Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• US man charged with trying to join ISIS
• 'It was him' Boston bombings trial hears
• US forces could have role in Syria in future: Dempsey
• Alec Baldwin: Brian Williams Exaggerated Iraq Story to Appeal to "Pro-Military" Audience
• Egypt warns women against marrying IS fighters online
• Huge surge in migrants entered EU in 2014: Frontex
• Kerry arrives in Saudi for key Gulf talks
• Budget cuts will force U.S. to revise defense strategy: Carter
• Kerry arrives in Saudi Arabia to consult on Iran nuke talks
• Michael Cimino: The Full, Uncensored Hollywood Reporter Interview
• Sestak kicking off 2016 Senate campaign with walk across Pa.
• U.S. Vice President Biden, Iraq's Abadi discuss Tikrit fight
• Concern grows for civilians as noose tightens around Tikrit
• Official says China to boost military budget by 10 percent
• Most Americans Want Obama to Send Ground Troops to Battle ISIS
• Russian court keeps hunger-striking Ukrainian pilot in jail
• New poll finds major American support for sending U.S. ground troops to fight Islamic State
• Islamic State targeted in 12 air strikes by U.S., coalition: statement
• Syrian Kurds see deeper coordination with U.S.-led alliance
• Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation Announces 2015 Citizen Honors Program Honorees
• Civilians at risk in Iraq offensive, rights groups say
• Former marine reported killed in Syria
• Insight: From eastern flank, Iran-backed force advances on Tikrit
• Suspected German member of Islamic State group arrested
• British citizen fighting with Kurds killed in Syria
• French judge issues international arrest warrants for suspects in 1982 Jewish attack
• Conservatives Can't Trust Talk Radio to Cover Foreign Policy
• Somalia top priority in U.N. agriculture organisation funding appeal
• Ex-CIA chief may avoid prison for leaking military secrets
• Two Malaysians identified in IS beheading video from Syria
• Tunisian army kills two Islamist militants near Algerian border
• Somalia top priority in U.N. agriculture organisation funding appeal: TRFN
• Syria's Nusra Front may leave Qaeda to form new entity
• FACT CHECK: Did Netanyahu go too far in US speech?
• Jon Stewart Blasts Benjamin Netanyahu Speech, Republican's "Blowjob" Response
• Jim Carrey Jokes About Brian Williams on NBC's 'SNL' Preshow
• Today in History
• Vermont town rejects lowering voting age to 16: report

US man charged with trying to join ISIS Posted: 04 Mar 2015 04:38 PM PST A California man who tried to travel to Syria last year has been charged with attempting to join the so-called Islamic state militant group, US prosecutors announced Wednesday. Adam Dandach, 21 -- also known as Fadi Fadi Dandach -- was charged with trying to provide support to a foreign terrorist group and making a false passport application statement to facilitate terrorism, they said. If convicted of all the charges, Dandach could face up to 25 years in prison. When arrested Dandach told FBI agents that he was traveling to Syria "for the purpose of pledging his alliance and assistance to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS," according to court documents.

'It was him' Boston bombings trial hears Posted: 04 Mar 2015 04:00 PM PST Lawyers for the student on trial for the Boston marathon bombings bluntly admitted Wednesday that he was responsible for the attacks, but insisted he had been led astray by his brother. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev could face the death penalty and -- while survivors recounted the carnage in graphic detail -- the defense sought to put the bulk of the blame on his slain older sibling. Prosecutors said Tsarnaev carried out the attacks to avenge the deaths of fellow Muslims overseas after learning how to build pressure-cooker bombs through an Al-Qaeda publication. The Kyrgyzstan-born US citizen faces the death penalty if convicted of the bombings which killed three people and wounded 264, on April 15, 2013.

US forces could have role in Syria in future: Dempsey Posted: 04 Mar 2015 03:25 PM PST The US military's top officer, General Martin Dempsey, told lawmakers on Wednesday it was possible special operations forces could eventually be sent to Syria to back up American-trained rebels. Asked if more American troops would have to be sent to Iraq or Syria to take on the Islamic State group, Dempsey said if commanders requested it, he would be ready to endorse it to President Barack Obama.

Alec Baldwin: Brian Williams Exaggerated Iraq Story to Appeal to "Pro-Military" Audience Posted: 04 Mar 2015 02:54 PM PST The actor, who spent seven years as the star of NBC's '30 Rock,' shared his theory during his WNYC radio show, where Williams' ABC News rival George Stephanopoulos also shared some thoughts about the suspended NBC News anchor.

