Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• Syria's Assad says open to dialogue with U.S.: CBS interview
• US Republicans: Saudi action reflects distrust of Obama
• Bowe Bergdahl's time as a Taliban captive likely to frame his defense
• Yemeni leader Hadi leaves country as Saudi Arabia keeps up air strikes
• AP Exclusive: Special ops troops using flawed intel software
• U.S., allies conduct air strikes in Syria, Iraq against Islamic State: task force
• Turkey's Erdogan says can't tolerate Iran bid to dominate Middle East
• Chile beaten 2-0 by Iran in Copa America warmup game
• Oil leaps 5 percent, most in a month, on air strikes in Yemen
• Yemen war clouds raise dangers for top oil shipping route
• Obama discusses Yemen, Iran in call with Turkey's Erdogan
• Turkey may give Saudi Yemen operation 'logistical' support: Erdogan
• US drops graphic leaflet to possible Islamic State recruits
• U.S. has no policy to protect Syrian force after training: general
• US sees opportunity in Iran's pullback in Iraq
• Turmoil in Yemen escalates as Saudi Arabia bombs rebels
• Iraq special forces advance in Tikrit, U.S. coalition joins fight
• US 'hijacking' victory in Iraq's Tikrit: militia groups
• US, Iran nuke talks enter critical round ahead of deadline
• UN seeks settlement freeze from new Israeli government
• Saudi strikes Yemen rebels as Iran warns of 'dangerous step'
• Iran, Saudi Arabia fighting bloody proxy wars across region
• New British Museum galleries to help counter militants' image of Islam
• Contractor extradited from Iraq pleads guilty in bribes case
• US soldier, cousin arrested in IS plot
• Arab foreign ministers agree on unified military force
• After US airstrikes, Iraq troops start final push for Tikrit
• US general: No decision to shield US-trained rebels in Syria
• Factbox: Middle East oil, gas shipping risks; alternative routes
• US National Guardsman and His Cousin Arrested for Trying to Join ISIS, Authorities Say
• WHY IT MATTERS: The Saudi-led intervention in Yemen
• U.S. ruled out Shi'ite militias before joining Tikrit strikes: U.S. general
• In Syria, race to save antiquities from looting, damage
• Iraqi Shiite militias 'pulled back' from Tikrit: US
• Syria, Iraq conflicts send asylum-seeker numbers up 45%: UN
• Iran says Saudi strikes ensure 'more deaths' in Yemen
• Iraq rejects military intervention in Yemen: Foreign Ministry
• World's huddled masses use 4 key land, sea routes to Europe
• US lawmakers introduce bill to better aid Kurds fighting IS

Syria's Assad says open to dialogue with U.S.: CBS interview Posted: 26 Mar 2015 05:06 PM PDT Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is open to having a dialogue with the United States, but there can be no "pressuring of the sovereignty" of his country, he said in an excerpt of an interview with CBS' "60 Minutes" that aired on Thursday. Asked about recent comments by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry that Washington would have to negotiate with the Syrian leader to end the conflict there, Assad said: "As principal, in Syria we could say that every dialogue is a positive thing, and we are going to be open to any dialogue with anyone, including the United States, regarding anything based on mutual respect." While saying there had been no direct communication between Damascus and Washington, Assad, who has been fighting Islamist and other rebels since 2011, added: "Any dialogue is positive, as I said, in principal, of course, without pressuring the sovereignty of Syria." The United States still wants a negotiated political settlement to Syria's civil war that excludes Assad, U.S. officials said earlier this month after Kerry's comments.

US Republicans: Saudi action reflects distrust of Obama Posted: 26 Mar 2015 04:39 PM PDT US Republicans warned Thursday that Saudi-led air-strikes in Yemen, apparently conducted without US coordination, show Arab allies have lost trust in the Obama administration as it navigates delicate nuclear talks with Iran. As warplanes from Saudi Arabia and other allies pounded Huthi Shiite rebel positions for a second straight day, hawkish US lawmakers expressed alarm at the "proxy war" unfolding in the Middle East, and pinned part of the blame on President Barack Obama's foreign policy. The Saudi-led intervention without notifying Washington ahead of time "signals a reality that the countries in the region no longer have confidence or are willing to work with the United States of America," Senator John McCain told reporters. Washington and other world powers are in the midst of intense negotiations with Tehran over limiting its nuclear program in exchange for a lifting of Western economic sanctions.

