Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• US Air Force general fired for A-10 'treason' comments
• Judge denies request to postpone Blackwater sentencing
• U.S. judge rejects ex-Blackwater guards request to postpone Iraq deaths sentencing
• Tunisian extremists hack Belgian website: reports
• US man arrested in suicide bomb plot at Kansas military base
• Spain jihadists suspected of planning kidnaps, execution: judge
• Iran deal could stumble on sensitive nuclear monitoring
• U.S., allies conduct nine air strikes in Iraq, seven in Syria
• Why the Hillary Everyone Knows Is Under Attack
• Kansas man arrested in bomb plot in support of Islamic State: U.S.
• Fort Hood shooting: why it took five years to award victims Purple Hearts
• Arson in German town shows anti-immigrant mood running high
• India PM wants 36 French Rafale fighter jets, talks progress
• Islamic State attacks Iraqi provincial capital
• ISIS-Inspired Kansas Man Accused of Plotting Another Ft. Hood-Type Attack
• White House Brief: Things to know about Hillary Clinton
• Ikea’s Newly Designed Refugee Shelters Are a Game Changer
• Gulf Arabs eye Obama overtures with suspicion in wake of Iran talks
• First Red Cross, UNICEF planes land in Yemen
• France denies TV5Monde cyberjihadists leaked defence docs
• IS holding 50 civilians after raid on Syria village: monitor
• Israel Lobby Conference Internet live stream from the National Press Club on April 10
• After Damascus move, Islamic State attacks rivals near Aleppo
• Russian warns of Islamic State's influence in Russia
• Caroline Kennedy upbeat about economic growth across Asia
• 'The Longest Ride': What the Critics Are Saying
• In rush to reclaim Yemen, exiled leaders risk shattering it
• The Battle Is On to Save Military Bases from Closure
• Officials: 2 bombings kill 11 people in Iraq
• Shell needs to go beyond oil price bet in BG deal
• View of Phnom Penh's fall from diplomat who saw it happen
• Ambassador: US handed Cambodia to 'butcher' 40 years ago
• White House Brief: Things to know about Lincoln Chafee
• Statue row blots Mandela's post-apartheid vision for South Africa
• Algerian army kills four militants east of Algiers: ministry
• Carter says US has made progress against Islamic State
• Japan journalist's new passport bans travel to Iraq, Syria
• Iraq troops hunt for bombs in search for massacre dead

US Air Force general fired for A-10 'treason' comments Posted: 10 Apr 2015 03:44 PM PDT A US Air Force general who warned officers they would be committing "treason" if they praised the A-10 aircraft to lawmakers has been fired and reprimanded, officials said Friday. Major General James Post was removed from his position as the vice commander of Air Combat Command and received a letter of reprimand, the air force said in a statement. The two-star general sparked an uproar over his comments in January to a group of airmen at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, when he addressed the long-running debate about air force plans to scrap the A-10 aircraft. The decision to sack Post was taken by General Herbert Carlisle, head of Air Combat Command, after a report from the air force inspector general into the episode.

Judge denies request to postpone Blackwater sentencing Posted: 10 Apr 2015 03:09 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge on Friday rejected a last-minute request to delay the sentencing hearing for four former Blackwater guards convicted in the 2007 fatal shooting of Iraqi civilians.

U.S. judge rejects ex-Blackwater guards request to postpone Iraq deaths sentencing Posted: 10 Apr 2015 02:36 PM PDT By Lindsay Dunsmuir WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. federal judge on Friday denied a last-minute request by four U.S. former Blackwater guards convicted in the massacre of 14 unarmed Iraqis in 2007 to have their sentencing postponed, and said it will go ahead as planned on Monday. Lawyers for the men on Friday morning filed an emergency motion in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia asking for more time to seek a new trial, contending that a key witness contradicted himself in evidence that came to light this week. Judge Royce Lamberth rejected the request and wrote in his court order that the defendants could file a motion for a new trial based on the alleged discrepancies "at a later date." Last October, a U.S. federal jury convicted Paul Slough, Dustin Heard and Evan Liberty of voluntary and attempted manslaughter and Nicholas Slatten of murder in relation to the notorious deaths of Iraqis at a Baghdad traffic circle.

