Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• Killing of 'American Sniper' Kyle no 'whodunit,' prosecutor says
• Qatar assures U.S. it is committed to fighting Islamic State
• Top Asian News at 1:00 a.m. GMT
• Clinton says she would push problem-solving if she runs
• Growing US public support for fight against IS: poll
• Kerry defends Iran negotiations before Congress
• World response to armed groups like IS 'shameful': Amnesty
• States fail to protect civilians from militant violence: Amnesty
• RUMORS OF A NEW COLD WAR HAVE REAL ROOTS IN HISTORY
• UN chief appoints Jan Kubis as UN's top envoy in Iraq
• Islamic State in Syria abducts at least 150 Christians
• NBC stays in lead with Lester Holt
• U.S. arms flow to Iraq ahead of planned Mosul offensive
• US welcomes N.Zealand troops to help train Iraqis
• Williams and O'Reilly cases diverge
• US veterans chief sorry for false claim about service
• VA secretary apologizes anew for misstating military service
• U.S. Congress should allow force, not war against Islamic State: Rubio
• WHO seeks $1 bn more for four conflict-hit countries
• N.Korea may have 100 atomic arms by 2020: US experts
• Top Asian News at 9:30 p.m. GMT
• White House defends Veterans Affairs head after false statement
• World will soon know if Iran serious on nuclear deal: US
• Rothman replaces Pascal as film chief at Sony
• French warship on front line of air war against IS
• Turkish warplanes crash in central province of Malatya, killing four
• Dozens of Christians abducted by Islamic militants in Syria
• Obama hails Qatar as 'strong partner' against Islamic State
• Missing girls thought to be in Syria: British police
• Norway opens first trial of suspected IS jihadists
• Spain arrests four people for recruiting Muslims to violence
• IS jihadists kidnap 90 Christians in Syria
• Slovak diplomat Kubis appointed UN Iraq envoy
• Wave of bombings in Baghdad kills 37 people
• Bombs in Iraq, including twin blasts in busy street, kill 40
• Egyptian president issues new anti-terrorism law
• New Zealand to send troops to Iraq to train local forces
• U.S., allies hit Islamic State with 21 air strikes in Syria, Iraq: task force
• EU works on air passenger deal to track foreign fighters
• Spain breaks up online network recruiting young women for IS

Killing of 'American Sniper' Kyle no 'whodunit,' prosecutor says Posted: 24 Feb 2015 05:08 PM PST By Jon Herskovitz STEPHENVILLE, Texas (Reuters) - The man charged with killing former U.S. Navy Seal Chris Kyle, the subject of the blockbuster movie "American Sniper," acted coldly and deliberately in carrying out his deadly ambush at a Texas gun range, a prosecutor said on Tuesday. In closing arguments before the case went to the jury, prosecutor Jane Starnes said Eddie Ray Routh, 27, waited for the right time before fatally shooting Kyle and Kyle's friend Chad Littlefield at the range about 70 miles (110 km) southwest of Fort Worth in February 2013. Prosecutors presented video and audio evidence where Routh admitted to the crime. Prosecutors are seeking a life sentence without the possibility of parole.

Qatar assures U.S. it is committed to fighting Islamic State Posted: 24 Feb 2015 05:05 PM PST By Julia Edwards WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Qatar is committed to defeating the Islamic State, its emir assured U.S. President Barack Obama on Tuesday in his first official visit to the White House. Obama said Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad al-Thani committed to fighting Islamic extremists and supporting the moderate opposition in Syria. Qatar is part of the U.S.-led coalition fighting the Islamic State, which controls a wide swath of territory in Syria and Iraq. The two leaders are "deeply concerned" about the situation in Syria and shared ideas on how they can transition Syrian President Bashar al-Assad out of power, Obama told reporters in the Oval Office.

Top Asian News at 1:00 a.m. GMT Posted: 24 Feb 2015 05:02 PM PST KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AP) — Gunmen in southern Afghanistan kidnapped 30 members of the Hazara ethnic community, authorities said Tuesday, in what appeared to be the latest in a series of attacks on Shiites in the predominantly Sunni country. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack Monday afternoon, police and officials said.

Clinton says she would push problem-solving if she runs Posted: 24 Feb 2015 04:42 PM PST SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Hillary Rodham Clinton said Tuesday if she decides to seek the White House again she would seek to bring Republicans from red states and Democrats in blue states into a "nice, warm, purple space" that would encourage problem-solving.

