Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• Pentagon notifying 100 U.S. troops threatened by Islamic State
• Assange demands rape case files before Sweden questions him
• Carter: Troop data in online kill list was not stolen
• Terrorism expert: Tsarnaev note in boat used jihadi themes
• Morocco says IS cell brought in arms through Spanish enclave
• Tunisia PM fires police chiefs over museum attacks
• Jordan says anti-IS coalition to train 'Syrian tribes'
• In Tunisia's tourist heartland, anxious wait after attack
• Kerry back to Switzerland as Iran nuclear deadline looms
• France swings to the right as Europe retrenches
• U.S., allies conduct 14 air strikes against Islamic State: task force
• Florida Rep. Patrick Murphy announces bid for U.S. Senate seat in 2016
• Algeria temporarily evacuates Turkish workers after IS threat: sources
• IS claims killing 29 Yemeni police
• Tunisia's premier fires six police commanders after museum attack
• NEWS GUIDE: The crisis in Yemen
• Obama to host Iraq PM on April 14
• Jordan says it will help train Syrian rebels to fight IS
• Islamic State moves west to attack Syrian army in Homs: monitor
• Afghan leader thanks U.S. troops as Obama expected to slow pullout
• Tunisia's premier fires six police commanders after Bardo Museum attack
• Briefing: Who is battling Islamic State in Iraq?
• Saudi king invites Iraq PM to visit as ties thaw
• Iran expands regional 'empire' ahead of nuclear deal
• Yemen foes square off as fears of war, Saudi-Iran rivalry grow
• Factbox - Yemen risks: separatism, sea lanes, Qaeda, poverty, sectarianism
• Britain to investigate Sharia courts, crack down on extremist preachers
• Obama hosting Iraqi, Japanese leaders next month
• Iraq officials: Baghdad bombings kill 19; wound 36
• Obama, Iraqi prime minister to meet April 14 in Washington: White House
• Brian Williams attends gala to keep alma mater open
• China’s New Development Bank: How Obama Blew It in the Pacific (Again)
• Britain tells United States - We'll always fight by your side
• Syria Kurds yet to be fully embraced by US in anti-IS fight
• Saudi Arabia invites Iraq's Abadi to visit in big sign of thaw
• France faces 'unprecedented' terror threat, say officials
• MAN STAYS ON THE SIDELINES WHEN FAMILY TALKS SPORTS
• 'I am responsible,' says grieving father of Australian IS bomber
• 10 Things to Know for Monday

Pentagon notifying 100 U.S. troops threatened by Islamic State Posted: 23 Mar 2015 03:55 PM PDT The Pentagon said on Monday it was notifying 100 U.S. troops that a group claiming ties to Islamic State militants had posted their names, addresses and photos on the Internet and was calling for American sympathizers to kill them. Asked about the kill list, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said the Pentagon took "the safety of our people very seriously" and that the posting of the list on social media was the sort of "vile" behavior that caused the United States to be determined to defeat Islamic State militants in the first place. Carter, speaking at Camp David after a meeting with Afghan leaders, rejected claims that the group, which identified itself as the Islamic State Hacking Division, had stolen the information by breaking into U.S. military servers, databases and emails. It wasn't stolen from any DoD (Defense Department) websites or any confidential databases," Carter said, referring to the group by an acronym.

Assange demands rape case files before Sweden questions him Posted: 23 Mar 2015 03:53 PM PDT WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will agree to be questioned by Swedish prosecutors in London over rape allegations, but only if he is given access to the investigation files, his defence said Monday. "We need to be provided access to the entirety of the proceedings, which for four and half years has been in the hands of the Swedish prosecution and not in the hands of the defence," said Baltasar Garzon, a former Spanish judge who is Assange's lawyer. Swedish prosecutors offered earlier this month to drop their previous demand that Assange come to Sweden for questioning about the 2010 allegations, marking a significant U-turn in the case that has been deadlocked for nearly five years. Sweden issued an arrest warrant for Assange in 2010 following allegations from two women in Sweden, one who claimed rape and another who alleged sexual assault.

Carter: Troop data in online kill list was not stolen Posted: 23 Mar 2015 02:39 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — The names, photos and addresses of 100 U.S. military members posted online by a group calling itself the Islamic State Hacking Division were not stolen from confidential government files, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Monday.

