Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• Bill O'Reilly's partisan critics stepping up attack
• US denies pushing Iraq on Mosul offensive
• GOP contenders push for military action against ISIS
• Training of Syrian rebels in Turkey in 4-6 weeks: US
• Sap Story: Farming Eases Return Home for Vets
• U.S. begins vetting Syrian rebels for military training: Pentagon
• Unmasking of 'Jihadi John' as a London lad shocks Britain
• Oil up sharply, posts first monthly gain since June
• Santorum wants US ground troops to fight Islamic State group
• Norway arrests radical preacher who praised Charlie Hebdo killers
• Kurdish forces 'capture strategic IS Syria bastion'
• Commodities mixed in volatile week
• Iraq statue-smashing sparks outrage, heritage fears
• Scott Walker's Foreign-Policy Gaffes Don't Matter
• Islamic State: Amid hostage crisis, Assyrians and Kurds join forces
• Kurdish fighters rout IS militants from town near Iraq
• War crimes and genocide: IS systematically killing religious and ethnic minorities in Iraq, study finds
• Syria's New Threat
• Bombings, mortar fire kill 10 people in Iraq
• Islamic State under pressure as Kurds seize Syrian town
• Obama, European Council's Tusk to meet March 9: White House
• 10 Things to Know for Today
• Ukrainian pilot could 'die within days' in Russian jail
• Dutch government pumping more money into security services
• UNESCO chief decries 'cultural cleansing' in IS video
• Man charged with aiding terror groups arrested in Indiana
• Rediscovered Picasso to go on display in Paris museum
• Jeb Bush Hasn't Learned Enough From His Brother's Failures
• Eight killed in Baghdad bombs and rocket fire
• U.S.-led coalition air strikes against Islamic State target Kobani
• IS finances 'vulnerable,' tougher action needed, report says
• Scott Walker Nails His Stump Speech--and It’s Working
• Islamic State must keep expanding to survive: financial report
• Islamic State aims to eradicate Iraq minorities: rights groups
• Islamic State threat boosts business for Kurdish gunsmith
• Draft Chinese law paves way for counter-terror operations abroad
• Despite spat with US, Israeli leader fighting Iran nuke deal
• Today in History

Bill O'Reilly's partisan critics stepping up attack Posted: 27 Feb 2015 04:35 PM PST NEW YORK (AP) — Following several stories questioning Bill O'Reilly's past reporting, a liberal media watchdog has ordered its researchers to comb through years of the Fox News Channel host's writings, radio and television shows and public appearances to find examples of inconsistencies.

US denies pushing Iraq on Mosul offensive Posted: 27 Feb 2015 04:31 PM PST The US military insisted Friday it was not pressurizing Iraq to launch an offensive to recapture Mosul from Islamic State extremists in the next few months, saying the timing was up to Baghdad. "I don't think it's fair to say that the Pentagon or the military has been pushing the Iraqis on any specific timeline," Kirby told reporters. General Lloyd Austin, who as head of US Central Command oversees the international campaign against the IS jihadists, recently said that Iraqi and Kurdish forces would be ready by the spring or early summer to start an offensive to grab back Mosul -- Iraq's second-largest city, seized by the IS group last June. A few days later, Iraq's defence minister, Khaled Obeidi, expressed irritation that the Pentagon would publicly announce a date for the battle of Mosul.

GOP contenders push for military action against ISIS Posted: 27 Feb 2015 04:31 PM PST OXON HILL, Md. (AP) — The Republican Party's leading presidential contenders on Friday promised conservative activists they would pursue aggressive military action to prevent the spread of global terrorism, including a renewed use of ground forces in the Middle East.

Training of Syrian rebels in Turkey in 4-6 weeks: US Posted: 27 Feb 2015 03:42 PM PST The US military said Friday the training of moderate Syrian rebels will likely begin within four to six weeks in Turkey after the two NATO allies clinched an agreement last week. Potential recruits still needed to be vetted for the training sessions, which will take place in Saudi Arabia and Qatar, as well as Turkey, Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby told a news conference. About 1,500 Syrian rebels had been identified to take part and of those 100 had been screened and approved, Kirby said.

