Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• Top Asian News at 1:00 a.m. GMT
• Foreign talks to Congress often a yawn, but not Netanyahu's
• Netanyahu's speech to Congress: Has hyper-partisanship invaded foreign policy?
• U.S., partners conduct nine air strikes against Islamic State: task force
• Australia expected to announce more troops bound for Iraq
• Exclusive: Full text of Reuters interview with Obama
• U.S. spy chief says 40 Americans who went to Syria have returned
• Fallen to the IS: Iraqi and Syrian towns
• Sweden eyes fingerprint scans to stop passport fraud
• Iraq launches attack to retake Tikrit from Islamic State
• 'Focus' snatches US box office gold
• Syria's civil war linked partly to drought, global warming
• Russia's Lavrov says crimes against Mideast Christians 'genocide'
• Iraq launches operation to retake Tikrit from Islamic State
• No coalition air raids for Iraqi assault on Tikrit: US
• IRAQ
• Iraq launches major assault to retake Tikrit from IS
• Bomb blast in downtown Cairo kills 1, wounds 10 people
• Fighting ISIS for Saddam's Hometown
• Senator Mikulski, Maryland Democrat, to retire
• New Saudi king meets Turkey leader amid thaw in relations
• Pentagon: US not providing air support for Iraqi offensive
• Turkey's Erdogan in Riyadh as Saudi seeks 'Sunni unity'
• How Islamic is Islamic State group? Not very, experts say
• Why is ISIS threatening Twitter employees with 'lions'?
• Syrian, Kurdish forces battle IS in key border area
• Reports: Turkey detains 10 IS militants
• U.S. Senator Mikulski, Maryland Democrat, to retire: media
• Netanyahu’s Congressional Appearance Courtesy of Big Donor Money
• Battle for Tikrit: To recapture Sunni city, Iraq sends mostly Shiite force
• Museum reopening boosts Iraqi national pride
• Iraq's Tikrit: From Saddam to the Islamic State group
• With newfound swagger, Turkey's Erdogan seeks to expand his influence
• AP PHOTOS: Editor selections from the Middle East
• Iraq's Tikrit: A Sunni bastion on the road to Mosul
• Germany’s New Policy Plan Puts the US on Catch Up
• Top Cuban spy released by Obama says he’s ready for his ‘next order’ from Castro regime
• U.S. army chief says 'very concerned' at UK defense cuts: Daily Telegraph
• U.S. army chief says "very concerned" at UK defence cuts - Daily Telegraph reports
• Turkey to explore for oil in Iraq's Qandil area, peace talks to pave way: energy minister

Top Asian News at 1:00 a.m. GMT Posted: 02 Mar 2015 05:02 PM PST KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Afghan army is waging its largest-ever solo offensive against the Taliban, hoping to strike a decisive blow ahead of the spring fighting season and prove it can rout the insurgents without the aid of U.S. and NATO combat troops. Afghan troops have been slowly pushing up through a fertile river valley in the southern Helmand province, with special forces mounting nighttime helicopter raids into mud brick compounds and ground troops gradually advancing across the poppy fields that in past years have furnished the insurgents' main cash crop.

Foreign talks to Congress often a yawn, but not Netanyahu's Posted: 02 Mar 2015 04:03 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's planned speech Tuesday has already roiled Washington.

Netanyahu's speech to Congress: Has hyper-partisanship invaded foreign policy? Posted: 02 Mar 2015 03:45 PM PST Are deliberations in Congress on American foreign policy becoming more partisan? The Israeli leader – invited by House Speaker John Boehner outside of the traditional channels – is expected to blast President Obama's diplomatic overtures to Iran, as well as the deal the administration and other international powers are negotiating with Iran on its nuclear program. Democrats and Republicans, national security and foreign policy experts may be divided over the merits of Mr. Netanyahu's arguments.

U.S., partners conduct nine air strikes against Islamic State: task force Posted: 02 Mar 2015 03:17 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and its coalition partners conducted four air strikes against Islamic State militants in Syria and five in Iraq on Sunday and Monday, according to the U.S. military. In a statement on Monday, the Combined Joint Task Forceleading the air operations said one strike near Dayr az Zawr in Syria hit a crude oil collection point. The others, near Kobani, destroyed a bunker and vehicle, and hit a tactical unit. In Iraq, air strikes near Al Asad, Bayji and Kirkuk hit tactical units, checkpoints, fighting positions, and boats and vehicles. ...