Terrorism expert: Tsarnaev note in boat used jihadi themes Posted: 23 Mar 2015 02:30 PM PDT BOSTON (AP) — A note written by Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev as he hid inside a boat contained themes of global jihad similar to those found in extremist materials on his computer, a terrorism expert testified Monday at his federal death penalty trial.

Morocco says IS cell brought in arms through Spanish enclave Posted: 23 Mar 2015 02:06 PM PDT Salé (Morocco) (AFP) - Moroccan authorities said Monday a "terrorist cell" they dismantled had brought in arms through the Spanish enclave of Melilla to carry out attacks for the Islamic State jihadist group. The cell was made up of 13 members aged between 19 and 37, most of them without primary school education, said Abdelhak Khiame, head of Morocco's newly-formed judicial investigations agency. He told reporters that 440 rounds of ammunition, six pistols, 31 handcuffs and electronic gear were seized at a cache near Agadir in southern Morocco.

Tunisia PM fires police chiefs over museum attacks Posted: 23 Mar 2015 01:14 PM PDT Tunisia's prime minister fired police chiefs in the capital Monday as the country looks to restore faith in its tourism industry after last week's jihadist attack that killed 20 foreigners. Prime Minister Habib Essid sacked the heads of police for Tunis and the area around the National Bardo Museum, site of the assault claimed by the Islamic State group, after finding "several deficiencies" in security. The dismissals came as the museum prepared to reopen in what organisers said was "a message" to the gunmen who killed 20 tourists and a police officer last Wednesday. "It's a challenge but also a message... we want to show that they haven't achieved their goal," museum curator Moncef Ben Moussa said.

Jordan says anti-IS coalition to train 'Syrian tribes' Posted: 23 Mar 2015 01:10 PM PDT Jordan and other members of the US-led coalition targeting the Islamic State jihadist group are to train fighters belonging to "Syrian tribes", the Jordanian government spokesman said on Monday. "Jordan and other nations in the coalition and in the region will jointly train... Syrian tribes to fight against the terrorist bands," Mohammad al-Momani said at a news conference. He did not specify which tribes he was referring to. The Syrian conflict, which began in March 2011 as a popular uprising but later became a civil war in which more than 215,000 people have been killed, has become even more complex with the rise of jihadist groups such as IS.

In Tunisia's tourist heartland, anxious wait after attack Posted: 23 Mar 2015 12:52 PM PDT By Patrick Markey and Tarek Amara YASMIN HAMMAMET, Tunisia (Reuters) - The European visitors strolling Tunisia's Hammamet resort are an encouraging sign for a government determined to minimize the fallout of last week's shooting of 20 tourists in the nearby capital. Japanese, Spanish, Italian and Colombian tourists were among the victims when at least two gunmen opened fire on their buses as they arrived at the Tunis Bardo Museum, which houses some of the Roman artifacts that are one of Tunisia's major draws. Tourism minister Salma Loumi said the impact from the attack appeared limited so far, with a few cancellations but words of encouragement from travel agency and tour company partners for the north African country's mostly package-holiday bookings. Six million tourists, mostly Europeans, hit Tunisia's yellow sand beaches, desert treks and medina souks last year, providing seven percent of its gross domestic product, most of its foreign currency revenues and more jobs than anything but farming.

Kerry back to Switzerland as Iran nuclear deadline looms Posted: 23 Mar 2015 11:56 AM PDT US Secretary of State John Kerry will return to Switzerland for talks Thursday on a deal to restrain Iran's nuclear program, five days before a deadline to reach the outlines of an agreement. Kerry's office said Monday he would meet his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif in Lausanne for the next stage in talks between the so-called "P5+1" world powers and Iran. Washington and its allies believe Iran's purportedly civilian nuclear power program is a cover for an alleged drive by the Islamic republic to develop atomic weapons.

France swings to the right as Europe retrenches Posted: 23 Mar 2015 11:54 AM PDT PARIS (AP) — France, long the land of the left, is making a right turn.