Sap Story: Farming Eases Return Home for Vets Posted: 27 Feb 2015 03:09 PM PST Women are the fastest growing demographic of both beginning farmers and military veterans—but Denise is one of only 522 women farmers in the Farmers Veteran Coalition.

U.S. begins vetting Syrian rebels for military training: Pentagon Posted: 27 Feb 2015 03:09 PM PST By David Alexander WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. military has begun vetting a group of Syrian rebels eligible for training and assistance in the fight against Islamic State militants, a step that paves the way for training to begin in weeks, the Pentagon said on Friday. Rear Admiral John Kirby, the Pentagon press secretary, said about 100 moderate Syrian rebels had been vetted to participate in the training and assistance effort, with no derogatory information uncovered to weigh against their involvement. "Our assessment is we could be ready sometime within the next four to six weeks to begin actual training," Kirby told a Pentagon briefing, noting that the vetting was "an important first step." A week ago, the United States and Turkey signed an agreement to use a site in Turkey for the effort. The site is one of four where U.S. and coalition partners may offer training to Syrian rebels to fight against Islamic State militants.

Unmasking of 'Jihadi John' as a London lad shocks Britain Posted: 27 Feb 2015 02:03 PM PST LONDON (AP) — The unmasking of Islamic State militant "Jihadi John" as a Londoner who had repeatedly been questioned by security services sent shock waves through Britain Friday, with Prime Minister David Cameron stepping in to defend British spy craft.

Oil up sharply, posts first monthly gain since June Posted: 27 Feb 2015 01:08 PM PST NEW YORK (Reuters) - Crude oil rose sharply on Friday as Brent and U.S. futures posted their first monthly gains since June, supported by an improving demand outlook and supply outages.

Santorum wants US ground troops to fight Islamic State group Posted: 27 Feb 2015 01:01 PM PST OXON HILL, Md. (AP) — Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum, who is considering another presidential run, called for putting 10,000 U.S. troops on the ground to fight the growth of the extremist group that calls itself the Islamic State.

Norway arrests radical preacher who praised Charlie Hebdo killers Posted: 27 Feb 2015 12:22 PM PST A radical Islamic preacher has been arrested in Norway after praising last month's deadly attack on the Charlie Hebdo satirical weekly in Paris, police said Friday. The Iraqi Kurd preacher known as Mullah Krekar said in a television interview broadcast on Wednesday that "those who draw caricatures of Mohammed must die". "I am obviously happy with what happened in Paris," the 58-year-old said in the interview with Norwegian channel NRK. Jihadist gunmen killed 12 people, including some of France's best-known cartoonists, in the January 7 attack on Charlie Hebdo's Paris office.

Kurdish forces 'capture strategic IS Syria bastion' Posted: 27 Feb 2015 12:05 PM PST Kurdish fighters seized a strategic Islamic State stronghold in Syria Friday in a move that could impede jihadist movements near the border with Iraq, where they also control large swathes of territory. Meanwhile, the United States and Turkey are to begin training and equipping moderate Syrian rebels for the fight against President Bashar al-Assad and IS. The main Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) said its fighters had liberated Tal Hamis and surrounding communities at the request of residents "who wanted to get rid of these terrorists and mercenaries".

Commodities mixed in volatile week Posted: 27 Feb 2015 11:55 AM PST Oil prices faced sharp volatility this week amid stubborn oversupply concerns, while metals aimed higher as Chinese trading picked up following the Lunar New Year, dealers said. OIL: The market initially won support after Ali Al-Naimi, the oil minister of major producer Saudi Arabia, declared Wednesday that demand was growing and the market has turned "calm". Brent crude also gained ground on the back of supply-side tensions in Iraq and Libya. "Prices managed to get some support amid positive comments from OPEC's kingpin Saudi Arabia's Al-Naimi, who said prices were stabilising and that demand was growing," said analyst Andrey Kryuchenkov at Natural Resources Consulting.