Australia expected to announce more troops bound for Iraq Posted: 02 Mar 2015 02:58 PM PST CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia was expected to confirm Tuesday an increase in troops to be sent to Iraq to help train Iraqi security forces to fight the Islamic State group.

Exclusive: Full text of Reuters interview with Obama Posted: 02 Mar 2015 02:34 PM PST Reuters White House Correspondent Jeff Mason interviewed President Barack Obama on Monday on topics including U.S.-Israel relations, Iran, China and Russia. OBAMA - Good to see you. Your administration has described Prime Minister Netanyahu's plans to address Congress tomorrow on Iran as destructive. OBAMA - Well, first of all, I think it's important to realize the depth of the U.S.-Israeli relationship.

U.S. spy chief says 40 Americans who went to Syria have returned Posted: 02 Mar 2015 01:30 PM PST About 180 Americans have traveled to Syria to join Islamist militants and around 40 of them have returned to the United States, the U.S. National Intelligence director, James Clapper, said on Monday. Clapper said not all those who went to Syria, where Islamic State militants and other factions are fighting each other and the forces of President Bashar al-Assad, had engaged in the Islamist campaign. Some might have been aid workers, he said.  The United States and its allies believe that more than 20,000 foreign fighters from more than 90 countries have gone to Syria.

Fallen to the IS: Iraqi and Syrian towns Posted: 02 Mar 2015 01:20 PM PST - Mosul: IS overran Iraq's second largest city on June 10, two weeks before declaring a "caliphate" in the swathes of territory it controls in Iraq and Syria. Located 350 kilometres (217 miles) from Baghdad, and on the right bank of the Tigris river, it had about 1.5 million mainly-Sunni inhabitants prior to the IS offensive. Kurds backed by US warplanes have retaken Iraq's largest dam from the jihadists and have tightened the noose around Mosul, where US officials have expressed hopes the Iraqi army will launch an offensive soon.

Sweden eyes fingerprint scans to stop passport fraud Posted: 02 Mar 2015 01:18 PM PST Sweden needs to beef up its border security to stop passport fraud, a government inquiry argued Monday as the country grapples with unprecedented levels of immigration. The inquiry proposed fingerprint scans for all nationalities entering Sweden from outside the passport-free Schengen Area in a move that pre-empts the European Union, which has yet to make such screenings mandatory. "I think that is the only way to get at the lookalike problem, when you use a passport belonging to someone who looks like you," Interior Minister Anders Ygeman told news agency TT. Sweden has seen immigration levels soar in the wake of the Syrian conflict and expects a record 90,000 asylum seekers to arrive in Sweden in 2015.

Iraq launches attack to retake Tikrit from Islamic State Posted: 02 Mar 2015 01:10 PM PST By Dominic Evans BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's armed forces, backed by Shi'ite militia, attacked Islamic State strongholds north of Baghdad on Monday as they launched an offensive to retake the city of Tikrit and the surrounding Sunni Muslim province of Salahuddin. The offensive is the biggest military operation in the province since the Sunni Islamist radicals seized swaths of north Iraq last June and advanced toward the capital Baghdad. Progress in Salahuddin will affect plans to recapture Mosul further north. An official from the U.S. Central Command said last month the assault on Mosul, the largest city under Islamic State control, could start as early as April but Iraq has declined to confirm that timetable.

'Focus' snatches US box office gold Posted: 02 Mar 2015 01:10 PM PST Los Angeles (AFP) - Sexy con-artist flick "Focus" stole the top spot at North American box offices this weekend, vaulting over bondage film "Fifty Shades of Grey."

Syria's civil war linked partly to drought, global warming Posted: 02 Mar 2015 12:54 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — The conflict that has torn Syria apart can be traced, in part, to a record drought worsened by global warming, a new study says.

Russia's Lavrov says crimes against Mideast Christians 'genocide' Posted: 02 Mar 2015 12:42 PM PST Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday crimes committed against Christians in the Middle East were tantamount to "genocide", joining other high-ranking diplomats in calling for action. Like other minorities, Christians have been the target of brutal violence waged by jihadists in countries such as Libya and Syria. "There are awful crimes, Christians are killed, they are burnt alive, 21 Egyptian Copts have been beheaded in Libya, all these are signs of genocide following the definition of the UN," Lavrov said on the sidelines of the main annual session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva. Gebran Bassil, the Lebanese foreign minister, also painted a dark picture of the situation of Christians in the Middle East.