Growing US public support for fight against IS: poll Posted: 24 Feb 2015 04:35 PM PST The American public has grown more supportive of the US fight against the Islamic State group, with nearly two-thirds now backing the air campaign against the jihadists, according to a survey released Tuesday. About twice as many approve (63 percent) as disapprove (30 percent) of the military campaign against the IS group in Iraq and Syria, a national survey carried out by the Pew Research Center found.

Kerry defends Iran negotiations before Congress Posted: 24 Feb 2015 04:23 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State John Kerry told wary lawmakers on Tuesday that it was premature to criticize nuclear negotiations with Iran before any deal can be reached to keep Tehran from developing atomic weapons.

World response to armed groups like IS 'shameful': Amnesty Posted: 24 Feb 2015 04:14 PM PST World leaders have proved "shameful and ineffective" in failing to protect civilians from groups like Islamic State (IS), Amnesty International said Wednesday, calling 2014 a "catastrophic" year. It said millions of civilians had been killed from Syria to Ukraine, Gaza to Nigeria, while the number of displaced people around the world exceeded 50 million last year for the first time since the end of World War II. "2014 was a catastrophic year for millions caught up in violence," said Amnesty's secretary general, Shalil Shetty. Amnesty singled out the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for criticism, with Shetty saying it had "miserably failed" to protect civilians.

States fail to protect civilians from militant violence: Amnesty Posted: 24 Feb 2015 04:06 PM PST By Kieran Guilbert LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Governments are failing to protect millions of civilians from violence by states and armed groups, Amnesty International said on Wednesday, describing the global response to widespread conflict from Nigeria to Syria as "shameful and ineffective". A year of catastrophic violence had led to one of the worst refugee crises in history, as the number of displaced people worldwide topped 50 million for the first time since the end of the World War Two, the rights group said in its annual report. Almost 4 million refugees have fled a four-year civil war in Syria, and about 95 percent are being hosted by Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan, Iraq and Egypt, according to the U.N. refugee agency, which has repeatedly urged rich nations to take more refugees. "As people suffered an escalation in barbarous attacks and repression, the international community has been found wanting," Amnesty secretary general Salil Shetty said in a statement.

RUMORS OF A NEW COLD WAR HAVE REAL ROOTS IN HISTORY Posted: 24 Feb 2015 03:30 PM PST But now the rumors of a new, terrifying world conflict seem as real to me as the barely believed rumors of a U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2002-'03. If you want to make any sense of the rumors -- and the surprising danger of an international war spreading from Ukraine to Islamic State adepts across the world -- you have to go back to the end of World War II.

UN chief appoints Jan Kubis as UN's top envoy in Iraq Posted: 24 Feb 2015 02:50 PM PST UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has appointed a veteran United Nations diplomat from Slovakia to head the United Nations political mission in Iraq.

Islamic State in Syria abducts at least 150 Christians Posted: 24 Feb 2015 02:25 PM PST By Suleiman Al-Khalidi AMMAN (Reuters) - Islamic State militants have abducted at least 150 people from Assyrian Christian villages in northeastern Syria they had raided, Christian Syrian activists said on Tuesday. A Syrian Christian group representing several NGO's inside and outside the country said it had verified at least 150 people missing, including women and elderly, who had been kidnapped by the militants. "We have verified at least 150 people who have been adducted from sources on the ground," Bassam Ishak, President of the Syriac National Council of Syria, whose family itself is from Hasaka, told Reuters from Amman. Earlier the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 90 were abducted when the militants carried out dawn raids on rural villages inhabited by the ancient Christian minority west of Hasaka, a city mainly held by the Kurds.

NBC stays in lead with Lester Holt Posted: 24 Feb 2015 02:23 PM PST NEW YORK (AP) — Lester Holt's audience shot up by more than half a million viewers on his second week filling in at NBC's "Nightly News" for the suspended Brian Williams. Then again, his rivals fared just as well.

U.S. arms flow to Iraq ahead of planned Mosul offensive Posted: 24 Feb 2015 02:21 PM PST By David Alexander WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Some 10,000 U.S. M-16 rifles and other military supplies worth about $17.9 million arrived in Iraq this week as U.S. troops pushed ahead with training and supplying Iraqi security forces battling Islamic State fighters, the Pentagon said on Tuesday. The update on U.S. efforts to arm Iraqi troops followed an unusual, detailed briefing last week on preparations for an operation this spring to retake Iraq's second biggest city, Mosul, from Islamic State militants.