Bowe Bergdahl's time as a Taliban captive likely to frame his defense Posted: 26 Mar 2015 03:25 PM PDT In the case of US Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, headed now into the military justice system, there are three defendants. Sergeant Bergdahl himself, charged with desertion and "misbehavior before the enemy," could receive a dishonorable discharge and as much as life in prison. The Obama administration faces renewed criticism for gaining Bergdahl's release in a prisoner swap for five Taliban detainees held at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. Why did it accept Bergdahl when he already had washed out of Coast Guard basic training?

Yemeni leader Hadi leaves country as Saudi Arabia keeps up air strikes Posted: 26 Mar 2015 03:05 PM PDT By Khaled Abdallah and Sami Aboudi SANAA/ADEN, Yemen (Reuters) - Yemen's President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi left his refuge in Aden for Saudi Arabia on Thursday as Houthi rebels battled with his forces on the outskirts of the southern port city. Throughout the day, warplanes from Saudi Arabia and Arab allies struck at the Shi'ite Houthis and allied army units, who have taken over much of the country and seek to oust Hadi. Warplanes resumed bombing the Houthi-held capital Sanaa on Thursday evening, shaking whole neighborhoods and terrifying residents. We live near the airport, where we think a lot of the Houthi leaders are living and many of the air strikes are." Houthi leader Abdel-Malek al-Houthi said in a televised speech Yemenis would confront the "criminal, unjust and unjustified aggression" by Saudi Arabia.

AP Exclusive: Special ops troops using flawed intel software Posted: 26 Mar 2015 03:01 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Special operations troops heading to war zones are asking for commercial intelligence analysis software they say will help their missions. But their requests are languishing, and they are being ordered to use a flawed, in-house system preferred by the Pentagon, according to government records and interviews.

U.S., allies conduct air strikes in Syria, Iraq against Islamic State: task force Posted: 26 Mar 2015 02:58 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and its allies staged 29 air strikes on Islamic State targets in Syria and Iraq in the latest round of daily attacks, the Combined Joint Task Force said on Thursday. In Iraq, the coalition conducted 17 air strikes near Tikrit, where Iraqi forces have mounted an offensive to try to oust Islamic State militants from the city. Seven air strikes were conducted against Islamic State targets in other parts of Iraq. In Syria, four air strikes hit Islamic State positions near the city of Kobani and one strike hit near Raqqa. ...

Turkey's Erdogan says can't tolerate Iran bid to dominate Middle East Posted: 26 Mar 2015 02:55 PM PDT By Humeyra Pamuk ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan accused Iran on Thursday of trying to dominate the Middle East and said its efforts have begun annoying Ankara, as well as Saudi Arabia and Gulf Arab countries. Turkey earlier said it supports the Saudi-led military operation against Houthi rebels in Yemen and called on the militia group and its "foreign supporters" to abandon acts which threaten peace and security in the region. "Iran is trying to dominate the region," said Erdogan, who is due to visit Tehran in early April. This has begun annoying us, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf countries.

Chile beaten 2-0 by Iran in Copa America warmup game Posted: 26 Mar 2015 02:28 PM PDT ST. POELTEN, Austria (AP) — Chile slumped to a 2-0 defeat against Iran on Thursday in its second-to-last warmup game before hosting the Copa America in June.

Oil leaps 5 percent, most in a month, on air strikes in Yemen Posted: 26 Mar 2015 01:50 PM PDT Oil jumped about 5 percent on Thursday, the biggest daily gain in a month, as air strikes in Yemen by Saudi Arabia and its Gulf Arab allies sparked fears that escalation of the Middle East battle could disrupt world crude supplies. The Saudi military operation against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who have driven Yemen's president from the capital Sanaa, has not affected oil facilities of major Gulf producers. Some analysts said the chance of an all-out proxy war between the Saudis and Iran looked remote. "You don't want to be short oil when there are stories about bombings next door to Saudi Arabia, even if it's the Saudis who are leading the charge," said Joseph Posillico, senior vice president of energy futures at Jefferies in New York.