Egypt warns women against marrying IS fighters online Posted: 04 Mar 2015 02:52 PM PST Egypt's state-sponsored Islamic authority warned women Wednesday against marrying fighters from the Islamic State group online, saying such unions would push them into a "circle of terrorism". Dar al-Ifta, the body that issues rulings on Islamic sharia law, said it made the warning after noticing several IS calls on social networks for girls to marry its jihadists "through video conferences". The London-based Institute for Strategic Dialogue said in a recent report that women joining the extremist group in Iraq and Syria are expected to marry its fighters, keep house and bear children. Since December, Egypt has imposed restrictions on male citizens between the ages of 18 and 40 travelling to Turkey and Libya to stop them from joining organisations like the Islamic State, which has captured swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria and is now present in Libya.

Huge surge in migrants entered EU in 2014: Frontex Posted: 04 Mar 2015 02:45 PM PST Nearly triple the number of migrants entered the European Union in 2014 compared to the previous year, mainly due to refugees fleeing war in Syria, the bloc's border agency said Wednesday. "Around 280,000 migrants entered the EU in 2014 compared to just over 100,000 in the previous year. It's a huge increase," Frontex spokeswoman Ewa Moncure told AFP. Hundreds of people have died in recent months as waves of migrants from North Africa and Middle East conflict zones try to reach Europe, fuelling criticism of rescue efforts.

Kerry arrives in Saudi for key Gulf talks Posted: 04 Mar 2015 02:39 PM PST US Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia early Thursday for talks with Gulf allies on Middle East turmoil and the battle against jihadists. Kerry was to brief Gulf foreign ministers about his latest negotiations with Iran to seal a nuclear deal which the United States believes will make the region and the world safer. He arrived from Switzerland where he spent three days in talks with Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. Sunni Gulf nations are wary about the growing rapprochement between Shiite-dominated Iran and Washington, which is seeking the deal to rein in Tehran's nuclear programme.

Budget cuts will force U.S. to revise defense strategy: Carter Posted: 04 Mar 2015 02:26 PM PST By David Alexander WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Defense Secretary Ash Carter urged lawmakers on Wednesday to endorse plans for a Pentagon base budget that exceeds federal spending caps by $35 billion, saying another year of cuts would leave the military unable to execute U.S. defense strategy. Carter, speaking to the defense appropriations panel in the House of Representatives, said the president's request for a $534 billion Pentagon base budget for 2016 would help the military begin to recover after 14 years of war and enable it to invest in a new generation of weapons for the future. "Unless and until the law is changed, this committee has no choice but to draft our bill to comply with the ... caps, at least $37 billion below the president's budget request," Representative Rodney Frelinghuysen told Carter and Army General Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. A 2011 law required the Pentagon to cut nearly $1 trillion in projected defense spending over a decade.

Kerry arrives in Saudi Arabia to consult on Iran nuke talks Posted: 04 Mar 2015 02:19 PM PST RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Fresh from the latest round of Iran nuclear negotiations, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Saudi Arabia Wednesday to ease Gulf Arab concerns about an emerging deal and discuss ways to calm instability in troubled Yemen and other Mideast nations.

Michael Cimino: The Full, Uncensored Hollywood Reporter Interview Posted: 04 Mar 2015 02:03 PM PST Experience a two-hour conversation with a directing legend.

Sestak kicking off 2016 Senate campaign with walk across Pa. Posted: 04 Mar 2015 01:37 PM PST PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Former Pennsylvania congressman Joe Sestak began a 422-mile walk across the state Wednesday to kick off his campaign to capture the U.S. Senate seat occupied by Republican Pat Toomey.

U.S. Vice President Biden, Iraq's Abadi discuss Tikrit fight Posted: 04 Mar 2015 01:36 PM PST U.S. Vice President Joe Biden spoke with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Wednesday about the fight against Islamic State militants including the Iraqi-led operations in Tikrit, the White House said. The U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State militants has not played a role in the battle in Tikrit, the home town of executed Sunni president Saddam Hussein. Biden commended Abadi and Iraqi leaders for "building a national front before launching the ongoing operation near Tikrit," the White House said in a statement.

