadi, about 85 km (50 miles) northwest of Ramadi in Anbar province, has been besieged for months by the radical Sunni Islamist militants who captured vast swathes of northern and western Iraq last year. Militants attacked al-Baghdadi from two directions earlier in the day and then advanced on the town, intelligence sources and officials in the Jazeera and Badiya operations commands said.

Report: Rise of lone wolf domestic terrorists is ‘dangerous situation’ Posted: 12 Feb 2015 04:29 PM PST As U.S. officials scramble to suppress the pace of foreign fighters flocking to join extremists in Syria and Iraq, a national watchdog group is imploring the federal government not to overlook terror threats at home. According to a study released Thursday by the Southern Poverty Law Center — a nonprofit organization that tracks hate activity — on average, a terrorist attack or foiled encounter took place every 34 days in the United States from April 1, 2009 through Feb. 1, 2015.

Boehner says Obama military force proposal needs toughening Posted: 12 Feb 2015 04:20 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — Congressional Republicans vowed Thursday to toughen President Barack Obama's day-old legislation to authorize military force against Islamic State fighters, and House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi warned, "It's going to be hard" to find common ground.

Turkey's Erdogan chides Obama for silence on Chapel Hill Muslim murders Posted: 12 Feb 2015 04:15 PM PST By Alberto Fajardo MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday criticized U.S. President Barack Obama for his silence following the killings of three young Muslims in North Carolina this week, in the latest sign relations between the two leaders have become strained. Speaking alongside Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto during a state visit to Latin America's No. 2 economy, Erdogan said the silence of Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State John Kerry was "telling" and they should take a position following such acts. The three Muslims were shot dead on Tuesday near the University of North Carolina campus in an incident police said was possibly a hate crime. Newlywed Deah Barakat, 23, a University of North Carolina dental student, his wife Yusor Abu-Salha, 21, and her sister, Razan Abu-Salha, 19, a student at North Carolina State University, were gunned down on Tuesday in a condominium about two miles (three km) from the UNC campus in Chapel Hill.

Lawsuit against Union Pacific over deadly Texas collision dismissed Posted: 12 Feb 2015 04:04 PM PST A Texas judge has dismissed a lawsuit against Union Pacific Corp brought in connection with a 2012 collision between a freight train and a parade float that killed four veterans in Texas. At least 14 people were also injured when the Union Pacific train slammed into a parade float pulled by a truck in Midland, Texas, in November 2012 at the start of a weekend of festivities to honor veterans wounded in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Judge James Rush ruled in a written judgment entered on Tuesday that the plaintiffs showed no evidence the train's crew could have avoided the collision as the parade float crossed the railroad tracks while the warning lights were flashing. "It is consistent with the earlier findings of the National Transportation Safety Board and it confirms that Union Pacific operated within federal laws governing railroads," DeGraff said in a statement.

Body of 'American Sniper' Kyle surrounded by weapons, Ranger testifies Posted: 12 Feb 2015 03:49 PM PST By Jon Herskovitz STEPHENVILLE, Texas (Reuters) - The former Navy SEAL whose best-selling autobiography was turned into the hit movie "American Sniper" was found dead at a rural Texas shooting range, the only loaded weapon within reach a 1911-style semiautomatic pistol, a Texas Ranger told a court on Thursday. Former U.S. Marine Eddie Ray Routh, 27, is on trial for murdering Chris Kyle and friend and neighbor, Chad Littlefield, in February 2013 at a shooting range about 70 miles (110 km) southwest of Fort Worth. Kyle and Littlefield had been shot multiple times, with two guns. "The only weapons on the scene that were loaded were two 1911-style handguns," Texas Ranger Michael Adcock told the court in rural Erath County.

North Carolina Muslims call for calm as students buried Posted: 12 Feb 2015 03:17 PM PST The families of three Muslim students shot dead by a white neighbor said an emotional farewell to their loved ones Thursday, reiterating calls for the killings to be treated as a hate crime. More than 5,000 people gathered for the funeral of Deah Shaddy Barakat, 23, his wife Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha, 21, and her 19-year-old sister Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha, who authorities say were killed by a neighbor. The alleged shooter, Craig Stephen Hicks, 46, was believed to be strongly opposed to religion, as his Facebook page showed dozens of anti-religious posts, including proclamations denouncing Christianity, Mormonism and Islam. "We are definitely certain that our daughters were targeted for their religion," the father of the sisters, Mohammad Abu-Salha, told AFP.

EU leaders agree on new anti-terror measures Posted: 12 Feb 2015 02:52 PM PST BRUSSELS (AP) — Spurred to action by last month's terror attacks in France, European Union leaders agreed Thursday on an ambitious range of new steps to better protect their countries from terrorism.