Iraq launches operation to retake Tikrit from Islamic State Posted: 02 Mar 2015 12:33 PM PST BAGHDAD (AP) — Backed by Iranian-supported Shiite militias, Iraqi forces launched a large-scale offensive Monday to retake Saddam Hussein's hometown from the Islamic State group, the first in a series of campaigns to try to reclaim large parts of northern Iraq from the Sunni extremists.

No coalition air raids for Iraqi assault on Tikrit: US Posted: 02 Mar 2015 12:12 PM PST The United States and its allies have received no request from Iraq to carry out air strikes in support of Baghdad government troops fighting to recapture Tikrit, the Pentagon said Monday. The Iraqi operation to take back Tikrit from Islamic State jihadists is the largest-scale offensive yet launched by Baghdad and Shiite militia backed by neighboring Iran were playing a key role. "We're not providing air strikes in support of the operation around Tikrit," Pentagon spokesman Colonel Steven Warren told reporters.

IRAQ Posted: 02 Mar 2015 11:35 AM PST Iraq launches operation to retake Tikrit. Map shows the area of the attack.; 2c x 4 inches; 96.3 mm x 101 mm;

Iraq launches major assault to retake Tikrit from IS Posted: 02 Mar 2015 11:24 AM PST Some 30,000 Iraqi troops and militia backed by aircraft pounded jihadists in and around Tikrit on Monday in the biggest offensive yet to retake one of the Islamic State group's main strongholds. Government forces have battled their way north for months, notching up key victories against IS, but Tikrit has been their toughest target yet with the jihadists having resisted them several times. Commanders voiced hope the operation would be a step towards the recapture of Mosul, the jihadists' main hub in Iraq. "The army, federal police, Popular Mobilisation (volunteer) units, and the sons of Salaheddin's tribes are performing the duties of liberation in the largest operation against Daesh since June," said a senior army officer on the ground, using an Arabic acronym for IS.

Bomb blast in downtown Cairo kills 1, wounds 10 people Posted: 02 Mar 2015 11:00 AM PST CAIRO (AP) — A midday bomb blast in a boulevard in downtown Cairo killed one person and wounded 10 on Monday, the health ministry said. Shortly afterward, a little-known group claimed responsibility for the attack.

Fighting ISIS for Saddam's Hometown Posted: 02 Mar 2015 10:02 AM PST On Monday, Iraqi security forces aided by Shiite militias started an offensive to take back the city of Tikrit, which has been under Islamic State control since last summer. Strategically, the battle for Tikrit is a crucial military challenge for an Iraqi army trying to wrest back control of the northern and western parts of the country that it lost to ISIS in the past year. As my colleague Steve Clemons noted on Twitter, the Tikrit operation is, for one thing, "an important training run on the larger eventual challenge of Mosul," the second-largest city in Iraq, which is also under Islamic State control. Tikrit is not only the hometown of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, it is also dominated by Iraqi Sunnis who are wary of Baghdad's Shiite-led government and Iran's growing influence in the country.

Senator Mikulski, Maryland Democrat, to retire Posted: 02 Mar 2015 09:54 AM PST By Susan Heavey WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senator Barbara Mikulski, the longest-serving female senator in U.S. history, on Monday announced that she will retire at the end of her term, setting up a contest among possible successors in the heavily Democratic state of Maryland. The top Democrat on the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, Mikulski, 78, told reporters in Baltimore that she would serve out her remaining two years in office. She has served in Congress for nearly 40 years.

New Saudi king meets Turkey leader amid thaw in relations Posted: 02 Mar 2015 09:50 AM PST RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — In a meeting that marks a thaw in diplomatic ties, King Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday discussed regional issues such as the ongoing war in Syria, Iran nuclear talks and turmoil in Yemen.

Pentagon: US not providing air support for Iraqi offensive Posted: 02 Mar 2015 09:12 AM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon says the U.S. is not providing airstrikes in support of Iraq's ground offensive against Islamic State fighters in the northern city of Tikrit because the Iraqi government did not request it.

Turkey's Erdogan in Riyadh as Saudi seeks 'Sunni unity' Posted: 02 Mar 2015 09:01 AM PST Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived Monday in Riyadh for a visit at the king's invitation in what is seen as a Saudi bid to unify Sunnis against Iran and jihadists. Erdogan's meeting with King Salman comes a day after Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi held talks with the monarch, and precedes a visit by Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif later this week. The Turkish and Saudi leaders discussed "means of enhancing bilateral cooperation in various fields, issues of common interest" and external developments, said the official Saudi Press Agency.