Yemen war clouds raise dangers for top oil shipping route Posted: 26 Mar 2015 01:48 PM PDT By Jonathan Saul LONDON (Reuters) - Conflict in Yemen risks spilling out into the busy sea lanes that pass it and potentially disrupt the narrow Bab el-Mandeb passage through which nearly 4 million barrels of oil are shipped daily to Europe, the United States and Asia. Oil prices rose as much as 6 percent on Thursday after neighboring Saudi Arabia and its allies launched air strikes on Yemen that targeted Iran-backed Houthi rebels fighting to oust Yemen's president. "The collapse of Yemen as a political reality and the power of the Houthis will enable Iran to expand its presence on both sides of the Bab el-Mandeb, in the Gulf of Aden and in the Red Sea. Already discrete numbers of Iranian naval vessels regularly sail these waters," J. Peter Pham of U.S. think tank the Atlantic Council said.

Obama discusses Yemen, Iran in call with Turkey's Erdogan Posted: 26 Mar 2015 01:34 PM PDT WASHINGTON/ISTANBUL (Reuters) - President Barack Obama spoke with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday about pressing issues in the Middle East, including the crisis in Yemen, the White House said. The hour-long call was initiated by Turkey, sources in the Turkish president's office said. It came on a day when Erdogan later complained at a news conference that "Iran is trying to dominate the region" and must withdraw forces from Yemen, Syria and Iraq.

Turkey may give Saudi Yemen operation 'logistical' support: Erdogan Posted: 26 Mar 2015 01:31 PM PDT Turkey could provide "logistical" support for Saudi Arabia's operation against Iran-allied Huthi rebels in Yemen, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Thursday, slamming Tehran's involvement in the region. "We support Saudi Arabia's intervention," Erdogan told France 24 in an interview. "Turkey may consider providing logistical support based on the evolution of the situation," he added, without giving further details. Warplanes from a Saudi-led Arab coalition bombed the Huthi Shiite rebels on Thursday, in an operation slammed by Shiite Iran as a military aggression.

US drops graphic leaflet to possible Islamic State recruits Posted: 26 Mar 2015 01:14 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States military dropped 60,000 copies of a graphic leaflet near the northern Syrian city of Raqqah that depict potential Islamic State recruits being fed into a meat grinder.

U.S. has no policy to protect Syrian force after training: general Posted: 26 Mar 2015 01:12 PM PDT By David Alexander WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Syrian opposition forces being trained to fight Islamic State militants will need support from the U.S.-led coalition when they return home, but the Obama administration has yet to decide what protection to offer, a top U.S. commander said on Thursday. Army General Lloyd Austin, the head of U.S. Central Command, told a Senate hearing the Syrian opposition force being trained by the coalition would need help with logistics, air strikes and intelligence but said the administration had not agreed on a policy about providing protection once the troops returned home. His remarks prompted Senator John McCain, a Republican who is chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, to slam the administration for launching the training effort before it had worked through how it would support the forces once they returned to Syria. The United States and coalition partners have begun vetting members of the Syrian opposition and plan to offer military training in as many as four countries across the region.

US sees opportunity in Iran's pullback in Iraq Posted: 26 Mar 2015 01:08 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States persuaded Iraq to sideline Iranian-backed Shiite militias as a condition to American airstrikes in the strategic Iraqi city of Tikrit, a senior U.S. general said Thursday. The move limits Iran's influence, at least temporarily, and could re-invigorate a ground offensive that U.S. officials said had become stalled under Iranian leadership.

Turmoil in Yemen escalates as Saudi Arabia bombs rebels Posted: 26 Mar 2015 01:06 PM PDT SANAA, Yemen (AP) — The turmoil in Yemen grew into a regional conflict Thursday, with Saudi Arabia and its allies bombing Shiite rebels allied with Iran, while Egyptian officials said a ground assault will follow the airstrikes.

