Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• UK must do more to stop foreign radicals 'preying' on teenagers: lawmakers
• U.S.-led coalition, Iraqis pound Islamic State in Tikrit
• US launches Tikrit air strikes to support Iraqi forces
• James O'Keefe video purportedly catches Cornell dean encouraging pro-IS groups on campus
• U.S. military challenged maritime claims of 19 countries in 2014
• US conducting airstrikes to help Iraq retake Tikrit
• Islamic State fighters take on Libya's rival government forces
• UN worried by rise in mass abductions of children
• How to counter the Islamic State on Twitter
• Man admits trying to sell guns linked to Saddam Hussein
• Syrian rebels seize historic town in south: monitor
• Chad's UN envoy says Boko Haram 'more dangerous' than IS
• Troubling Trends Emerge in Terrorism and Attacks on Surface Transportation
• Ex-Congo child soldier apologizes at U.N. for 1990s killings
• Syria's Assad meets far-right Belgian politician
• Yemen is in a civil war. But where is it headed?
• Pentagon silent on Iraq's prediction of Tikrit air strikes
• Turkish military: army responded to Kurdish rebel attacks
• U.N. tells backers of Libya's rival sides to pressure them for peace
• Congressional Medal of Honor Society Presents 2015 Citizen Honors in Celebration of Medal of Honor Day
• Arab leaders confronted with multiple crises at summit
• Fighters target vital water plants across Middle East: Red Cross
• Iraqi president expects U.S.-led coalition air strikes on Tikrit soon
• NEWS GUIDE: The crisis in Yemen as president flees Aden home
• Three men arrested for recruiting Islamist fighters in Italy
• Iraqi president says expects U.S.-led coalition to carry out air strikes in Tikrit against Islamic State
• U.S., allies hit Islamic State with 19 air strikes: task force
• Sci-Fi Cloaking Device Could Protect Soldiers from Shock Waves
• Fox's Bill O'Reilly says higher ratings prove he's trusted
• Iraq's February oil exports below planned level for IS fight
• Islamic State claims suicide bombing in Libya's Benghazi
• Iraq's oil exports in February were below planned level
• Syria's Assad urges united front with Iraq against terrorism: state media
• Islamic State releases Bangladeshi hostages in Libya oilfield attack
• Sectarian tensions simmer in Iraq shrine city targeted by IS
• US mulls air strikes on Tikrit, aids Iraqis with 'eye in the sky'
• 230 suspected jihadis prevented from leaving Australia
• Sean Penn Reveals Why He Watches ISIS Beheading Videos: "We Are Not Seeing Enough of Real Violence"
• NBC News Chief Andrew Lack Targets MSNBC as Priorities Emerge
• '60 Minutes' correspondent Lara Logan readmitted to hospital

UK must do more to stop foreign radicals 'preying' on teenagers: lawmakers Posted: 25 Mar 2015 05:03 PM PDT British lawmakers on Thursday criticized the government for not doing more to prevent the radicalization of young Britons and to stop them and other citizens traveling to join jihadist groups in places such as Syria and Iraq. Last month three British teenage girls traveled to Syria where they are thought to have joined Islamic State militants, sparking public recriminations over how they were radicalized and why they had been allowed to travel. A report by an influential parliamentary committee said the government was not engaging with mosques and community groups effectively and criticized the way police, schools and parents shared information on youths considered to be at risk. "Radical groups from abroad are preying on young British citizens through social media to encourage them to travel abroad to join them," said Keith Vaz, chairman of parliament's Home Affairs Committee, which produced the report.

U.S.-led coalition, Iraqis pound Islamic State in Tikrit Posted: 25 Mar 2015 04:28 PM PDT By Ahmed Rasheed and Phil Stewart BAGHDAD/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S.-led coalition warplanes launched their first airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Tikrit on Wednesday, officials said, coming off the sidelines to aid Iraqi forces fighting alongside Iran-backed Shi'ite militia on the ground. The decision to give air support to the Tikrit campaign represents the biggest collaboration so far by the U.S.-led coalition, Iraqi forces and Iranian-backed paramilitaries, and opens a new chapter in the war. It also appeared to represent at least a tacit acknowledgement by Baghdad that such airpower was necessary to wrest control of the hometown of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein from Islamic State fighters, after its attempts to go it alone stalled. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said Iraqi forces would prevail with the support of "friendly" countries and the international coalition, including arms, training and aerial support.