Iraq statue-smashing sparks outrage, heritage fears Posted: 27 Feb 2015 11:25 AM PST A video of jihadists in Iraq gleefully smashing ancient statues to pieces with sledgehammers sparked global outrage and fears Friday that more of the world's oldest heritage will be destroyed. The destruction of priceless Assyrian and other artefacts from the main museum and an archeological site in the northern city of Mosul drew comparisons with the 2001 dynamiting of the Bamiyan buddhas in Afghanistan. After demanding an emergency meeting of the Security Council, the head of the United Nations' cultural body said the International Criminal Court should also take action.

Scott Walker's Foreign-Policy Gaffes Don't Matter Posted: 27 Feb 2015 11:16 AM PST In a strange convergence, there's agreement among the diehard right-wingers gathered at the Conservative Political Action Conference outside of Washington this week and left-wing pundits: Scott Walker is on top of the world. Although Jeb Bush boasts impressive momentum—nearly insurmountable momentum, in the judgment of D.C. tastemaker Mike Allen—CPAC is a good illustration of Bush's weaknesses. Walker, meanwhile, enjoyed an overwhelmingly positive response Thursday from the crowd at the conference, which leans more conservative than the former Florida governor. One Walker line caught attention outside the CPAC bubble, though: his answer when asked what about his background prepared him to be handle the threat of ISIS.

Islamic State: Amid hostage crisis, Assyrians and Kurds join forces Posted: 27 Feb 2015 11:10 AM PST Syrian Assyrian Christians and Kurds have joined forces in a bid to regain territory from the Islamic State group, which seized dozens of Assyrian villages and scores of hostages in northern Syria this week. The relocation of the hostages into the IS heartland and their group's slaughter of religious minorities in Libya and Iraq have sparked fears of genocidal massacres. "The Islamic State is waging a campaign of genocide against the Assyrian people. We are watching a living history of thousands of years disappear and doing nothing to stop it," says Mardean Isaac, an Assyrian writer working with A Demand for Action, a Britain-based group lobbying for the protection of religious minorities in Iraq and Syria.

Kurdish fighters rout IS militants from town near Iraq Posted: 27 Feb 2015 11:03 AM PST BEIRUT (AP) — Backed by U.S.-led coalition airstrikes, Kurdish fighters fought their way Friday into a northeastern Syrian town that was a key stronghold of Islamic State militants, only days after the group abducted dozens of Christians in the volatile region, Syrian activists and Kurdish officials said.

War crimes and genocide: IS systematically killing religious and ethnic minorities in Iraq, study finds Posted: 27 Feb 2015 09:09 AM PST Human rights groups are building the legal case against the Islamic State for war crimes and genocide in its targeting of minorities

Syria's New Threat Posted: 27 Feb 2015 08:35 AM PST The Syrian refugee crisis is one of the worst the world has seen. Nearly 4 million people — mostly women and children — have fled to neighboring countries, and 7.2 million more have been internally displaced.

Bombings, mortar fire kill 10 people in Iraq Posted: 27 Feb 2015 08:24 AM PST BAGHDAD (AP) — A series of bombings and mortar strikes in and near the Iraqi capital killed 10 people on Friday as Baghdad police discovered six bodies with gunshot wounds, officials said.

Islamic State under pressure as Kurds seize Syrian town Posted: 27 Feb 2015 07:59 AM PST By Mariam Karouny BEIRUT (Reuters) - Kurdish forces dealt a blow to Islamic State by capturing an important town on Friday in the latest stage of a powerful offensive in northeast Syria, a Kurdish militia spokesman said. Islamic State has been forced into retreat across parts of the strategic region, a land bridge between territory it controls in Syria and Iraq, even as its fighters have mounted new raids this week on Assyrian Christian villages, abducting more than 200 people. The capture of Tel Hamis was announced by the Kurdish YPG militia and confirmed by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the country's civil war. "The flag is flying over Tel Hamis.