Iraq special forces advance in Tikrit, U.S. coalition joins fight Posted: 26 Mar 2015 01:04 PM PDT By Saif Hameed BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi special forces advanced on central Tikrit on Thursday as U.S.-led coalition planes joined the largest offensive yet against Islamic State militants holding out in Saddam Hussein's home city. Coalition jets launched their first air strikes against Islamic State targets in Tikrit on Wednesday, coming off the sidelines to aid Iraqi forces against the Sunni Islamist militants. Underlying the complex web of loyalties behind the conflict, a senior U.S. general said Washington had demanded the withdrawal of Iranian-backed Shi'ite militias fighting alongside Iraq's government before agreeing to take part. Some of the militias are openly hostile to the United States and have targeted Americans in Iraq in the past, but the fight against Islamic State has put them on the same side.

US 'hijacking' victory in Iraq's Tikrit: militia groups Posted: 26 Mar 2015 12:52 PM PDT Iraqi Shiite militias accused Washington Thursday of hijacking the operation to retake Tikrit, threatening a mass pullout even as regular government forces pressed a final assault. The US-led coalition against the Islamic State group launched its first air strikes on Tikrit late Wednesday, in what Washington and Baghdad have described as a potential game-changer in a stalled operation. Iran had so far been the most prominent foreign partner in Baghdad's largest operation against jihadists who swept through Iraq's Sunni heartland nine months ago.

US, Iran nuke talks enter critical round ahead of deadline Posted: 26 Mar 2015 12:43 PM PDT LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — Nuclear negotiations between the United States and Iran entered a critical phase on Thursday with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry meeting his Iranian counterpart less than a week away from a deadline to secure the outline of a deal.

UN seeks settlement freeze from new Israeli government Posted: 26 Mar 2015 12:38 PM PDT Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's new government must take steps to freeze Jewish settlements that are threatening to "kill the very possibility of reaching peace," the UN's Middle East envoy said Thursday. In his final report to the Security Council as Middle East coordinator, Robert Serry said "I frankly do not know if it is already too late" to revive peace talks aimed at the establishment of a Palestinian state. "The minimum conditions of trust cannot be restored without the new Israeli government taking credible steps to freeze settlement activity," the Dutch diplomat told the 15-member council. The appeal from the top UN envoy came as Netanyahu began talks on forming a new government after vowing in a campaign speech that he would never allow the establishment of a Palestinian state under his watch.

Saudi strikes Yemen rebels as Iran warns of 'dangerous step' Posted: 26 Mar 2015 12:30 PM PDT Warplanes from a Saudi-led coalition bombed Huthi Shiite rebels Thursday in support of Yemen's embattled president, who headed to an Arab summit to garner support as Iran warned the intervention was "dangerous". Powerful explosions rocked Sanaa soon after rebel leader Abdulmalik al-Huthi criticised the intervention as "unjustified" and called for supporters to confront the "criminal oppressive aggression". President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi arrived in Riyadh, with officials saying he was on his way to Egypt to take part in a two-day Arab League summit starting Saturday.

Iran, Saudi Arabia fighting bloody proxy wars across region Posted: 26 Mar 2015 12:26 PM PDT BEIRUT (AP) — Airstrikes on Sanaa herald Yemen's emergence as the latest theater for the proxy war between Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shiite-dominated Iran.

New British Museum galleries to help counter militants' image of Islam Posted: 26 Mar 2015 12:15 PM PDT By Michael Roddy LONDON (Reuters) - Art from the Islamic world will be shown in the heart of the British Museum, instead of on the sidelines, in two new galleries funded by a Malaysian foundation which hopes to offset the image created by Islamic militants. The museum, which houses one of the world's largest collections of art and artefacts, said on Thursday it plans to open two new galleries in its south wing devoted to its extensive collection of art from the Islamic world. The two new galleries, which will complement the existing gallery, are being funded for an undisclosed amount by the Albukhary Foundation of Malaysia. Syed Mokhtar Albukhary, the foundation's chairman, said there was an urgent need to make people more aware of the value of art and artefacts from the Islamic world, and the threats to this cultural heritage, especially at a time when historic sites in Iraq are under attack by militants of the Islamic State.

Contractor extradited from Iraq pleads guilty in bribes case Posted: 26 Mar 2015 12:11 PM PDT CINCINNATI (AP) — A man extradited from Iraq on military contract bribery charges has pleaded guilty to three charges in an agreement with federal prosecutors, nearly seven years after he was first arrested in Las Vegas and then fled after cutting off an ankle monitor.