France: Egypt 1st foreign buyer of French Rafale fighters Posted: 12 Feb 2015 02:46 PM PST PARIS (AP) — Egypt will become the first foreign buyer of Rafale fighter jets, French officials said Thursday, purchasing 24 of the multi-role French-made aircraft as part of a 5.2 billion-euro (US$5.93 billion) defense deal that will strengthen Cairo's military might in a tense and violent region.

New Pentagon chief could collide with White House Posted: 12 Feb 2015 02:28 PM PST Ashton Carter, a hard-charging intellectual known for blunt talk, was confirmed as US defense secretary Thursday, and he could soon find himself at odds with a White House that clashed with previous Pentagon chiefs. The Senate -- by a vote of 93 to five -- overwhelmingly approved Carter, an accomplished defense technocrat with degrees in Medieval history and theoretical physics. His comments provoked a quick response from a White House known for its penchant for exerting tight control. Carter has gained a reputation as a bona-fide expert on hi-tech weapons and defense budgets, portraying himself as a reformer determined to shake up the Pentagon's vast bureaucracy.

Oscar race is all about timing (except when it's not) Posted: 12 Feb 2015 02:19 PM PST NEW YORK (AP) — Timing is everything in the Oscar race. Except when it's not.

France clinches first foreign sale of Rafale jets with Egypt contract Posted: 12 Feb 2015 02:14 PM PST France announced Thursday it will sell 24 Rafale fighters plus a frigate to Egypt in a 5.2 billion euro ($5.9 billion) deal that marks the first foreign contract for the multi-role combat jet. French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian will travel to Cairo on Monday to sign the contact with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, a ministry source told AFP. "The Rafale fighter jet has won its first export contract," French President Francois Hollande said in a statement issued by his office. I have asked the defence minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, to sign on behalf of France," he added.

Jordan's air force resumes raids against Islamic State Posted: 12 Feb 2015 02:05 PM PST By Suleiman Al-Khalidi AMMAN (Reuters) - Jordanian air force jets bombed the hideouts of Islamic State militants in Syria on Thursday, state television said, resuming the intensified raids that it first launched last week in retaliation for the killing of a pilot. King Abdullah has vowed to avenge the burning to death of pilot Mouath al-Kasaesbeh by Islamic State and has ordered his commanders to prepare for a bigger military role in the U.S.-led coalition fighting the militants in both Syria and Iraq. "Daesh" is a derogative term for the militants. The raids are the first the Jordanian military have announced since three straight days of aerial bombing that ended last Saturday.

Carter Confirmed Quickly As War Power Plans Stumble Posted: 12 Feb 2015 02:00 PM PST The Senate on Thursday overwhelmingly approved Carter to succeed Chuck Hagel, putting in place a seasoned Pentagon veteran amid mounting military crises across the globe.

As sign-up deadline nears, a new risk for Obama health law Posted: 12 Feb 2015 01:56 PM PST Thousands of people signing up for health insurance this weekend may not realize it, but their coverage under President Barack Obama's law could be short-lived. The 2015 enrollment season, which ends Sunday, ...

US commander wants flexibility in Afghanistan troop drawdown Posted: 12 Feb 2015 01:56 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — The top U.S. military commander for Afghanistan told senators Thursday that he has asked for greater flexibility in how quickly he pulls troops out of Afghanistan and where he can position them around the country in the coming months.

CBS' Bob Simon remembered as master storyteller Posted: 12 Feb 2015 01:51 PM PST NEW YORK (AP) — Bob Simon was kidnapped in Iraq, beaten in Belfast and held at gunpoint in Romania during a nearly 50-year career at CBS News. His bravery made the mundane way he died — in the back seat of a car on Manhattan's West Side Highway Wednesday night — seem all the more tragic.

Amid shock over murder of Muslim-Americans, a counter to creeping Islamophobia Posted: 12 Feb 2015 01:46 PM PST The point-blank shootings of three young Muslim-Americans in Chapel Hill, N.C., come at a tense time for America's seven-million-strong Muslim population. The family of Deah Shaddy Barakat, Yosor Mohammad, and Raszan Mohammad Abu-Salha say it was an anti-Muslim hate crime. The incident, however, comes as the rise of the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq – and the group's campaign of beheadings – has made many Americans feel that the threat of Islamist terror is increasing, according to numerous polls. Earlier this month, a Muslim-awareness day at the Texas Capitol was greeted with protesters, and anti-Muslim hate speech on social media tripled after the release of "American Sniper," according to American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee.

Attorneys spar as trial begins for Marine who disappeared Posted: 12 Feb 2015 01:46 PM PST CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (AP) — The criminal case against a Marine accused of deserting his unit in Iraq a decade ago began taking shape when Navy criminal investigators assumed the worst about the Muslim corporal based on hearsay from other service members, a defense attorney argued Thursday.