Tunisian extremists hack Belgian website: reports Posted: 10 Apr 2015 02:34 PM PDT Hackers claiming to be Islamist militants from Tunisia took over a Belgian regional government website Friday to denounce US counter-terror operations, reports said. The economic news website of the French-speaking Walloon regional government in southern Belgium ran a video in English when accessed showing bodies said to be victims of US military action. Le Soir daily said on its website that the Tunisian group involved was known as the "Fallaga Team" and had hacked several French institutions shortly after bloody Islamist attacks in Paris in January, which left 17 people dead.

US man arrested in suicide bomb plot at Kansas military base Posted: 10 Apr 2015 02:20 PM PDT Federal agents snared an alleged would-be suicide bomber with Islamic State sympathies who was bent on attacking a major US military base Friday, in a sting operation worthy of a Hollywood thriller. John T. Booker Jr, a US citizen, was arrested without incident outside Fort Riley, the sprawling Kansas home of the US Army's storied 1st Infantry Division. "Anyone who seeks to harm this nation and its people will be brought to justice," US Attorney Barry Grissom, the chief federal prosecutor in Kansas, told reporters in Kansas City.

Spain jihadists suspected of planning kidnaps, execution: judge Posted: 10 Apr 2015 02:14 PM PDT A gang suspected of links to the Islamic State group planned possible kidnappings, an execution and attacks on Jewish shops and public buildings in Spain, an investigating judge said Friday. Judges in Madrid questioned the 11 suspects, including a woman and a 17-year-old, who were arrested on Wednesday in Spain's northeastern Catalonia region. Ten of were accused of belonging to the Islamic Brotherhood for Preaching Jihad, a group in Spain suspected of recruiting members for the IS insurgency, the National Court in Madrid said on Friday.

Iran deal could stumble on sensitive nuclear monitoring Posted: 10 Apr 2015 02:08 PM PDT By Louis Charbonneau UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Beefing up international monitoring of Iran's nuclear work could become the biggest stumbling block to a final accord between Tehran and major powers, despite a preliminary deal reached last week. As part of that deal, Iran and the powers agreed that United Nations inspectors would have "enhanced" access to remaining nuclear activity in Iran, where they already monitor key sites. Iran says its nuclear program is peaceful, but it has never welcomed intrusive inspections and has in the past kept some nuclear sites secret. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say for Iran on the deal, on Thursday ruled out any "extraordinary supervision measures" over nuclear activities and said military sites could not be inspected.

U.S., allies conduct nine air strikes in Iraq, seven in Syria Posted: 10 Apr 2015 01:25 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S.-led forces targeted Islamic State militants with nine air strikes in Iraq and seven in Syria since early on Thursday, the U.S. military said on Friday. In Syria, the air strikes hit Islamic State positions near Al Hasakah and Kobani, the Combined Joint Task Force said in a statement. In Iraq, the air strikes hit Islamic State positions near Bayji, Mosul and Fallujah, among other places, it said. (Reporting by Eric Beech; Editing by Sandra Maler)

Why the Hillary Everyone Knows Is Under Attack Posted: 10 Apr 2015 12:27 PM PDT As former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton prepares to formally announce her candidacy for the 2016 presidential election on Sunday through a video on social media, another potential Democratic challenger has stepped up. Former Rhode Island senator and governor Lincoln D. Chafee, who has been a Republican, an independent and is now a Democrat, revealed plans to explore a bid for the Democratic nomination.

Kansas man arrested in bomb plot in support of Islamic State: U.S. Posted: 10 Apr 2015 12:25 PM PDT By Lindsay Dunsmuir and Kevin Murphy WASHINGTON/KANSAS CITY (Reuters) - A U.S. man was arrested on Friday as part of a sting operation by the FBI in which he was plotting a suicide car bombing at Fort Riley army base in Kansas in support of the Islamic State militant group, prosecutors said. John T. Booker, Jr., 20, of Topeka, Kansas, had arrived at the base with two undercover FBI agents to detonate what he did not realize was an inert bomb, prosecutors said. Booker has been charged with three criminal counts including attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction and attempting to provide material support to Islamic State, a militant group that has captured parts of Iraq and Syria over the past year and has symphathizers in several countries.