US soldier, cousin arrested in IS plot Posted: 26 Mar 2015 12:09 PM PDT A US military reservist was arrested as he tried to travel to fight for Islamic State jihadists, along with a cousin planning to carry out attacks on military installations, authorities said Thursday. A Justice Department statement said Army National Guard soldier Hasan Edmonds, 22, was detained at Chicago Midway International Airport on Wednesday as he attempted to fly to Egypt. A cousin, Jonas Edmonds, 29, was arrested at his home in Aurora, Illinois at the same time. Both had allegedly conspired to wage war on behalf of Islamic State jihadists, with Hasan Edmonds planning to use his military training to join the group on its frontlines in Iraq and Syria.

Arab foreign ministers agree on unified military force Posted: 26 Mar 2015 12:05 PM PDT Arab foreign ministers meeting in Egypt agreed a draft resolution on Thursday to form a unified military force, in a move aimed at countering growing regional security threats. "The Arab ... ministers agreed on adopting an important principle, which is forming the unified Arab military force," Arab League Secretary General Nabil Elaraby told reporters after the meeting in the resort of Sharm El-Sheikh. "The task of the force will be rapid military intervention to deal with security threats to Arab nations," Elaraby added.

After US airstrikes, Iraq troops start final push for Tikrit Posted: 26 Mar 2015 10:52 AM PDT TIKRIT, Iraq (AP) — Iraqi troops started the final phase of an offensive to recapture Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit on Thursday, a military official said, just hours after the United States launched airstrikes on the Islamic State-held city.

US general: No decision to shield US-trained rebels in Syria Posted: 26 Mar 2015 10:42 AM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — The top U.S. commander in the Middle East says he'd like his forces to protect the Syrian rebels the U.S. is training to fight the Islamic State group.

Factbox: Middle East oil, gas shipping risks; alternative routes Posted: 26 Mar 2015 10:22 AM PDT Warplanes from Saudi Arabia and Arab allies struck Shi'ite Muslim rebels fighting to oust Yemen's president on Thursday, in a push by the world's top oil exporter to check Iranian influence in its backyard. Most of the crude exported from Saudi Arabia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait and Iraq -- together with nearly all the liquefied natural gas (LNG) from lead exporter Qatar -- must slip through a four-mile-wide (6.4 kilometer) channel between Oman and Iran. More than 85 percent of the crude oil that moves through it is sent to Asia -- mainly Japan, India, South Korea and China. The U.S. Fifth Fleet, based in Bahrain and responsible for an area that includes the Gulf, Red Sea, Gulf of Oman and parts of the Indian Ocean, said it would not allow any disruption of traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.

US National Guardsman and His Cousin Arrested for Trying to Join ISIS, Authorities Say Posted: 26 Mar 2015 09:39 AM PDT The FBI has arrested two men -- one of them a current member of the Illinois National Guard -- for allegedly trying to join ISIS, the brutal terrorist group wreaking havoc in Syria and Iraq, authorities said. Army National Guard Specialist Hasan Edmonds, 22, was arrested at Chicago Midway International Airport as he was trying to fly to Egypt, according to authorities. His cousin, Jonas Edmonds, 29, was arrested at his home. Hasan Edmonds first came onto the FBI's radar in late 2014 as he hatched a plan for Hasan Edmonds to join ISIS overseas while Jonas Edmonds launched an attack inside the United States, according to the Justice Department.

WHY IT MATTERS: The Saudi-led intervention in Yemen Posted: 26 Mar 2015 09:26 AM PDT Airstrikes by Saudi Arabia against Iran-backed Shiite rebels in turbulent Yemen have added a regional dimension to the conflict in the Arab world's poorest country. Five reasons why the world should care about what is happening there:

U.S. ruled out Shi'ite militias before joining Tikrit strikes: U.S. general Posted: 26 Mar 2015 09:24 AM PDT The United States conditioned its entry into Iraq's battle to retake Tikrit from Islamic State on the withdrawal of Iran-backed Shi'ite militias from the clearing operation, and they are no longer there, a senior U.S. general told Congress on Thursday. The remarks by General Lloyd Austin, who as head of the U.S. military's Central Command oversees American forces in the Middle East, came a day after the U.S.-led coalition started airstrikes around Tikrit after weeks on the sidelines. "They are not a part of the clearing operations in Tikrit," Austin said, acknowledging, however, that Shi'ite forces were still in the area, perhaps across the river, outside the city.