US welcomes N.Zealand troops to help train Iraqis Posted: 24 Feb 2015 02:09 PM PST The United States on Tuesday welcomed New Zealand's decision to send troops to Iraq to join a non-combat training mission to fight Islamic militants. "As one of our partners in the coalition, New Zealand has already provided substantial humanitarian assistance to Iraq and Syria," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said. "We value the contributions and efforts of all partners in the mission as we work together on a multifaceted and long-term strategy to degrade and defeat ISIL," she added referring to the Islamic State group. New Zealand Prime Minister John Key said Tuesday about 140 troops would begin the mission in May after a request from the Iraqi government for international help to increase its military capability against the jihadists.

Williams and O'Reilly cases diverge Posted: 24 Feb 2015 02:03 PM PST NEW YORK (AP) — Two prominent television personalities are accused within weeks of each other of misrepresenting their wartime reporting experiences in ways that made those experiences seem more dangerous than they actually were.

US veterans chief sorry for false claim about service Posted: 24 Feb 2015 01:51 PM PST The head of the US veterans department apologized Tuesday for embellishing his military service record, after coming under fire for telling a homeless veteran he was in the special forces. I was an Army airborne ranger," VA Secretary Robert McDonald told a press conference. McDonald was seen in a video published in January speaking to a veteran and claiming he served in the US military's elite special forces. I was in special forces," McDonald says in the video that the Huffington Post first drew attention to.

VA secretary apologizes anew for misstating military service Posted: 24 Feb 2015 01:51 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald apologized anew Tuesday for erroneously claiming he served in the military's special forces, and veterans groups and lawmakers appeared ready to accept his expression of regret.

U.S. Congress should allow force, not war against Islamic State: Rubio Posted: 24 Feb 2015 01:50 PM PST By Scott Malone MANCHESTER, N.H. (Reuters) - U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, a potential candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, on Tuesday said Congress should deal with Islamic State militants by authorizing use of military force that is not limited in duration or geography but stop short of making a declaration of war. Speaking to voters in New Hampshire, which will hold the United States' first 2016 presidential nominating primary, the Florida Republican said that placing too tight a rein on the authorization of force would be a mistake.

WHO seeks $1 bn more for four conflict-hit countries Posted: 24 Feb 2015 01:42 PM PST The World Health Organization on Tuesday appealed for $1.0 billion in additional funds to help provide life-saving health services to millions in need in conflict-ravaged Syria, Iraq, Central African Republic and South Sudan. "Raging conflict and beleaguered health services are threatening the health of tens of millions of people" in the four countries, WHO said in a statement. The UN health agency asked international donors to cough up the funds needed to provide services such as surgery for those wounded in the conflict zones. The rest would help finance the health divisions of other UN agencies and humanitarian organisations, WHO said.

N.Korea may have 100 atomic arms by 2020: US experts Posted: 24 Feb 2015 01:39 PM PST North Korea appears poised to expand its nuclear program over the next five years and in a worst case scenario could possess 100 atomic arms by 2020, US researchers warned Tuesday. Unveiling the first results of what will be a 15-month study, Joel Wit, senior fellow at the US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University, said some of their conclusions were very "disturbing." Although North Korea's nuclear program remains shrouded in uncertainty, Pyongyang is currently believed to have a stockpile of some 10 to 16 nuclear weapons fashioned from either plutonium or weapons-grade uranium.

Top Asian News at 9:30 p.m. GMT Posted: 24 Feb 2015 01:32 PM PST KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AP) — Gunmen in southern Afghanistan kidnapped 30 members of the Hazara ethnic community, authorities said Tuesday, in what appeared to be the latest in a series of attacks on Shiites in the predominantly Sunni country. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack Monday afternoon, police and officials said.

White House defends Veterans Affairs head after false statement Posted: 24 Feb 2015 01:31 PM PST By Emily Stephenson and Elvina Nawaguna WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House on Tuesday defended U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald after he apologized for falsely saying he served in the U.S. special forces, but a top Republican said the incident could hurt trust in the department. McDonald said he recently met a homeless man in Los Angeles who said he served in the special forces. McDonald said he incorrectly responded that he had also served there. McDonald is the latest U.S. public figure to be in the news over statements about military activities after NBC anchor Brian Williams was suspended two weeks ago.

World will soon know if Iran serious on nuclear deal: US Posted: 24 Feb 2015 01:24 PM PST US Secretary of State John Kerry said Tuesday it would soon become clear if Iran is serious about ending suspicions over its nuclear ambitions, as world powers appeared to inch towards a historic deal with Tehran. World powers grouped under the so-called P5+1 "had made inroads" since reaching an interim deal with Iran in November 2013 on reining in its suspect nuclear program, Kerry said.