US launches Tikrit air strikes to support Iraqi forces Posted: 25 Mar 2015 03:24 PM PDT US aircraft launched bombing raids to support Iraqi forces fighting to recapture Tikrit from the Islamic State group on Wednesday, after Baghdad issued a request for air power. The offensive to take back Tikrit -- the home town of executed dictator Saddam Hussein -- has stalled over the past week with jihadists defending their positions with homemade bombs. "I can confirm that the government of Iraq has requested coalition support for operations in Tikrit," Pentagon spokesman Colonel Steven Warren said.

James O'Keefe video purportedly catches Cornell dean encouraging pro-IS groups on campus Posted: 25 Mar 2015 03:12 PM PDT A video released this week by Project Veritas, O'Keefe's non-profit investigative organization, purports to expose Cornell as a welcoming environment for terrorist groups like ISIS and Hamas.

U.S. military challenged maritime claims of 19 countries in 2014 Posted: 25 Mar 2015 03:05 PM PDT By David Alexander WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. military conducted freedom of navigation operations last year challenging maritime claims by 19 countries, from China to Argentina, asserting U.S. transit rights in defiance of efforts to impose restrictions, the Pentagon said on Wednesday. It was the largest number of countries challenged in more than a decade, establishing the program's return to levels from before the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, when U.S. forces had to curtail operations because of other priorities, officials said. The rise in operations was due in part to an increased focus on Latin America, where the U.S. military challenged the claims of half a dozen countries, including Argentina, Brazil and Venezuela, according to the Pentagon's annual Freedom of Navigation Report for 2014. The military has regularly conducted operations disputing some of China's maritime claims in recent years and did so again in 2014.

US conducting airstrikes to help Iraq retake Tikrit Posted: 25 Mar 2015 03:00 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — At Iraq's request, the U.S. began airstrikes in Tikrit on Wednesday in support of a stalled Iraqi ground offensive to retake the city from Islamic State fighters. The bombing marked a significant expansion of the U.S. military role in Iraq.

Islamic State fighters take on Libya's rival government forces Posted: 25 Mar 2015 02:50 PM PDT By Ayman al-Warfalli BENGHAZI (Reuters) - Militants claiming allegiance to Islamic State fought forces loyal to Libya's two rival governments in the central city of Sirte and further east in Benghazi, state media and military officials said on Wednesday. In Sirte, Islamic State militants killed five members of a force loyal to the government that controls Tripoli, a Tripoli-based news agency said. The United Nations and military sources said the attack near a power station on Sirte's outskirts was a suicide bombing.

UN worried by rise in mass abductions of children Posted: 25 Mar 2015 02:29 PM PDT Mass abductions of children by groups like Boko Haram and the Islamic State are on the rise, with the practice now becoming a tactic of war, a UN envoy warned Wednesday. Leila Zerrougui, the special representative for children and conflict, urged the Security Council to punish armed groups who target children with sanctions and strengthen measures to protect children in conflict. "Mass abductions of women and children are becoming a tactic of war used systematically to terrorize, suppress and humiliate entire communities," Zerrougui told the 15-member council. The envoy spoke as reports surfaced of a mass kidnapping of hundreds of children from the Nigerian town of Damasak by retreating Boko Haram fighters last week.

How to counter the Islamic State on Twitter Posted: 25 Mar 2015 02:10 PM PDT The social media forays of the Islamic State (IS) range from the jarringly adolescent to sophisticated advertising campaigns meant to portray extremism as a normal lifestyle decision. These include Twitter feeds aimed at women, with pictures of kittens and designer shoes tweeted alongside jihadist rhetoric and snapshots of children in IS fan gear, "much as children are dressed in favorite football team jerseys," notes Christina Schori Liang, senior fellow in the Emerging Security Challenges program at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy. While these efforts have prompted popular movements to oppose the IS message, including online vigilante groups of women known as the Anonymisses, the US government has been grappling mightily with how it, too, can counter IS rhetoric in the social media realm. The possibilities might include giving former foreign fighters a platform to discuss how their perception of joining IS did not match up with the reality, and figuring out how to create an atmosphere that encourages the sorts of organic social media outpourings that happened in the wake of the Sydney, Australia, shootings by an IS sympathizer last year.

Man admits trying to sell guns linked to Saddam Hussein Posted: 25 Mar 2015 01:14 PM PDT NEWARK, New Jersey (AP) — A man has admitted that he tried to sell firearms believed to have been owned by Saddam Hussein's family.