In Syria, race to save antiquities from looting, damage Posted: 26 Mar 2015 08:41 AM PDT Workers at Syria's National Museum of Damascus carefully wrap statues and place them in boxes to be transported to a safe place, hoping to save the priceless pieces from theft or destruction. Since his 2012 appointment as head of antiquities in the midst of Syria's civil war, Maamoun Abdulkarim says just one thing has been on his mind -- avoiding a repeat of the kind of looting that ravaged Iraq's heritage after the 2003 invasion. Before the Syrian conflict began in 2011, Abdulkarim was co-director of a French-Syrian mission working excavating the 700 so-called Dead Cities of northern Syria, which date back to Roman and Byzantine times. Syria has been the home of many civilisations over the millennia, from the Canaanites to the Ottomans, and is rich in both artistic and architectural treasures.

Iraqi Shiite militias 'pulled back' from Tikrit: US Posted: 26 Mar 2015 08:28 AM PDT Iraq's Shiite militias have withdrawn from the forefront of an offensive to recapture Tikrit from Islamic State jihadists, allowing Baghdad government troops to take the lead, a top US general said Thursday. The Shiite militias "have pulled back from that area" and Iraqi special forces and police are clearing Tikrit, General Lloyd Austin, head of US Central Command, told lawmakers. Austin confirmed previous comments by officials that a US condition for air strikes against the IS group in Tikrit was that the Iraqi government be "in charge" of all forces in the assault on the town.

Syria, Iraq conflicts send asylum-seeker numbers up 45%: UN Posted: 26 Mar 2015 08:23 AM PDT The number of asylum-seekers in industrialised countries rose by nearly half last year, driven by the devastating conflicts in Syria and Iraq, with Germany the top destination, the UN refugee agency said Thursday. In 2014, some 866,000 people applied for asylum in such countries, marking a 45-percent jump from a year earlier and a 22-year high, the UN refugee agency said. The surge is linked to the spiralling conflicts in Syria and Iraq, which have created "the worst humanitarian crisis of our era," spokeswoman Melissa Fleming told reporters. As a sign of the crisis, the number of asylum applications last year was the second highest on record, coming very close to the all-time-high of the about 900,000 requests made in 1992, at the beginning of the conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina, UNHCR said.

Iran says Saudi strikes ensure 'more deaths' in Yemen Posted: 26 Mar 2015 08:02 AM PDT Saudi Arabia's air strikes on Shiite rebels in Yemen triggered fury from Iran Thursday, with officials warning that the military action threatened to spill over into other countries. The bombing of the Huthi rebels, who are said to be backed by Iran, came days after Yemen seemed headed toward all-out civil war as the militia advanced towards the southern city of Aden. Relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia have been strained for years, notably over the civil war in Syria, but the crisis in Yemen has put their interests sharply at odds again.

Iraq rejects military intervention in Yemen: Foreign Ministry Posted: 26 Mar 2015 08:01 AM PDT Iraq rejected the use of force in Yemen on Thursday and said military intervention by Saudi Arabia and Arab allies would complicate the situation. "The Iraqi Foreign Ministry expresses its concern at the military intervention in Yemeni affairs, which leads to complicating the situation further," it said in a statement.

World's huddled masses use 4 key land, sea routes to Europe Posted: 26 Mar 2015 07:59 AM PDT DUBLIN (AP) — Most migrants who live illegally in the European Union fly to the 28-nation bloc on valid visas and simply overstay their welcome. But for the poorest and most desperate travelers of Africa, Asia and the Middle East, the journey often takes months by sea or land, with payments to trafficking gangs.

US lawmakers introduce bill to better aid Kurds fighting IS Posted: 26 Mar 2015 07:53 AM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Top lawmakers on the U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee are introducing legislation to permit U.S. arms to be sent directly to the Kurds fighting against Islamic State militants in Iraq.

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