Obama signs veterans suicide prevention bill Posted: 12 Feb 2015 01:42 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — Acknowledging the struggles of the nation's veterans, President Barack Obama on Thursday signed legislation intended to reduce the high rate of suicide that is claiming the lives of soldiers and former members of the military by the day.

US official: US was surprised by collapse of Yemen govt Posted: 12 Feb 2015 01:25 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration's senior counterterrorism official acknowledged Thursday that U.S. intelligence was surprised by the collapse of the U.S.-backed government in Yemen.

Bradley Cooper favored for best actor: Reuters/Ipsos Oscar poll Posted: 12 Feb 2015 01:22 PM PST By Mary Milliken LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Bradley Cooper's turn as America's most lethal military sniper and Reese Witherspoon's portrayal of a woman on a journey of self-discovery should win this year's top acting Oscars, in the view of Americans surveyed in the annual Reuters/Ipsos Oscars poll. Twenty-eight percent of respondents said Cooper, a four-time Academy Award nominee, should win best actor for his depiction of Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, in the Clint Eastwood-directed "American Sniper," based on the late Kyle's autobiography. The second most favored for best actor is Michael Keaton for his portrayal of a washed-up actor attempting a comeback in "Birdman." Twelve percent of respondents picked him in the online survey of Americans conducted Feb. 9-12. Frontrunner Eddie Redmayne, the British actor who has picked up numerous awards this season for his role as physicist Stephen Hawking, was the first choice for 5 percent of respondents, 46 percent of whom said they were unsure who should win.

Al Jazeera's reporters may go free, but a muzzled press in Egypt is here to stay Posted: 12 Feb 2015 12:26 PM PST After more than a year in prison, Egypt is to release on bail two Al Jazeera journalists pending a retrial on claims that the men were involved in terrorism and supporting Egypt's now-outlawed Muslim Brotherhood. The conviction of Mohamed Fahmy, Baher Mohamed, and Peter Greste – who was released last week – followed a farcical trial in which prosecutors asserted the reporters were running a clandestine operation out of the Marriott Hotel in Cairo. Their conviction was an international symbol of the repression of free speech in Egypt under Gen. (Ret.) Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, who came to power in the wake of a July 2013 coup. Today the work of muzzling, or re-muzzling, Egypt's press has largely been done.

Senate confirms Obama's pick for Pentagon chief Posted: 12 Feb 2015 12:22 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate on Thursday confirmed President Barack Obama's choice to run the Pentagon, handing Ash Carter the unenviable task of steering the military as the United States confronts Islamic State militants, conflict in Ukraine and other worldwide threats.

Appeals court to hold hearing on Tsarnaev bid to move trial Posted: 12 Feb 2015 12:14 PM PST BOSTON (AP) — A federal appeals court on Thursday agreed to hold a hearing on a bid by lawyers for Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev to move his trial outside Massachusetts.

Islamic State says it's holding 'Israeli spy' in Syria Posted: 12 Feb 2015 12:02 PM PST By Dan Williams JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Islamic State said on Thursday it was holding an Israeli Arab who had posed as a foreign fighter in order to spy for Mossad, an account denied by Israel and by the man's family, who said he had been kidnapped. In an interview published by Islamic State's online English-language magazine Dabiq, Muhammad Musallam, 19, said he had joined the insurgent group in Syria so as to report to the Israelis on its weapons caches, bases and Palestinian recruits. After his conduct aroused the suspicion of Islamic State commanders, Musallam was quoted as saying, he broke cover by phoning his father in East Jerusalem, leading to his capture. "I say to all those who want to spy on the Islamic State, don't think that you're so smart and that you can deceive the Islamic State.

UN adopts resolution to crack down on terrorist financing Posted: 12 Feb 2015 11:50 AM PST UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution Thursday aimed at tightening its crackdown on financing terrorist groups through illicit oil sales, trading in antiquities and paying ransom for hostages.

Islamic State fighters seize western Iraqi town: officials Posted: 12 Feb 2015 11:45 AM PST Islamic State insurgents took control on Thursday of most of the western Iraqi town of al-Baghdadi, threatening an air base where U.S. Marines are training Iraqi troops, officials said. Al-Baghdadi, about 85 km (50 miles) northwest of Ramadi in Anbar province, had been besieged for months by the radical Sunni Islamist militants who captured vast swathes of northern and western Iraq last year. "Ninety percent of al-Baghdadi district has fallen under the control of the insurgents," district manager Naji Arak told Reuters by phone.