Concern grows for civilians as noose tightens around Tikrit Posted: 04 Mar 2015 11:55 AM PST Concern mounted Wednesday over the fate of civilians in Tikrit where Iraqi forces were trying to trap Islamic State group jihadists on the third day of a huge offensive to retake the city. Around 30,000 security forces and allied fighters launched Monday the biggest anti-IS ground operation yet in Iraq, closing in on Tikrit from at least three directions.

Official says China to boost military budget by 10 percent Posted: 04 Mar 2015 11:45 AM PST BEIJING (AP) — China's official military budget will grow by about 10 percent in the coming year, a legislative spokeswoman said Wednesday, amid unease among Beijing's neighbors about its growing might and territorial ambitions.

Most Americans Want Obama to Send Ground Troops to Battle ISIS Posted: 04 Mar 2015 10:41 AM PST Public support appears to be growing for a greatly enhanced U.S. role in combatting ISIS jihadists. A new Quinnipiac University poll released on Wednesday shows that Americans by a margin of two-to-one now support deploying more U.S. ground troops to fight and destroy the terror group. Sixty-two percent of those surveyed across the country said they favor sending in ground troops compared with 30 percent who oppose it. The U.S. currently has about 2,300 troops in Iraq, but they are primarily providing security and advice to the Iraqi government while staying far away from the fighting.

Russian court keeps hunger-striking Ukrainian pilot in jail Posted: 04 Mar 2015 10:32 AM PST MOSCOW (AP) — A Moscow court refused Wednesday to release a Ukrainian military officer who has been on hunger strike in a Russian prison since mid-December and has become a national hero in Ukraine.

New poll finds major American support for sending U.S. ground troops to fight Islamic State Posted: 04 Mar 2015 09:20 AM PST By a surprising 2-to-1 edge, Americans now favor sending ground troops into combat against the Islamic State militant group, according to a new poll that may shift the debate in Congress over granting President Obama sweeping war powers.

Islamic State targeted in 12 air strikes by U.S., coalition: statement Posted: 04 Mar 2015 08:37 AM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and its allies staged 12 air strikes on Islamic State targets in Iraq and Syria in a 24-hour period, the Combined Joint Task Force said in a statement on Wednesday. Three strikes near Kobani, Syria, hit a tactical unit and destroyed five fighting positions while in Iraq, five air strikes hit Islamic State bomb-making facilities, a weapons storage site and vehicles. Four raids also were carried out near Ramadi and Sinjar. (Writing by Bill Trott; Editing by Susan Heavey)

Syrian Kurds see deeper coordination with U.S.-led alliance Posted: 04 Mar 2015 08:37 AM PST By Tom Perry BEIRUT (Reuters) - Kurdish forces in Syria say deepening military coordination with the United States and its allies has helped them make rapid advances against Islamic State in an offensive under way in the northeast near the border with Iraq. The Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) have seized two towns and dozens of villages from Islamic State (IS) in an offensive that got under way on Feb. 21 in the strategically important Hasaka province that borders IS-held areas in Iraq. The advance, which has cut at least one Islamic State supply route from Iraq, has moved much faster than the campaign for Kobani, where it took the YPG aided by Iraqi Kurdish fighters and U.S.-led air strikes some four months to defeat IS. Explaining the rapid progress, YPG spokesman Redur Xelil credited direct coordination with the U.S.-led alliance, saying they were planning air strikes via an operations room based in Iraqi Kurdistan.

Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation Announces 2015 Citizen Honors Program Honorees Posted: 04 Mar 2015 07:45 AM PST ARLINGTON, Va., March 4, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation announced its 2015 Citizen Honors Program honorees today.  The three honorees, selected from 20 finalists for their acts of courage and selflessness, are:  Alton Brieske, Jon Meis and Michael Reagan.  The honorees will be recognized in a ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery on National Medal of Honor Day, Wednesday, March 25, 2015.  The ceremony is sponsored by The Boeing Company."Every day, all across America, ordinary citizens perform extraordinary acts of courage and service. ...

Civilians at risk in Iraq offensive, rights groups say Posted: 04 Mar 2015 07:32 AM PST Rights groups expressed concern Wednesday that civilians were at great risk in the huge military operation the Iraqi government launched to retake the jihadist stronghold of Tikrit. On Monday, some 30,000 Iraqi security forces, volunteers, Shiite militia and Sunni tribal fighters launched Baghdad's largest operation yet against the Islamic State jihadist group. "Shiite paramilitary militias have often carried out reprisal sectarian attacks against Sunni civilians who are not involved in the hostilities," said Amnesty International's senior crisis response adviser Donatella Rovera. At the close of Baghdad's previous major operation, which led to IS being forced out of Diyala province, Shiite fighters allegedly executed at least 70 Sunni villagers.