Obama, European Council's Tusk to meet March 9: White House Posted: 27 Feb 2015 07:14 AM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama and European Council President Donald Tusk will meet at the White House on March 9 to discuss the Ukraine crisis and the fight against Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria, the White House said on Friday. Obama and Tusk also are expected to discuss the global economy, talks toward a U.S.-European trade deal, energy security and climate change, the White House said in a statement. (Reporting by Roberta Rampton; Editing by Susan Heavey)

10 Things to Know for Today Posted: 27 Feb 2015 06:58 AM PST Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today:

Ukrainian pilot could 'die within days' in Russian jail Posted: 27 Feb 2015 06:56 AM PST A Ukrainian airforce pilot, who has been on hunger strike in a Russian prison for 77 days, "could die within days," a member of the Kremlin's human rights council said Friday. Nadia Savchenko, a 33-year-old helicopter navigator, who has been charged with involvement in the deaths of two Russian reporters in a mortar attack in east Ukraine, has been held in a Moscow jail for nearly nine months. Savchenko denies the charges and says she was kidnapped and brought to Russia. She launched a hunger strike on December 13.

Dutch government pumping more money into security services Posted: 27 Feb 2015 06:46 AM PST THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte says he is pumping millions of euros into the country's security and intelligence services to ensure they can combat the threat of terrorism.

UNESCO chief decries 'cultural cleansing' in IS video Posted: 27 Feb 2015 06:38 AM PST PARIS (AP) — The head of the U.N. cultural agency denounced the Islamic State group's destruction of ancient statues and artifacts as "cultural cleansing" and a war crime that the world must punish.

Man charged with aiding terror groups arrested in Indiana Posted: 27 Feb 2015 06:12 AM PST INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A New York man who's among six Bosnian immigrants accused of funneling money and military supplies to terror groups in Iraq and Syria was arrested in central Indiana in early February.

Rediscovered Picasso to go on display in Paris museum Posted: 27 Feb 2015 05:55 AM PST PARIS (AP) — The Pompidou Centre in Paris hopes to display a long-vanished Picasso painting in May, now that it has been recovered by U.S. customs authorities.

Jeb Bush Hasn't Learned Enough From His Brother's Failures Posted: 27 Feb 2015 05:30 AM PST In an interview on Hugh Hewitt's radio show, probable GOP presidential candidate Jeb Bush discussed his attitudes about foreign policy, having been asked if he would be "overly cautious about using force for fear of having a 'third Bush war' occur." At first, he gave a perfectly acceptable answer. "Actually, Hugh, I am quite comfortable being George Bush's son and George Bush's brother. If any of you were concerned that a Jeb Bush presidency just wouldn't be sufficiently warlike, perhaps he has gained your trust.

Eight killed in Baghdad bombs and rocket fire Posted: 27 Feb 2015 05:18 AM PST At least eight people were killed by bombs and rocket fire in Baghdad on Friday, police and medical sources said. They said a bomb exploded in the predominantly Sunni neighborhood of Al-Saydiya, in southern Baghdad, killing three civilians while two Katyusha rockets hit the nearby neighborhood of al-Shurta, killing two people. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attacks, which came as Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi's government battles Islamic State fighters who control large swathes of northern and western Iraq, and have sent bombers into the capital. Police also discovered the bodies on Friday of six unidentified young men in Baghdad's northern al-Husseiniya district.

U.S.-led coalition air strikes against Islamic State target Kobani Posted: 27 Feb 2015 04:41 AM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S.-led coalition launched 20 airstrikes in Syria since early Thursday, targeting 13 of them near the key border town of Kobani, where the Combined Joint Task Force said they hit eight units of Islamic State fighters. In a statement on Friday, the task force said the strikes in Syria were also staged in areas near al Hasaka, Dayr az Zawr and Tal Harris. The coalition also led 11 strikes against the militant group in Iraq since early Thursday, according to the statement. ...

IS finances 'vulnerable,' tougher action needed, report says Posted: 27 Feb 2015 03:57 AM PST PARIS (AP) — A global agency fighting terrorist financing says Islamic State extremists are financially vulnerable as oil prices have fallen and their ability to extort resources in Iraq and Syria is peaking.