U.S. commander in Afghanistan offers drawdown options Posted: 12 Feb 2015 11:00 AM PST By David Alexander and Phil Stewart WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The head of U.S. forces in Afghanistan said on Thursday he has presented his commanders with options on troop withdrawals in 2015, even as U.S. lawmakers accused the Obama administration of rushing to cut the U.S. military presence after 13 years of war. Army General John Campbell told the Senate Armed Services Committee his options would offer U.S. leaders flexibility in how they withdraw forces during the year. About 10,000 U.S. troops are currently in Afghanistan to train and assist Afghan forces, but the number is slated to drop to 5,500 by year's end. A senior administration official said on Wednesday that Obama was considering a request from Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to slow the pace of withdrawals.

Will NBC ever let Brian Williams return? Posted: 12 Feb 2015 11:00 AM PST Mr. Holt, the longtime weekend anchor on the Today Show and NBC Nightly News is a familiar face to viewers. The network will give him six months to win back the audience who may have turned away following Mr. Williams's embellishing of a report during the time he was covering the invasion of Iraq for NBC. Television and radio host Larry King was approached by a TMZ reporter and asked about Williams. When asked if he could see Williams returning after six months, King said, "It will be hard [to return] because the whole basis of the news is trust.

After years in limbo, 'Bosch' comes to life as Amazon series Posted: 12 Feb 2015 10:59 AM PST When the first season of "Bosch" debuts Friday on Amazon, it will be an achievement 20 years in the making for Michael Connelly, the author of the popular crime novel series centering on Los ...

In Mideast and Europe, a bad year for press freedom, watchdog finds Posted: 12 Feb 2015 10:45 AM PST Last year's gruesome beheadings of Western journalists by the self-described Islamic State were among the most visceral attacks on the press in decades, making 2014 a year most reporters would soon forget – and not only those on the ground in Syria and Iraq. It was a year, said Reporter's Without Borders (RSF), the Paris-based media watchdog, in which freedom of information suffered a "dramatic decline" across the world. Government censorship was partly to blame for the downturn, RSF said.

The Slap Aims for Searing Yuppie Drama, but Misses Its Mark Posted: 12 Feb 2015 09:59 AM PST The Slap reveals itself to be a work of ostentatious faux-prestige in its opening moments: a close-up of a beautiful young woman, scored to soft jazz, a narrator intoning, "On the day before his 40th birthday, Hector Apostolou had only one thing on his mind: Connie." Jazz? You'd be forgiven for thinking you'd flipped to a bad Woody Allen movie. The NBC drama, which debuts Thursday at 8 p.m., has a cast studded with mid-level stars—Peter Sarsgaard, Zachary Quinto, Uma Thurman, Thandie Newton—and the accompanied hype of being an eight-week miniseries "event" the likes of which network TV had abandoned until recently. It's based on a successful Australian miniseries of the same name and has borrowed one of its stars, Melissa George, who plays Rosie, the mother of the slapped child at the center of this yuppie hellstorm.

CBS '60 Minutes' correspondent Bob Simon dies in car crash Posted: 12 Feb 2015 09:01 AM PST NEW YORK (AP) — Longtime "60 Minutes" correspondent Bob Simon, who covered most major overseas conflicts and news stories since the late 1960s during a five-decade career in journalism, has died in a car crash. He was 73.

UN takes aim at Islamic State financing from oil, antiquities Posted: 12 Feb 2015 08:49 AM PST The UN Security Council on Thursday unanimously adopted a resolution aimed at choking off millions of dollars in earnings from oil smuggling, antiquities trafficking and ransom payments to the Islamic State group. The resolution was co-sponsored by more than 35 countries in a show of international resolve to confront the threat posed by the jihadists who overran parts of Syria and Iraq nearly a year ago. The measure calls for sanctions against individuals and entities that trade in oil with IS and Al-Qaeda affiliates such as the Al-Nusra Front in Syria. It urges all 193 countries of the United Nations to take "appropriate steps" to prevent the trade in cultural property from Iraq and Syria.

Ancient tablets displayed in Jerusalem fuel looting debate Posted: 12 Feb 2015 08:15 AM PST JERUSALEM (AP) — At first glance, the ancient Babylonian tablets on exhibit for the first time at a Jerusalem museum look like nothing more than pockmarked lumps of clay.

U.N. urges Europe to start major migrant rescue mission in Mediterranean Posted: 12 Feb 2015 08:04 AM PST By Stephanie Nebehay GENEVA (Reuters) - The European Union must establish a full search-and-rescue operation in the Mediterranean following the death this week of hundreds of migrants who were trying to reach Italy, the U.N. refugee chief said on Thursday. The tragedy came just weeks after Italy wound down its major sea rescue mission, dubbed Mare Nostrum, because of funding concerns, and replaced it with a pan-European operation, Triton, which has fewer ships and covers a smaller area. "There can be no doubt left after this week's events that Europe's Operation Triton is a woefully inadequate replacement for Italy's Mare Nostrum," U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres said in a statement.

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