Syrian rebels seize historic town in south: monitor Posted: 25 Mar 2015 01:02 PM PDT By Tom Perry BEIRUT (Reuters) - Insurgents seized a historic town in southern Syria from the government on Wednesday, a group monitoring the war said, part of a rebel counter-attack to stop Damascus reclaiming the border zone near Israel and Jordan. A Syrian military source reported heavy fighting with armed groups on Tuesday night in and around Bosra al-Sham, whose ancient city is listed as a UNESCO world heritage site. An alliance of mainstream rebels who are backed by Western and Arab foes of President Bashar al-Assad said they had taken Bosra and declared the start of a new attack against government forces in another area of Deraa province to the northwest. Bosra's historic sites include a citadel built around a second century Roman amphitheatre.

Chad's UN envoy says Boko Haram 'more dangerous' than IS Posted: 25 Mar 2015 12:58 PM PDT Chad's UN envoy on Wednesday voiced frustration over Security Council inaction on endorsing a regional force fighting Boko Haram, arguing that the Nigerian extremists are "more dangerous" than Islamic State fighters. Ambassador Mahamat Cherif told reporters that a draft resolution circulated last week to the 15-member council had hit a wall over a key provision invoking chapter 7 of the UN charter. "I think Boko Haram is more dangerous than ISIS," said Cherif, using the acronym for the Islamic State group sowing violence and fear in Syria and Iraq. Diplomats told AFP that Nigeria had balked at the provision, dealing a major setback to weeks of negotiations on the draft resolution that would also set up a trust fund to help finance the regional force's operations.

Troubling Trends Emerge in Terrorism and Attacks on Surface Transportation Posted: 25 Mar 2015 12:36 PM PDT SAN JOSE, Calif., March 25, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Security experts at the Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI) are seeing some clearly worrisome trends in terrorism. These experts also say it is apparent that the conflicts in Syria and Iraq will be a continuing source of terrorism worldwide. These have attracted an estimated 20,000 foreign fighters, including more than 3000 from Europe, North America, and Australia. Brian Michael Jenkins, director of MTI's National Transportation Safety and Security Center and a counter-terrorism expert, said, "The United States is also back at war, leading a bombing campaign directed at ISIL and other jihadist groups, which will inevitably inspire some to take up the jihadist cause and increase the threat of retaliatory terrorist attacks.

Ex-Congo child soldier apologizes at U.N. for 1990s killings Posted: 25 Mar 2015 12:20 PM PDT By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - A former child soldier from Democratic Republic of Congo told the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday he was sorry for the harm he caused after he was forcefully recruited from his school by an armed group at age 12. "We killed, we looted," said Junior Nzita Nsuami, now 30. "We transported cases of ammunition, we walked thousands of kilometers with just one belief - we must fire on everything that moves out of fear that we will be fired upon." Nsuami, who lives in Kinshasa, told a meeting on children and armed conflict that he had been recruited in eastern Congo by the Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo (AFDL) and fought with the group for three years in the 1990s. Nsuami - now a U.N. goodwill ambassador on the prevention of child soldier recruitment in Congo - said the hardest part was seeing other children play while he was standing guard, asking himself: "Oh God what did I do so that I can't be like them." Millions have died of hunger and disease during two decades of conflict in Congo's resource-rich east and the region remains plagued by armed factions.

Syria's Assad meets far-right Belgian politician Posted: 25 Mar 2015 11:21 AM PDT Syria's President Bashar al-Assad on Wednesday received a delegation of Belgian lawmakers led by far-right Flemish nationalist Filip Dewinter, state media reported. State news agency SANA said Assad met the delegation to discuss the conflict in Syria, in which more than 215,000 people have been killed since March 2011. Assad criticised European countries, without naming them, for "making a serious mistake by allying with countries that support terrorism that distorts Islam". "Terrorist organisations and those who support them do not represent true Islam, which rejects all forms of violence," SANA quoted Assad as telling the delegation.