Fort Hood shooting: why it took five years to award victims Purple Hearts Posted: 10 Apr 2015 12:20 PM PDT More than five years after psychologist Nidal Hasan, then a US Army major, went on a shooting spree killing 13 people and wounding 30 others, the military victims of his rampage received Purple Hearts in Fort Hood, Texas, Friday. Sgt. 1st Class Miguel Valdivia was shot three times by Mr. Hasan, who was convicted in 2013 of 13 counts of premeditated murder and sentenced to death.

Arson in German town shows anti-immigrant mood running high Posted: 10 Apr 2015 11:37 AM PDT By Erik Kirschbaum TROEGLITZ, Germany (Reuters) - The sleepy town of Troeglitz in eastern Germnay had planned to welcome foreign refugees and asylum-seekers to a newly-renovated shelter. The blaze last Saturday was not the first attack on a refugee shelter in Germany but it shocked a nation that has received a surge of refugees in the last few years -- 200,000 in 2014 and a further 85,000 in the first quarter of 2015 alone. "It's just disgusting that everyone's now trying to paint our town brown," said Rainer Lammert, a truck driver, referring to the Nazi colors.

India PM wants 36 French Rafale fighter jets, talks progress Posted: 10 Apr 2015 11:29 AM PDT PARIS (AP) — India's prime minister on Friday announced plans to buy 36 Rafale fighter jets from France, but said negotiations on "terms and conditions" of the multibillion euro sale are ongoing.

Islamic State attacks Iraqi provincial capital Posted: 10 Apr 2015 11:05 AM PDT Islamic State militants attacked the capital of Iraq's vast Anbar province on multiple fronts on Friday, seizing two areas on the city outskirts in a setback for a government campaign to retake the desert terrain. The jihadists deployed vehicle and suicide bombs to tear through Iraqi government lines north of the city of Ramadi overnight before attacking on foot, said security officials and a hospital source. The head of Anbar's provincial council, Sabah Karhout, called on Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to send urgent military reinforcements and supplies to fighters, saying they were running low on ammunition. Abadi visited Anbar on Tuesday and declared the start of the operation to liberate the Sunni Muslim heartland, seeking to build on a victory over Islamic State last week in the city of Tikrit.

ISIS-Inspired Kansas Man Accused of Plotting Another Ft. Hood-Type Attack Posted: 10 Apr 2015 11:03 AM PDT A 20-year-old Kansas man allegedly joined the U.S. Army last year so he could launch an ISIS-inspired attack on American soldiers like the deadly strike on Ft. Hood, Texas, in 2009, federal authorities announced today. John T. Booker of Topeka, Kansas, was arrested after a lengthy FBI investigation and was charged with attempted use of WMD (a bomb), attempt to provide material support to ISIS, and attempt to destroy US property, officials said. It was not immediately clear if Booker had an attorney. Booker came to the FBI's attention after an unidentified citizen complained to federal authorities about messages he had posted on his Facebook page.

White House Brief: Things to know about Hillary Clinton Posted: 10 Apr 2015 10:51 AM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Here's a look at key things to know about Hillary Rodham Clinton as she steps into the 2016 Democratic presidential campaign with an expected announcement Sunday:

Ikea’s Newly Designed Refugee Shelters Are a Game Changer Posted: 10 Apr 2015 10:19 AM PDT Refugee camps across Iraq are about to get a Swedish touch. The United Nations' refugee agency just ordered 10,000 shelters designed by Ikea, its largest corporate partner. Produced by Better Shelter, a social enterprise started by the Ikea Foundation, the design marries form, function, and sustainability. There are also lockable doors, a key feature as lack of privacy at refugee camps can leave women and children vulnerable to sexual assault.

Gulf Arabs eye Obama overtures with suspicion in wake of Iran talks Posted: 10 Apr 2015 09:38 AM PDT By Noah Browning DUBAI (Reuters) - The world powers' interim nuclear accord with Iran coupled with U.S. President Barack Obama's call for political reform in Gulf Arab countries has rattled Washington's traditional allies in the region. Fearing change at home could play into the hands of Iran, their rival for influence across the Middle East, Gulf Arab leaders will have much to disagree over with Obama at a summit he has invited them to at Camp David and is expected soon. Obama told the New York Times on Tuesday that the greatest security threat for the Sunni Muslim Gulf was not Shi'ite Iran but poor governance and extremism at home.