Scott Walker Nails His Stump Speech--and It’s Working Posted: 27 Feb 2015 03:15 AM PST Scott Walker does not care. With Walker, it's not just the studied nonchalance of many politicians who appear on stage for major events in shirtsleeves with the cuffs rolled up, which Wisconsin's Republican governor did yesterday when he spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference just outside Washington. Walker, widely regarded as a strong potential contender for the GOP presidential nomination in 2016, appeared at one of the marquee events on the conservative political calendar and launched into remarks that were, in large part, virtually identical to some he delivered when he appeared at an event sponsored by the American Action Forum in Washington last month.

Islamic State must keep expanding to survive: financial report Posted: 27 Feb 2015 02:09 AM PST By Mark Hosenball WASHINGTON (Reuters) - International investigators said on Friday that in order for the Islamic State to remain financially viable it would have to further expand territory it controls in Iraq and Syria and take over more resources. The Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF) said in a report that the Islamist group's need for large amounts of money to govern areas it has conquered meant it was uncertain how long it could finance its current level of activity. "In order to maintain its financial management and expenditures in areas where it operates, (Islamic State) must be able to seize additional territory in order to exploit resources," it said. The task force, which is made up of government officials from around the world who are combating money laundering, noted that the group had generated large amounts of money by appropriating oil fields and from criminal activity such as theft and extortion.

Islamic State aims to eradicate Iraq minorities: rights groups Posted: 27 Feb 2015 01:06 AM PST By Kieran Guilbert LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Islamic State militants have abducted, injured and killed thousands of civilians across northern Iraq and uprooted millions from their homes in a bid to eradicate the country's ethnic and religious minorities, rights groups said on Friday. Several minority communities, including Christians, Yazidis and Turkmen, have been subjected to killings, rape and sexual enslavement, and women and children have been targeted in particular, a report by four human rights organizations said. Islamic State seized the Iraqi city of Mosul in June last year while sweeping through the north towards Baghdad, meeting virtually no resistance from the army and declaring a caliphate in parts of Iraq and Syria under its control. Around 8,000 civilians were killed and more than 12,000 wounded between June and December 2014, the United Nations said.

Islamic State threat boosts business for Kurdish gunsmith Posted: 27 Feb 2015 12:38 AM PST IRBIL, Iraq (AP) — In gunsmith Bahktiyar Sadr-Aldeen's workshop in this Kurdish city in northern Iraq, every weapon has a story. These days, there are lots of stories to tell.

Draft Chinese law paves way for counter-terror operations abroad Posted: 27 Feb 2015 12:25 AM PST By Michael Martina BEIJING (Reuters) - China is close to approving a law that will create a legal framework for sending troops abroad on counter-terrorism missions, as Beijing seeks to address the vulnerability of the country's growing global commercial and diplomatic interests. Experts said Article 76 of the draft anti-terrorism law would allay concerns among the military elite about the lack of a formal mechanism for carrying out such operations, as well as mark a shift in foreign policy thinking and military doctrine. China has rarely been the target of terrorist acts overseas but it has vast energy interests, construction projects and mines in unstable parts of the world, including the Middle East and Africa. The risk to those projects was highlighted in 2011 when the government evacuated thousands of Chinese workers from Libya during the uprising against Muammar Gaddafi.

Despite spat with US, Israeli leader fighting Iran nuke deal Posted: 26 Feb 2015 11:05 PM PST JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu heads to Washington next week on a last-gasp effort to seal what he hopes will become his signature achievement: preventing Iran from attaining a nuclear weapon. But the centerpiece of the visit, a much-hyped speech to Congress arguing against the international community's emerging nuclear deal with the Islamic Republic, has been overshadowed by a damaging battle with the White House and electoral intrigue back home.

Today in History Posted: 26 Feb 2015 09:01 PM PST Today is Friday, Feb. 27, the 58th day of 2015. There are 307 days left in the year.

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