Former marine reported killed in Syria Posted: 04 Mar 2015 07:20 AM PST A former Royal Marine has become the first Briton to be killed while fighting with Kurdish forces battling Islamic State jihadists in Syria, leaving his family "devastated" Wednesday. Konstandinos Erik Scurfield, 25, died on Monday in a battle with IS militants, a source in the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) told AFP. "We are devastated to confirm the death of our son Konstandinos Erik Scurfield in Syria where he went to support the forces opposing Islamic State," his family said in a statement through the Foreign Office. A YPG source said he had arrived in Syria on December 7 and joined the Kurdish militia.

Insight: From eastern flank, Iran-backed force advances on Tikrit Posted: 04 Mar 2015 07:07 AM PST By Thaier al-Sudani UDHAIM DAM, Iraq (Reuters) - Wearing military fatigues and a white turban, the Shi'ite cleric gave an eve-of-battle address to Iran-backed fighters preparing to attack Islamic State militants in Tikrit, praising them for defending their faith and urging them to fight honorably. Seated in front of him in rows, crossed-legged in the grass, were dozens of armed men from Iraq's largest Shi'ite militia, the Badr Organisation, the main element of a force now advancing on Tikrit's eastern flank against the Sunni Muslim Islamic State militants who now dominate most of northern Iraq. This week's multi-pronged attack is the biggest coordinated assault on the city, best known as the home town of executed Sunni president Saddam Hussein, since the radical Islamic State fighters seized it in June.

Suspected German member of Islamic State group arrested Posted: 04 Mar 2015 06:45 AM PST BERLIN (AP) — Prosecutors say they have arrested a German suspected of being a member of the Islamic State group and undergoing weapons training with the extremists.

British citizen fighting with Kurds killed in Syria Posted: 04 Mar 2015 06:12 AM PST IRBIL, Iraq (AP) — A British citizen fighting alongside Kurdish forces against the Islamic State group has been killed in Syria, a Kurdish commander said Wednesday.

French judge issues international arrest warrants for suspects in 1982 Jewish attack Posted: 04 Mar 2015 04:28 AM PST A French magistrate has issued international arrest warrants for three men living in Oslo, Ramallah and Jordan, suspected of carrying out an attack on a Jewish restaurant in Paris in 1982 that killed six people, a judicial source said. The bombing and shooting at the Jo Goldenberg restaurant in an old Jewish neighborhood of Paris was at the time the deadliest anti-Semitic attack in France since World War Two, and was part of a wave of violence from Palestinian militants and other groups during the 1980s. Investigating magistrate Marc Trevidic issued arrest warrants on Feb 20 against three former members of the Abu Nidal Organization, a splinter group of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), the source told Reuters, confirming earlier reports by RTL radio and Paris Match magazine.

Conservatives Can't Trust Talk Radio to Cover Foreign Policy Posted: 04 Mar 2015 03:57 AM PST In 2016, the Republican primary will include a debate about the best approach to foreign policy. For now, to illustrate how foreign policy topics are distorted on talk radio, I offer a specific example from this week. I refer to the widespread mockery of Marie Harf, a spokeswoman for the State Department, for an interview that she gave MSNBC's Chris Mathews on how to defeat ISIS. As someone who has written dozens of articles criticizing President Obama's foreign policy, I am always open to critiques of anyone in his administration.

Somalia top priority in U.N. agriculture organisation funding appeal Posted: 04 Mar 2015 03:42 AM PST ((This corrected version of the story fixes name to Burgeon throughout).) By Chris Arsenault ROME (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has launched an emergency appeal for $697 million to help 30 million people in 31 crisis-hit countries, a senior official with the U.N. agency said on Tuesday. Somalia, Syria and countries in the Sahel region of Africa are some of the areas requiring the greatest assistance to boost agriculture and mitigate hunger, said Dominique Burgeon, director of FAO's emergency division. "We are trying to promote risk management, early warning systems and prevention (of food emergencies)," Burgeon told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Ex-CIA chief may avoid prison for leaking military secrets Posted: 04 Mar 2015 02:47 AM PST RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — If he manages to avoid prison, former CIA director David Petraeus' guilty plea for providing reams of classified material to his mistress will result in far more lenient punishment than that often meted for leaking the nation's secrets.