Yemen is in a civil war. But where is it headed? Posted: 25 Mar 2015 10:27 AM PDT Last week witnessed bloody fighting around the airport in the capital, proclamations and threats from deposed President Abdu Mansur Hadi, and the horrific suicide bombing by Sunni jihadis of two Shiite mosques that claimed more than 140 lives. The real questions now: Where is the civil war headed, and how violent might it become? The US- and Saudi-backed President Hadi is either huddling in the southern city of Aden, which is under assault by the Houthi rebels who seized full control of the capital, Sanaa, in February, or has fled. Just weeks ago it hosted 100 American military advisers, largely focused on fighting Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), the Yemen branch of the Sunni terrorist movement that has organized a series of foiled plots against Western targets.

Pentagon silent on Iraq's prediction of Tikrit air strikes Posted: 25 Mar 2015 09:30 AM PDT The Pentagon declined comment on Iraqi President Fouad Massoum's prediction on Wednesday that the U.S.-led coalition would soon carry out air strikes against Islamic State in Tikrit, saying the United States would not discuss future military operations. Pentagon spokesman Colonel Steve Warren, however, confirmed Massoum's official disclosure in a Reuters interview that United States had started flying intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) flights over Tikrit in support of Iraq forces on the ground.

Turkish military: army responded to Kurdish rebel attacks Posted: 25 Mar 2015 09:20 AM PDT ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey's military says Kurdish rebels launched separate attacks on military units stationed near Turkey's border with Iraq, prompting troops to retaliate. There was no word on any casualties.

U.N. tells backers of Libya's rival sides to pressure them for peace Posted: 25 Mar 2015 08:53 AM PDT By Tom Miles GENEVA (Reuters) - International backers of Libya's rival factions must pressure the warring groups to work out a political deal and help to choke off the supply of guns to the country, a U.N. official said on Wednesday. The United Nations has been sponsoring talks to encourage the rival factions to form a unity government as a way to stop the conflict in the oil-producing country. "If we get a political agreement, the next thing is to convince the armed groups to basically back off," Claudio Cordone, head of human rights at the U.N. Mission in Libya, told a news conference in Geneva. The number of people now under arms, estimated at 100,000 to 300,000, was up to 10 times more than the 30,000 or so Libyans who took part in the revolution that overthrew Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, he added.

Congressional Medal of Honor Society Presents 2015 Citizen Honors in Celebration of Medal of Honor Day Posted: 25 Mar 2015 08:00 AM PDT ARLINGTON, Va., March 25, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Congressional Medal of Honor Society celebrated Medal of Honor Day and recognized its 2015 Citizen Honors recipients at a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery today. "Every year, on this day, the Medal of Honor Recipients visit the Tomb of the Unknown to recognize the sacrifice of those who serve this country. The wreath they place commemorates and honors service and sacrifice," said Ron Rand, president and CEO of the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation. On Medal of Honor Day, America's truest heroes also present their highest honor, the Citizen Service Before Self Awards, to three ordinary Americans who have performed extraordinary deeds.  "It may have been a single instance of bravery, or through a lifetime of service to others.

Arab leaders confronted with multiple crises at summit Posted: 25 Mar 2015 07:29 AM PDT By Ayman Samir and Yara Bayoumy CAIRO (Reuters) - Arab leaders meeting at a summit this week face rapidly deteriorating conflicts in Yemen and Libya, but have yet to agree on a concrete plan to counter a growing threat from Islamist militant groups and regional chaos. Yemen's crisis will be high on the agenda at the March 28-29 Arab League meeting in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, after the country's foreign minister called on Arab states to intervene militarily. The Arab League's deputy secretary general said on Wednesday the regional body would discuss a proposal by Yemen's foreign minister for Arab states to intervene directly and halt the Shi'ite militia's advance.

Fighters target vital water plants across Middle East: Red Cross Posted: 25 Mar 2015 07:16 AM PDT By Stephanie Nebehay GENEVA (Reuters) - Fighters are increasingly targeting water and sanitation facilities across the Middle East, exacerbating severe shortages for agriculture and households, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Wednesday. Militants in Syria, Iraq and Gaza have also used access to water and electricity supplies as "tactical weapons or as bargaining chips," the ICRC said in a report. "Heavy fighting and direct targeting have destroyed water pipes and power lines, leaving this vital resource away from hundreds of millions of people that are at great risk of water-borne diseases," said Robert Mardini, head of ICRC operations for North Africa and the Middle East. Sanitation often got a low priority during the fighting, the ICRC said.