U.S., allies conduct 14 air strikes against Islamic State: task force Posted: 23 Mar 2015 11:54 AM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and its coalition allies have staged eight air strikes against Islamic State militants in Syria and six in Iraq since early on Sunday, the Combined Joint Task Force overseeing the operations said in a statement on Monday. All eight air strikes in Syria targeted Islamic State fighting positions, tactical units and a vehicle near Kobani. In Iraq, strikes hit targets near Mosul, Ramadi and Sinjar, among other locations, the statement said. (Reporting by Emily Stephenson; Editing by Sandra Maler)

Florida Rep. Patrick Murphy announces bid for U.S. Senate seat in 2016 Posted: 23 Mar 2015 11:01 AM PDT (Reuters) - Democratic Florida congressman Patrick Murphy said on Monday he would run in 2016 for the U.S. Senate seat held by Marco Rubio, a high-profile Republican who is considering a presidential bid. In a statement announcing his candidacy for Senate, he emphasized his background in business and accused Rubio of putting his political future ahead of the state. "For years, Senator Rubio has put the needs of Floridians behind his presidential ambitions," Murphy said. "We need a leader in the Senate whose eyes are firmly fixed on the people of Florida by working together to get things done." A onetime Republican who switched parties after becoming disillusioned over the Iraq war, Murphy has demonstrated strength in a traditionally conservative region in southeastern Florida.

Algeria temporarily evacuates Turkish workers after IS threat: sources Posted: 23 Mar 2015 10:41 AM PDT By Lamine Chikhi ALGIERS (Reuters) - Algerian authorities temporarily evacuated nearly 100 Turkish construction workers from a roadway project east of Algiers as a precaution after a threat from militants affiliated with Islamic State, security sources said on Monday. The measure underscores growing concern over militant attacks in North Africa following last week's Bardo museum massacre of foreign tourists in Tunisia and Islamic State's growing presence in neighboring Libya. A French tourist was kidnapped and beheaded in the area by Islamic State loyalists last year. Algeria, which saw a decade of Islamist insurrection in the 1990s in which 200,000 people were killed, is a top U.S. ally in the fight against Islamist militancy in the Sahel region.

IS claims killing 29 Yemeni police Posted: 23 Mar 2015 10:25 AM PDT The Islamic State jihadist group claimed responsibility Monday for an attack on police in south Yemen that left 29 dead, in a sign of its growing activity in the turbulent country. The attacks in the capital and in Lahj the same day were the first claimed by IS in Yemen, where its rival Al-Qaeda group remains the most prominent extremist organisation. The group's "lions" in Lahj "liquidated 29 apostates" among members of the security forces, it said in a brief statement posted on Twitter. A local security official said 29 people, including 27 members of the security forces, were killed in clashes in Lahj, north of the port city of Aden, after gunmen attacked police.

Tunisia's premier fires six police commanders after museum attack Posted: 23 Mar 2015 09:59 AM PDT By Tarek Amara TUNIS (Reuters) - Tunisian Prime Minister Habib Essid fired six police commanders on Monday, including the head of tourist security, after a militant attack on the national museum last week in which 20 foreign visitors were killed. The premier's office spokesman, Mofdi Mssedi, said the six also included an intelligence brigade chief, the Tunis district police chief, the traffic police commander, a Bardo Museum security chief and a commander for the capital's Sidi Bachir district. "Prime Minister Habib Essid visited the Bardo Museum yesterday and took note of several security failures there," Mssedi said. Militant gunmen killed 20 foreign tourists, including Japanese, Polish, Italian and Spanish visitors, last Wednesday as they got off buses at the Bardo Museum, inside the parliament compound that is normally heavily guarded.

NEWS GUIDE: The crisis in Yemen Posted: 23 Mar 2015 09:55 AM PDT SANAA, Yemen (AP) — Yemen's Shiite rebels, backed by supporters of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, have largely seized the third-largest city after capturing the capital Sanaa in September, effectively splitting the country in half and hindering U.S. efforts to combat a powerful local al-Qaida affiliate.

Obama to host Iraq PM on April 14 Posted: 23 Mar 2015 09:49 AM PDT President Barack Obama will host Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi next month, the White House announced on Monday. "The prime minister's visit underscores the strategic partnership between the United States and Iraq and the strong US commitment to political and military cooperation with Iraq in the joint fight against ISIL," a White House statement said. The two leaders' planned meeting come amid daily coalition air strikes on Islamic State targets in Iraq and Syria, and after a return by US forces to Iraq last year to help take on the jihadist group.