Rothman replaces Pascal as film chief at Sony Posted: 24 Feb 2015 12:03 PM PST NEW YORK (AP) — Former 20th Century Fox chief Tom Rothman has been named chairman of Sony's Motion Picture Group, replacing Amy Pascal as studio head and effectively concluding Sony's shake-up following the damaging hacking scandal.

French warship on front line of air war against IS Posted: 24 Feb 2015 11:59 AM PST A dozen French fighter jets are catapulted into the sky from an aircraft carrier in the Gulf, roaring off towards Iraq as part of the campaign against the Islamic State jihadist group. The carrier, with 12 Rafale and nine Super Etendard fighters, is spending eight weeks in the Gulf alongside the USS Carl Vinson, significantly increasing France's regional air capabilities. On the first day of missions from the vessel, a total of 12 fighter jets on Monday flew over territory controlled by the Islamic State (IS) group in Iraq. On the carrier deck, high above the seas between Saudi Arabia and Iran, runway staff sprint to each of the aircraft that have just landed "blind", helped by radar systems to find their way in the darkness.

Turkish warplanes crash in central province of Malatya, killing four Posted: 24 Feb 2015 11:55 AM PST By Humeyra Pamuk ANKARA (Reuters) - Two Turkish warplanes crashed during a training exercise on Tuesday in the central Turkish province of Malatya, killing all four crew, the military said. Contact was lost with the RF-4E reconnaissance aircraft after they took off from Malatya air base on Tuesday evening for planned night training, a statement on the Chief of Staff's website said.

Dozens of Christians abducted by Islamic militants in Syria Posted: 24 Feb 2015 11:43 AM PST BEIRUT (AP) — The Islamic State militants struck before dawn, staging house-to-house raids in a cluster of villages nestled along the Khabur River in northeastern Syria. They abducted at least 70 Christians — many of them women and children — while thousands of others fled to safer areas.

Obama hails Qatar as 'strong partner' against Islamic State Posted: 24 Feb 2015 11:15 AM PST US President Barack Obama praised Qatar as a "strong partner" in the fight against Islamic State militants Tuesday, as he hosted Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani in the Oval Office. "Qatar is a strong partner in our coalition to degrade and ultimately defeat ISIL," said Obama, using another name for the jihadist group. Qatar is host to a large US military base, but the two countries are sometimes uneasy allies. The White House played down allegations that Qatar has itself has abetted hardline Islamic groups and is a source of terror financing.

Missing girls thought to be in Syria: British police Posted: 24 Feb 2015 10:48 AM PST Three teenage girls from London feared to have run off to join the Islamic State (IS) group are believed to have crossed from Turkey into Syria, British police said Tuesday. Close friends Kadiza Sultana, 16, and 15-year-olds Shamima Begum and Amira Abase, boarded a flight from London Gatwick to Istanbul last Tuesday. London's Scotland Yard said counter-terrorism detectives leading the search for the teenagers "now have reason to believe that they are no longer in Turkey and have crossed into Syria".

Norway opens first trial of suspected IS jihadists Posted: 24 Feb 2015 10:37 AM PST Two Norwegians accused of fighting with Islamic State (IS) extremists appeared before an Oslo court Tuesday charged with aiding a "terrorist organisation", in Norway's first ever trial of suspected jihadists. Djibril Bashir and Valon Avdylim -- of Somali and Albanian origin, respectively -- are accused of having fought with the IS group in Syria. Avdylim was also charged along with his younger brother Visar with trying to send military equipment to another sibling who was killed in Syria in April 2014. The trial marks the first time Norway has invoked a new provision under its criminal law allowing prosecution of any "economic or material support to a terrorist organisation," an offence punishable by a maximum of six years in prison.

Spain arrests four people for recruiting Muslims to violence Posted: 24 Feb 2015 10:29 AM PST By Raquel Castillo MADRID (Reuters) - Spanish police on Tuesday arrested four people suspected of using social media to brainwash and recruit people to violent groups like the Islamic State, the interior ministry said. Like other European countries, Spain has stepped up efforts to prevent citizens being radicalized and recruited to Islamist groups in Syria or Iraq since the attacks on the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo in Paris last month. Two of those were arrested in the Spanish North African enclave Melilla and ran web pages promoting the cause of various groups, especially Islamic State, translating material into Spanish, ministry said in a statement. "Both those arrested, who shared the strategy of the terrorist group DAESH (the Islamic State), recruited women who, after a process of indoctrination, ended up joining the terrorist group," it said.