Iraqi president expects U.S.-led coalition air strikes on Tikrit soon Posted: 25 Mar 2015 07:01 AM PDT By Richard Mably and Samia Nakhoul BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi President Fouad Massoum said on Wednesday that the U.S.-led coalition would soon carry out air strikes against Islamic State in the Sunni city of Tikrit, after starting aerial reconnaissance flights this week. A three-week offensive by Iraqi government forces and Iranian-backed Shi'ite paramilitaries has failed to flush out Islamic State fighters from Tikrit, the birthplace of former dictator Saddam Hussein. Iraqi military commanders had asked for air strikes, while the Iranian-backed Shi'ite militias had publicly rejected the U.S. role in the campaign to retake the jihadist bastion.

NEWS GUIDE: The crisis in Yemen as president flees Aden home Posted: 25 Mar 2015 06:55 AM PDT SANAA, Yemen (AP) — Yemen's embattled President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi has fled his palace in the southern city of Aden as Shiite rebels are closing in on the country's third-largest city.

Three men arrested for recruiting Islamist fighters in Italy Posted: 25 Mar 2015 06:43 AM PDT Police arrested three men on Wednesday for allegedly setting up a network in Italy to recruit Islamist fighters to be sent to Syria and Iraq, the Italian authorities said. The other two were Albanians -- one of whom lives in the small Balkan country while the second, his nephew, lives near the northern Italian city of Turin. The Italian man is believed to be the author of a 64-page document in Italian promoting the Islamic State (IS) militant movement that was widely distributed on social media networks. Italian prosecutors said the trio had also put together videos, distributed via the Internet, that were aimed at Italian-speaking Muslims promoting the Islamic State cause and describing a typical day of training for young recruits.

Iraqi president says expects U.S.-led coalition to carry out air strikes in Tikrit against Islamic State Posted: 25 Mar 2015 06:14 AM PDT BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's President Fouad Massoum said on Wednesday that the U.S.-led coalition is expected to carry out air strikes soon against Islamic State in the Sunni city of Tikrit, after starting aerial reconnaissance flights this week. "Since yesterday, aerial support and reconnaissance flights started in Tikrit. They first begin with reconnaissance missions; then they compile the aerial reports; and afterwards the aerial(strike) operations start," Massoum told Reuters at the presidential palace in Baghdad. ...

U.S., allies hit Islamic State with 19 air strikes: task force Posted: 25 Mar 2015 06:02 AM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and its allies staged 19 air strikes on Islamic State targets in Syria and Iraq in the latest round of daily attacks, the Combined Joint Task Force said on Wednesday. The strikes occurred between Tuesday and Wednesday mornings. In Syria, all five airstrikes hit near the city of Kobani and struck Islamic State tactical units, fighting positions and vehicles. The task force said a total of 14 strikes hit in Iraq near Bayji, Falluja, Mosul and Tal Afar hit tactical units, vehicles, excavators, machine guns and buildings. ...

Sci-Fi Cloaking Device Could Protect Soldiers from Shock Waves Posted: 25 Mar 2015 04:46 AM PDT The just-issued patent (No. 8,981,261) to Boeing envisions stopping shock waves using a veil of heated, ionized air. It doesn't build an invisible wall of force, but rather makes shock waves bend around objects, just as some high-tech materials bend light and make things invisible. Brian J. Tillotson, a senior research fellow at Boeing, said the idea occurred to him after noticing the kinds of injuries suffered by soldiers who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. "We were doing a much better job of stopping shrapnel," Tillotson told Live Science.

Fox's Bill O'Reilly says higher ratings prove he's trusted Posted: 25 Mar 2015 04:18 AM PDT Fox News Channel host Bill O'Reilly says he thinks television viewers trust him despite accusations he stretched the truth when he was a young reporter covering straight news. He said on the CBS "Late ...

Iraq's February oil exports below planned level for IS fight Posted: 25 Mar 2015 03:27 AM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq's oil exports for last month were below planned levels, the country's Oil Ministry said Wednesday, depriving the nation of badly needed funds for its battle against the Islamic state group.

Islamic State claims suicide bombing in Libya's Benghazi Posted: 25 Mar 2015 02:14 AM PDT By Ayman al-Warfalli BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) - Islamic State militants claimed a suicide bombing that killed seven people at an army checkpoint in the Libyan city of Benghazi on Tuesday and triggered retaliatory air strikes by army forces. In a separate incident in Libya's second-largest city, where army forces are fighting Islamist militants, a rocket hit a residential building, killing a 17-year old girl and another person, medics said. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the checkpoint suicide bombing in a statement posted on Twitter.