Jordan says it will help train Syrian rebels to fight IS Posted: 23 Mar 2015 09:41 AM PDT AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — Jordan says it will help train Syrian rebels as part of its fight against the extremist Islamic State group, which controls parts of neighboring Syria and Iraq.

Islamic State moves west to attack Syrian army in Homs: monitor Posted: 23 Mar 2015 08:45 AM PDT By Oliver Holmes and Mariam Karouny BEIRUT (Reuters) - Islamic State fighters attacked a military airport in Syria's Homs province on Monday as they pressed a westward offensive against government strongholds, a monitoring group said. Forays by Islamic State, which is strongest in the northeast and east, into the provinces of Homs, Hama and even Damascus pose a fresh challenge for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Syria's army has seized control of a swathe of territory from Damascus through the cities of Homs and Hama to the western coast by defeating other, less powerful militias including rebels fighting under the banner of the Free Syrian Army.

Afghan leader thanks U.S. troops as Obama expected to slow pullout Posted: 23 Mar 2015 08:21 AM PDT By Phil Stewart WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Afghan President Ashraf Ghani praised U.S. troops who have fought and died during more than 13 years of war in his country as he kicked off a visit to Washington on Monday to drive home the case for slowing the withdrawal of America forces. His words of gratitude marked a sharp contrast with his predecessor, Hamid Karzai, who left office last year accusing the United States of inflicting a war on his country that has intensified with the drawdown of U.S. forces. With a more friendly partner in Ghani, U.S. officials acknowledge that conditions have changed since May when President Barack Obama declared that by the end of 2015 the U.S. force would be roughly halved from the current total of about 10,000 and would operate only from bases in Kabul and Bagram.

Tunisia's premier fires six police commanders after Bardo Museum attack Posted: 23 Mar 2015 07:55 AM PDT By Tarek Amara TUNIS (Reuters) - Tunisian Prime Minister Habib Essid fired six police commanders on Monday, including the head of tourist security, after a militant attack on the national museum last week in which 20 foreign visitors were killed. The premier's office spokesman, Mofdi Mssedi, said the six also included an intelligence brigade chief, the Tunis district police chief, the traffic police commander, a Bardo Museum security chief and a commander for the capital's Sidi Bachir district. "Prime Minister Habib Essid visited the Bardo Museum yesterday and took note of several security failures there," Mssedi said. Militant gunmen killed 20 foreign tourists, including Japanese, Polish, Italian and Spanish visitors, last Wednesday as they got off buses at the Bardo Museum, inside the parliament compound that is normally heavily guarded.

Briefing: Who is battling Islamic State in Iraq? Posted: 23 Mar 2015 07:38 AM PDT Disparate groups have a common goal in defeating the self-proclaimed Islamic State, but sectarian strains remain. Iran, Kurds, Shiite militias, and even some Sunnis want to see the extremists defeated, and a major military operation continues in Tikrit, in northern Iraq. When the self-described Islamic State marched into Mosul, a major northern city in Iraq, last June, whole divisions of the Iraqi Army collapsed and fled. The hollowness of the Iraqi Army – largely the result of a corrupt, self-interested leadership – coupled with the genocidal intent of IS to wipe out not only Iraq's Shiite majority but also its religious minorities have drawn Shiite militias front and center into the fight.

Saudi king invites Iraq PM to visit as ties thaw Posted: 23 Mar 2015 07:19 AM PDT Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi received an invitation from King Salman to visit Saudi Arabia, as relations between the two nations improve, the premier's office said. Ties between Baghdad and Riyadh have become steadily better since Abadi took office last year after reaching a low ebb under his predecessor Nuri al-Maliki, who accused Saudi Arabia of backing militants in Iraq while it criticised him as sectarian. Iraqi President Fuad Masum visited Saudi, and Riyadh announced in January that it would reopen an embassy in Iraq for the first time in more than two decades. The invitation came during a phone call with the king in which Abadi sought to emphasise the cross-sectarian nature of Baghdad's battle against the Islamic State jihadist group, which led an offensive that overran large parts of Iraq last June.