Two Malaysians identified in IS beheading video from Syria Posted: 04 Mar 2015 02:20 AM PST Malaysian authorities have identified two Malaysians in a video by the Islamic State of a beheading that is believed to have taken place in Syria. Mohd Faris Anuar and Muhamad Wanndy Muhammad Jedi, aged 20 and 25 respectively, were identified as the men involved in the beheading of a Syrian man in a video posted to Facebook on Feb. 22, said Ayub Khan Mydin, the police counter-terrorism division's deputy chief. Wanndy traveled with his wife Nor Mahmudah Ahmad to Syria on Jan. 26, while Faris went last September, said Ayub Khan.

Tunisian army kills two Islamist militants near Algerian border Posted: 04 Mar 2015 02:15 AM PST Tunisian police killed two Islamist militants during clashes near the Algerian border, where the military has been targeted previously in ambushes, the army said on Wednesday. The fighting came after army and police launched a major operation this week to flush out militants from a base in the Chaambi mountains near Algeria. "Our special forces killed two members of the terrorist group in Chaambi mountains in an exchange of fire," said army spokesman Bel Hassen Ouslati. "The Tunisian army seized weapons, after the confrontation with terrorists," he added.

Somalia top priority in U.N. agriculture organisation funding appeal: TRFN Posted: 04 Mar 2015 01:45 AM PST By Chris Arsenault ROME (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has launched an emergency appeal for $697 million to help 30 million people in 31 crisis-hit countries, a senior official with the U.N. agency said on Tuesday. Somalia, Syria and countries in the Sahel region of Africa are some of the areas requiring the greatest assistance to boost agriculture and mitigate hunger, said Dominique Bourgeon, director of FAO's emergency division. "We are trying to promote risk management, early warning systems and prevention (of food emergencies)," Bourgeon told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Syria's Nusra Front may leave Qaeda to form new entity Posted: 03 Mar 2015 10:46 PM PST By Mariam Karouny BEIRUT (Reuters) - Leaders of Syria's Nusra Front are considering cutting their links with al Qaeda to form a new entity backed by some Gulf states trying to topple President Bashar al-Assad, sources said. Sources within and close to Nusra said that Qatar, which enjoys good relations with the group, is encouraging the group to go ahead with the move, which would give Nusra a boost in funding. The exercise could transform Nusra from a weakened militia group into a force capable of taking on Islamic State at a time when it is under pressure from bombing raids and advances by Kurdish and Iraqi military forces. While it awaits the final word from its decision-making Shoura council, Nusra is not wasting time.

FACT CHECK: Did Netanyahu go too far in US speech? Posted: 03 Mar 2015 10:14 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu overstated Iran's domination of the Middle East and understated the timespan of the nuclear deal taking shape with Tehran, while neglecting the role of Congress in lifting Iranian sanctions, in his speech to U.S. lawmakers Tuesday.

Jon Stewart Blasts Benjamin Netanyahu Speech, Republican's "Blowjob" Response Posted: 03 Mar 2015 09:00 PM PST The 'Daily Show' host calls the Republican standing ovation to the Israeli Prime Minister's remarks "the longest blow job a Jewish man has ever received."

Jim Carrey Jokes About Brian Williams on NBC's 'SNL' Preshow Posted: 03 Mar 2015 09:00 PM PST "I just want to say something in his defense: If the helicopter in front of me gets hit, I'm taking the story," Carrey said as Tina Fey and 'Today' show co-hosts Matt Lauer and Savannah Guthrie laughed awkwardly.

Today in History Posted: 03 Mar 2015 09:00 PM PST Today is Wednesday, March 4, the 63rd day of 2015. There are 302 days left in the year.

Vermont town rejects lowering voting age to 16: report Posted: 03 Mar 2015 06:57 PM PST Voters in a Vermont town on Tuesday overwhelmingly rejected lowering the minimum voting age in local elections to 16 from 18, an idea that had been promoted by a longtime activist, a newspaper reported. Residents of Brattleboro voted against the "youth vote amendment" by a nearly 2-to-1 margin, the Brattleboro Reformer said. The amendment was among proposals considered during the annual town meeting. Had voters approved the measure, Brattleboro, a left-leaning town of about 12,000 people in southern Vermont, would have become the second U.S. municipality to lower the voting age to 16, following the Washington suburb of Takoma Park, Maryland, in 2013.

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