Iraq's oil exports in February were below planned level Posted: 25 Mar 2015 01:55 AM PDT Iraq's Oil Ministry says crude exports averaged 2.596 million barrels a day in February, far from levels planned to provide the nation with badly needed cash for ongoing military operations against Islamic ...

Syria's Assad urges united front with Iraq against terrorism: state media Posted: 25 Mar 2015 01:06 AM PDT By Suleiman Al-Khalidi and Laila Bassam AMMAN/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad called on Tuesday during talks with Iraq's foreign minister in Damascus for a united front with Baghdad in tackling terrorism as the two countries battle Islamic State militants on their territory. The Shi'ite Muslim-led government in Baghdad, along with Iran and the Lebanese group Hezbollah, has been an important ally for Assad. Shi'ite Iraqi militias have fought on Assad's side against the insurgency spearheaded by Sunni Islamists.

Islamic State releases Bangladeshi hostages in Libya oilfield attack Posted: 25 Mar 2015 12:26 AM PDT Two Bangladeshi citizens, among a group of foreign workers taken hostage by the Islamic State militant group in an attack on a Libyan oilfield, have been released after more than two weeks, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday. Foreigners have increasingly become targets in Libya's turmoil, where two rival governments are battling for control and Islamist extremists have grown in the chaos that followed Muammar Gaddafi's ouster four years ago. Up to 10 foreign workers were missing after the attack on the Al-Ghani oilfield south of the city of Sirte, Czech and Libyan officials have said. Helal Uddin and Mohammed Anowar Hossain were released on Tuesday evening and now staying overnight at Sirte hospital, about 700 kms (435 miles) from Tripoli, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Sectarian tensions simmer in Iraq shrine city targeted by IS Posted: 24 Mar 2015 11:01 PM PDT SAMARRA, Iraq (AP) — The al-Askari shrine in the Iraqi city of Samarra is surrounded by thousands of Shiite militiamen in mismatched uniforms, many of them awaiting transport to the nearby front lines of the war against the Islamic State group.

US mulls air strikes on Tikrit, aids Iraqis with 'eye in the sky' Posted: 24 Mar 2015 10:36 PM PDT Washington is considering launching air strikes, possibly within days, to back up Iraqi and Shiite forces battling to recapture Tikrit from the Islamic State jihadist group, US officials said. The statement came Tuesday after an official said the US was already providing reconnaissance support for Iraqi forces there, the first confirmation of American involvement in the operation. A US-led coalition has targeted IS with air strikes and provided training and equipment to Iraqi forces, but had not previously announced direct assistance for the Tikrit operation, in which Iran has played a major role. Possible air strikes near Tikrit are "being discussed at a high level" and could be days or weeks away, a US official told AFP.

230 suspected jihadis prevented from leaving Australia Posted: 24 Mar 2015 10:21 PM PDT CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Counterterrorism squads have prevented 230 suspected jihadis from departing Australian airports for the Middle East this month, including at least three teenage boys, officials said Wednesday.

Sean Penn Reveals Why He Watches ISIS Beheading Videos: "We Are Not Seeing Enough of Real Violence" Posted: 24 Mar 2015 09:00 PM PDT 'The Gunman' star feels that Americans are becoming "anesthetized" to seeing "the horror of war."

NBC News Chief Andrew Lack Targets MSNBC as Priorities Emerge Posted: 24 Mar 2015 09:00 PM PDT Reviving the reeling network and figuring out Brian Williams' fate top the list as the exec takes charge.

'60 Minutes' correspondent Lara Logan readmitted to hospital Posted: 24 Mar 2015 07:36 PM PDT (Reuters) - CBS News "60 Minutes" correspondent Lara Logan has been readmitted to a Washington, D.C., hospital, the network said on Tuesday, reportedly for complications stemming from the sexual assault she survived while covering Egypt's political uprising in 2011. The Breitbart News website, citing sources close to Logan, said the 43-year-old journalist was still physically suffering from the attack she endured at the hands of a mob in Cairo's Tahrir Square on the day Egyptian ruler Hosni Mubarak stepped down from power. A spokesman for "60 Minutes" confirmed in a statement that Logan had been hospitalized again on Monday in the nation's capital but did not reveal any circumstances. Logan, a South Africa native and longtime war correspondent, was one of dozens of journalists attacked during several weeks of protests throughout Egypt leading up to Mubarak's ouster in February 2011.

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