Iran expands regional 'empire' ahead of nuclear deal Posted: 23 Mar 2015 07:16 AM PDT By Samia Nakhoul BEIRUT (Reuters) - With Iran moving closer to a deal with world powers to constrain its nuclear program in return for an end to sanctions, Arab analysts and leaders are focused more on how Tehran is working unconstrained to tighten its grip on Arab states, from Iraq to Lebanon, and Syria to Yemen. The man behind what some see as an attempt to create a new Persian and Shi'ite "empire" on Arab land is Major General Qassem Soleimani, commander of the al-Quds brigade of the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Photos of Soleimani, 60, almost an invisible man until the Sunni jihadis of Islamic State (IS) overran cities in northern and central Iraq last year, are now everywhere. He is seen directing operations in the battle to recapture from IS the Sunni city of Tikrit, birthplace of Saddam Hussein.

Yemen foes square off as fears of war, Saudi-Iran rivalry grow Posted: 23 Mar 2015 07:12 AM PDT By Angus McDowall and Noah Browning RIYADH/DUBAI (Reuters) - Yemen's top factions are squaring off for battle after months of skirmishes, turning respectively to neighboring Saudi Arabia and its regional rival Iran for help in what may become all-out war. With President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi seeking a comeback from the port city of Aden while the Shi'ite Houthi movement controls the capital Sanaa, rival administrations are trading bellicose rhetoric as fighting intensifies and factions commandeer airfields for the next stage of the struggle. Somewhat on the sidelines, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and Islamic State are waiting to exploit what some fear could become Yemen's worst conflict since a 1994 civil war. "For years Yemen has defied all the odds and proved wrong those who said it was on the brink of civil war and about to collapse," Farea al-Muslimi, a researcher with the Carnegie Middle East Center said.

Factbox - Yemen risks: separatism, sea lanes, Qaeda, poverty, sectarianism Posted: 23 Mar 2015 07:10 AM PDT Houthi fighters and loyalists of Yemen's President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi are locked in a power struggle that diplomats say risks drawing in neighboring Saudi Arabia and its main regional rival Iran. SECTARIANISM The political crisis threatens to pit Yemen's two main Islamic sects against each other. Zaydi Islam, an offshoot of Shi'ism, predominates in the northern highlands while Sunni Shafi'i Islam is the majority school in the south and east. The Houthis are a Zaydi Islamist militia group which says it has no sectarian agenda.

Britain to investigate Sharia courts, crack down on extremist preachers Posted: 23 Mar 2015 06:41 AM PDT Britain will introduce measures to counter Islamist extremism, including an investigation into Sharia courts and a crackdown on incendiary preachers, if Prime Minister David Cameron's Conservatives win May's election, Home Secretary Theresa May said on Monday. May said Britain would no longer tolerate those who rejected the country's values of democracy, free speech, equality and the rule of law, adding that Islamist extremism presented the most serious and widespread problem. "We will no longer tolerate your behaviour." Britain has wrestled with how to deal with extremism and radicalisation among its 2.8 million Muslims since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.

Obama hosting Iraqi, Japanese leaders next month Posted: 23 Mar 2015 06:30 AM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama plans to host Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi at the White House next month to discuss their fight against the Islamic State.

Iraq officials: Baghdad bombings kill 19; wound 36 Posted: 23 Mar 2015 05:31 AM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — Multiple bombings in the Iraqi capital killed at least 19 people and wounded 36, as Iraqi forces continued preparing for a large-scale operation to recapture the city of Tikrit from the Islamic State group.

Obama, Iraqi prime minister to meet April 14 in Washington: White House Posted: 23 Mar 2015 05:22 AM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama and Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi will meet in Washington on April 14, the White House said in a statement on Monday. The two leaders will discuss a range of issues, "including continued U.S. support to Iraq to degrade and ultimately destroy" Islamic State in their White House meeting, the statement said. (Reporting by Washington Newsroom; Editing by Bill Trott)

Brian Williams attends gala to keep alma mater open Posted: 23 Mar 2015 04:11 AM PDT ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS, N.J. (AP) — Suspended NBC News anchor Brian Williams attended a fundraiser and donated $50,000 in a bid to keep his Catholic high school in New Jersey from closing.