How Islamic is Islamic State group? Not very, experts say Posted: 02 Mar 2015 08:55 AM PST CAIRO (AP) — Three British schoolgirls believed to have gone to Syria to become "jihadi" brides. Three young men charged in New York with plotting to join the Islamic State group and carry out attacks on American soil. A masked, knife-wielding militant from London who is the face of terror in videos showing Western hostages beheaded.

Why is ISIS threatening Twitter employees with 'lions'? Posted: 02 Mar 2015 08:45 AM PST The Islamic State is not happy with Twitter. On Sunday, supporters of the extremist militant group called for the death of company employees in response to Twitter's blocking of social media accounts associated with the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, Buzzfeed reported. "We told you from the beginning it's not your war, but you didn't get it and kept closing our accounts on Twitter, but we always come back," the post continued. Social media has been a vital tool for ISIS propaganda and recruitment since at least June, when the militants' campaign of terror began in Iraq and Syria.

Syrian, Kurdish forces battle IS in key border area Posted: 02 Mar 2015 08:21 AM PST Syrian regime forces and Kurdish militia fought separate battles with the Islamic State group on Monday in a strategic area near the Iraqi and Turkish borders, a monitoring group said. Forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad and fighters from the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) launched uncoordinated offensives against IS in the northeastern province of Hasakeh, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP that after three days of clashes, regime forces bolstered by fighters from Arab tribes had secured control over 23 villages in the centre of the province from IS.

Reports: Turkey detains 10 IS militants Posted: 02 Mar 2015 08:11 AM PST ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish media reports say police have detained 10 suspected Islamic State militants in raids.

U.S. Senator Mikulski, Maryland Democrat, to retire: media Posted: 02 Mar 2015 06:47 AM PST U.S. Senator Barbara Mikulski of Maryland, the top Democrat on the powerful Appropriations Committee and the longest-serving female senator, is set to announce that she is retiring, according to media reports. Mikulski, 78, scheduled a news conference on Monday at 11 a.m. EST in Baltimore to make an announcement about her future, her office said. Mikulski has served in the Senate since 1987 and before that in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Netanyahu’s Congressional Appearance Courtesy of Big Donor Money Posted: 02 Mar 2015 06:25 AM PST The principal owner of the Venetian, Sheldon Adelson, has been spending his considerable fortune to influence both the US and Israeli political systems in an effort to trigger a dangerous and unnecessary showdown with Iran. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Adelson (together with his wife) was the number one donor to SuperPACs during the 2012 election cycle – contributing over $90 million to Republican-oriented groups such as American Crossroads, the Congressional Leadership Fund and the Republican Jewish Coalition Victory Fund. Adelson's funds come with the expectation that beneficiaries will take a hard line on Iran. The billionaire made his views clear in a 2013 appearance at New York's Yeshiva University where he called on the US government to drop a nuclear bomb in the middle of the Iranian desert.

Battle for Tikrit: To recapture Sunni city, Iraq sends mostly Shiite force Posted: 02 Mar 2015 05:46 AM PST Iraq launched its largest counteroffensive yet against the self-declared Islamic State Monday, the government in Baghdad said, in an effort to retake the city of Tikrit from the group. Iraq is sending some 30,000 troops, primarily volunteer Shiite militias backing Iraqi Army forces, against Tikrit, which fell to IS last June. The offensive was officially announced Sunday, during Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's visit to the government-held city of Samarra, about 25 miles south of Tikrit.

Museum reopening boosts Iraqi national pride Posted: 02 Mar 2015 05:34 AM PST Even as Iraq mourned the destruction of priceless artefacts by jihadists in Mosul, the national museum in Baghdad brought joy and pride to visitors as it opened its doors for the first time in 12 years. The reopening to the public on Sunday was brought forward in response to a video released last week by the Islamic State group showing militants destroying statues in Mosul. Many of the pieces on display in Baghdad were among the 15,000 looted when mobs ransacked the museum during the plundering spree that gripped the capital when US forces toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003.

Iraq's Tikrit: From Saddam to the Islamic State group Posted: 02 Mar 2015 05:28 AM PST Executed Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein's hometown and last bastion, Tikrit has become one of the Islamic State group's main strongholds. Government forces have been working their way north in recent months, notching up key victories against the jihadists, who seized Tikrit last June. The province is named for the Muslim warlord of the same name who seized Jerusalem in 1187 and whose birthplace was Tikrit. Saddam modelled himself on Salaheddin, a Kurd considered to the one of Islam's most brilliant strategists, a reputation he gained during his fight against the Christian crusaders.