IS jihadists kidnap 90 Christians in Syria Posted: 24 Feb 2015 10:25 AM PST The Islamic State group has seized at least 90 Assyrian Christians in Syria, in the jihadists' first mass kidnapping of Christians in the war-torn country, a monitor said Tuesday. The abductions appeared to be in retaliation for a major Kurdish offensive aimed at recapturing nearby villages, and which has killed 132 jihadists in four days, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The Britain-based monitor said IS kidnapped the Assyrians on Monday after seizing two villages, Tal Shamiram and Tal Hermuz, in Hassakeh province from the control of the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG). "The jihadists attacked the two villages in retaliation against the Kurds, who four days ago launched a bid backed by the US-led coalition to reclaim villages around Tal Hamis, also in Hassakeh province," said Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman.

Slovak diplomat Kubis appointed UN Iraq envoy Posted: 24 Feb 2015 10:19 AM PST UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon announced Tuesday the appointment of Slovak diplomat Jan Kubis as his new special envoy for Iraq and head of the UN assistance mission there. The former Slovak foreign minister replaces Nickolay Mladenov of Bulgaria who was named as the UN coordinator for the Middle East. Kubis served as the special envoy for Afghanistan from 2012 and "brings with him several years of experience in diplomacy, foreign security policy and international economic relations, both internationally and in his own country," Ban said. The envoy takes up the post as the United Nations is confronting a dire humanitarian crisis from the onslaught of the Islamic State (IS) group, which controls a large part of northern Iraq.

Wave of bombings in Baghdad kills 37 people Posted: 24 Feb 2015 10:08 AM PST A wave of bomb attacks around Baghdad killed 37 people and wounded dozens more on Tuesday, as at least seven explosions struck in or near the Iraqi capital, police and medical sources said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attacks, which come as Iraqi security forces battle Islamic State militants who control large areas of north and west Iraq, and who have claimed many recent bombings in Baghdad. In the western province of Anbar, Iraqi troops backed by Shi'ite militia and tribal fighters are trying to drive Islamic State fighters out of al-Baghdadi on the Euphrates River. The town is just five km (three miles) east of the Ain al-Asad airbase where U.S. Marines are training Iraqi forces for a larger offensive against Islamic State.

Bombs in Iraq, including twin blasts in busy street, kill 40 Posted: 24 Feb 2015 10:05 AM PST BAGHDAD (AP) — A series of bombings in Iraq, including twin blasts in a busy street in a Baghdad suburb, killed at least 40 people and wounded dozens on Tuesday, Iraqi officials said.

Egyptian president issues new anti-terrorism law Posted: 24 Feb 2015 09:59 AM PST CAIRO (AP) — The Egyptian president has issued a law that broadens the state's definition of terrorism to include anyone who threatens public order "by any means," and gives authorities powers to draw up lists of alleged terrorists with little judicial recourse.

New Zealand to send troops to Iraq to train local forces Posted: 24 Feb 2015 09:11 AM PST WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand will send a small number of troops to Iraq to help train local forces in their battle against the Islamic State group, Prime Minister John Key announced Tuesday.

U.S., allies hit Islamic State with 21 air strikes in Syria, Iraq: task force Posted: 24 Feb 2015 08:57 AM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S.-led coalition forces targeted Islamic State militants in 21 air strikes in Syria and Iraq in a 24-hour period, the Combined Joint Task Force said on Tuesday. The latest raids, staged between Monday and Tuesday mornings, included 16 strikes in Syria. Ten of them were focused near the town of Al Hasakah, hitting nine tactical units, while six targeted other tactical units and fighting positions, the task force said in a statement. In Iraq, tactical units, a fighting position and a heavy machine gun were struck near Al Asad, Hit and Fallujah. ...

EU works on air passenger deal to track foreign fighters Posted: 24 Feb 2015 08:19 AM PST BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union moved Tuesday to unblock a major legislative logjam holding up the exchange of air passenger information deemed vital to track foreign fighters who could become terrorists.

Spain breaks up online network recruiting young women for IS Posted: 24 Feb 2015 07:54 AM PST Spain said Tuesday it had broken up an online network accused of recruiting young women to join Islamic State militants fighting in Iraq and Syria and arrested four suspects. The early morning arrests came as European nations scramble to halt a surge in young people wanting to travelling to Iraq and Syria to fight with the jihadists. Two of the suspects were arrested in Melilla, the Spanish enclave neighbouring Morocco, in the latest operation by Spain's authorities targeting such recruiting networks. The others were detained in Girona and Barcelona in Spain's northeastern region of Catalonia.

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