China’s New Development Bank: How Obama Blew It in the Pacific (Again) Posted: 23 Mar 2015 02:15 AM PDT When China launched a new multilateral lending institution last October amid fanfare in the Great Hall of the People, the Obama administration had already spent many months opposing it. With one nation after another taking up membership in the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, Obama's Treasury and State Department have swiftly pushed a vexing new reality into every American's face. China had little trouble recruiting members into the AIIB as soon as it chartered the $50 billion institution. Early last week none other than Britain announced above American objections that it will throw its lot in with China.

Britain tells United States - We'll always fight by your side Posted: 23 Mar 2015 01:34 AM PDT Defence Secretary Michael Fallon told the United States on Monday his country would always be at Washington's side on the battlefield "when the chips are down", part of a concerted campaign to assuage U.S. fears over British defence spending. Ahead of an unusually close national election on May 7, Prime Minister David Cameron's Conservatives and the opposition Labour Party are under pressure from lawmakers across the spectrum to commit to protect defence spending after the ballot. Fallon, who held talks with U.S. Defence Secretary Ash Carter earlier this month, said Washington and concerned British lawmakers had nothing to worry about.

Syria Kurds yet to be fully embraced by US in anti-IS fight Posted: 23 Mar 2015 12:40 AM PDT BEIRUT (AP) — For four months, Syrian Kurdish fighters battled the Islamic State group in the rubble-strewn streets of Kobani as U.S. aircraft pounded the extremists from the skies, a joint effort that ultimately expelled the militants from the town and marked their bloodiest defeat in Syria since the air campaign began in September.

Saudi Arabia invites Iraq's Abadi to visit in big sign of thaw Posted: 23 Mar 2015 12:07 AM PDT BAGHDAD/RIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's King Salman has invited Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi to visit the kingdom, Abadi's office said on Monday, in the biggest sign yet of improving ties between the countries after decades of tension. Abadi's office gave no details about the invitation or possible visit, which would be his first as prime minister, including when it might take place. Iraq and Saudi Arabia have found new room to cooperate with each other in the fight against the Islamic State group, which both see as a threat, but long-held suspicions persist. Saudi Arabia hopes Abadi will do more to include Iraqi Sunnis in the government than Maliki did, and will prove more able to distance himself from Iran, Baghdad's main ally and Riyadh's biggest regional foe.

France faces 'unprecedented' terror threat, say officials Posted: 22 Mar 2015 11:02 PM PDT The threat of a jihadist attack in France has reached a level "without precedent" and new attacks are inevitable, according to top counter-terrorism officials. "Not one day goes by without an alert, the discovery of a network trying to send people to Syria or Iraq, or an intervention (by the security services). Defence ministry specialists say the jihadists "use the best encryption and concealment techniques" and that security services are "playing catch-up". "They have lost all inhibitions about violence," said another top counter-terrorism official, also speaking on condition of anonymity.

MAN STAYS ON THE SIDELINES WHEN FAMILY TALKS SPORTS Posted: 22 Mar 2015 10:00 PM PDT DEAR ABBY: My family is big on sports and discusses them at every gathering, big or small. I played sports growing up, but I don't care to follow them in my adult life like the rest of my family does. Sometimes I'm left out of conversations because of my lack of knowledge on the current stats, etc. I have always refrained from speaking about the things I'm passionate about because of lack of interest from them.My good friend said maybe I'm considered less of a man by my brothers and my dad because of my apathy about sports. ...

'I am responsible,' says grieving father of Australian IS bomber Posted: 22 Mar 2015 09:19 PM PDT The heartbroken father of an Australian schoolboy believed to have died while carrying out a suicide bombing for Islamic State said on Monday he felt "totally responsible" for failing to see that his son needed help. Melbourne teen Jake Bilardi, 18, is believed to have carried out the attack in Iraq earlier this month, after allegedly ditching plans for attacks on home soil. Speaking to the media for the first time since his son's death, John Bilardi said Jake had been "a prize, a trophy" to the jihadists who "used him for their own cause". He was my son," he told Nine Network's 60 Minutes programme late Sunday.

10 Things to Know for Monday Posted: 22 Mar 2015 07:14 PM PDT Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about Monday:

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