With newfound swagger, Turkey's Erdogan seeks to expand his influence Posted: 02 Mar 2015 04:30 AM PST When Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas visited Ankara, Turkey, in January, an extraordinary sight awaited him – and not just the enormous new palace of his host. On the grand staircase of the 1,150-room complex, which dwarfs both the Kremlin and Versailles, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan greeted him flanked by 16 warriors dressed in period garb, supposedly representing 16 Turkic dynasties dating back to ancient times. Like the enormous palace, they illustrate the increasingly eccentric figure Turkey's leader is cutting on the world stage, as well as his vaunting ambition. His rhetoric often invokes Turkey's imperial heritage, especially the Ottoman Empire, which once ruled North Africa, the Middle East, and much of Southeast Europe.

AP PHOTOS: Editor selections from the Middle East Posted: 02 Mar 2015 03:56 AM PST Across the Middle East this week, the extremist Islamic State group that holds a third of both Iraq and Syria destroyed ancient artifacts and kidnapped more than 200 Christians.

Iraq's Tikrit: A Sunni bastion on the road to Mosul Posted: 02 Mar 2015 03:03 AM PST The offensive launched Monday by Iraqi troops backed by Shiite militias and Sunni tribal fighters is aimed at capturing Tikrit, a Sunni city 80 miles (130 kilometers) north of Baghdad that was captured by Islamic State militants during their lightning advance last summer.

Germany’s New Policy Plan Puts the US on Catch Up Posted: 02 Mar 2015 02:45 AM PST Germany now proves the point, and Americans should sit up straight and take a long look. Quietly, as the Germans often do things, Berlin's foreign ministry began a study last year to determine the core principles guiding its relations with the rest of the world. Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier announced the results in the Bundestag last week. "The world has changed, and the Federal Foreign Office must change with it," Steinmeier told the assembled parliamentarians.

Top Cuban spy released by Obama says he’s ready for his ‘next order’ from Castro regime Posted: 02 Mar 2015 01:26 AM PST After 16 years in U.S. prisons, Cuban spy Gerardo Hernandez is now a free man in his native Cuba, reunited with his wife and his former comrades. Last Tuesday, Hernandez and his fellow spies — the Cuban Five, they are called there — were officially decorated by President Raúl Castro as national heroes at Cuba's National Assembly.

U.S. army chief says 'very concerned' at UK defense cuts: Daily Telegraph Posted: 02 Mar 2015 01:12 AM PST LONDON (Reuters) - The United States' army chief of staff said he was very concerned about the impact of cuts to British defense spending that he said had forced a review of how Britain's troops could be deployed alongside U.S. forces in future conflicts. In an interview with the Daily Telegraph newspaper published on Monday, Army Chief of Staff General Raymond Odierno urged Britain to maintain defense spending at the NATO agreed level of 2 percent of national output, warning that British forces could end up fighting inside U.S. units rather than alongside them. ...

U.S. army chief says "very concerned" at UK defence cuts - Daily Telegraph reports Posted: 02 Mar 2015 01:10 AM PST The United States' army chief of staff said he was very concerned about the impact of cuts to British defence spending that he said had forced a review of how Britain's troops could be deployed alongside U.S. forces in future conflicts. In an interview with the Daily Telegraph newspaper published on Monday, Army Chief of Staff General Raymond Odierno urged Britain to maintain defence spending at the NATO agreed level of 2 percent of national output, warning that British forces could end up fighting inside U.S. units rather than alongside them. Britain has cut defence spending by around 8 percent in real terms over the last four years to help reduce a record budget deficit, shrinking the size of the armed forces by around one sixth.

Turkey to explore for oil in Iraq's Qandil area, peace talks to pave way: energy minister Posted: 02 Mar 2015 01:00 AM PST ANKARA (Reuters) - Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said on Monday Turkey will explore for oil in the Qandil region of Iraq and that a move towards disarmament by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) should pave the way for this to happen. Yildiz told reporters Turkey owns blocks it wants to explore in the foothills of the Qandil mountains, a remote corner of Kurdish-run northern Iraq dominated by the PKK, which is negotiating a peace process with Turkish authorities to end a 30-year insurgency inside Turkey. (Reporting by Ayla Jean Yackley; Editing by Daren Butler)

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