First Red Cross, UNICEF planes land in Yemen Posted: 10 Apr 2015 09:16 AM PDT By Stephanie Nebehay GENEVA (Reuters) - The first two planeloads of medical aid for Yemen landed in the capital Sanaa on Friday after weeks of conflict which have killed 600 people and displaced 100,000 others, and the United Nations appealed for a pause in fighting to allow more aid in. U.N. officials and aid workers say that the fighting is pushing the country of 25 million people, one of the poorest in the Arab world, toward a humanitarian catastrophe. Food imports are choked off, fuel is scarce, cash handouts to the poorest third of the population are suspended and many parts of the southern city of Aden - scene of heavy street clashes - have been without water or electricity. More than 2,200 people have been wounded by the combat in Yemen, which pits Houthi forces and their army allies against southern militias backed by more than two weeks of Saudi-led air strikes.

France denies TV5Monde cyberjihadists leaked defence docs Posted: 10 Apr 2015 09:03 AM PDT France's defence ministry on Friday dismissed claims by self-proclaimed Islamic State cyberjihadists that they had posted classified army documents online when they hacked into a major television channel. The militants shut down transmissions at TV5Monde from late Wednesday to Thursday and hijacked its website and social networks, posting documents on its Facebook page purporting to be the ID cards and CVs of relatives of French soldiers involved in anti-IS operations. "None of these documents mention the identity of French soldiers or of their families," it said in a statement. The cyberjihadists were able to black out the 11 channels of TV5Monde for several hours, and the station was then forced to broadcast pre-recorded programmes for most of Thursday until it resumed full operations around 6 pm local time.

IS holding 50 civilians after raid on Syria village: monitor Posted: 10 Apr 2015 08:31 AM PDT Jihadist fighters from the Islamic State group are holding hostage at least 50 civilians, almost half of them women, seized in a raid on a village in central Syria, a monitor said. They were kidnapped from the village of Mabujeh in Hama province on March 31, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. News of the kidnappings had been kept quiet because of ongoing negotiations for their release, but the talks have since faltered, said Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman. Ten of those taken, including six women, are Ismailis, a minority sect that is an offshoot of Shiite Islam.

Israel Lobby Conference Internet live stream from the National Press Club on April 10 Posted: 10 Apr 2015 07:25 AM PDT WASHINGTON, April 10, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following is being released by the Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy:The April 10 conference "The Israel Lobby: Is It Good for the US? Is It Good for Israel?" at the National Press Club will be live streamed over YouTube at  https://youtu.be/c1IIrHsO4fwThe full program may also be viewed from the following websites:http://www.IsraelLobbyUS.org, http://www.WRMEA.org and http://www.IRmep.org Tweet questions to panelists @IsraelLobbyUS or email to conference@IsraelLobby.org1. ...

After Damascus move, Islamic State attacks rivals near Aleppo Posted: 10 Apr 2015 07:17 AM PDT By Tom Perry BEIRUT (Reuters) - Islamic State has bolstered its forces north of Syria's second city Aleppo, where it is attacking rivals as part of a broader push beyond its eastern strongholds, a rebel leader and a monitoring group said. The radical jihadist group has in recent weeks conducted a series of attacks in western areas of Syria including state-held territory and has also staged a major advance into Damascus, where it is battling for control of the Yarmouk refugee camp. Earlier this week, the group targeted rival rebel factions north of Aleppo with two car bombs, killing at least 31 people, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the conflict. A rebel commander with fighters in that area said Islamic State had called in reinforcements.

Russian warns of Islamic State's influence in Russia Posted: 10 Apr 2015 06:59 AM PDT MOSCOW (AP) — A senior Russian intelligence official on Friday warned of the potential influence of the Islamic State group inside Russia, primarily among the Muslims in the North Caucasus provinces.

Caroline Kennedy upbeat about economic growth across Asia Posted: 10 Apr 2015 05:14 AM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Caroline Kennedy, the U.S. ambassador to Japan, says surging economic growth presents America with "much opportunity" in Asia.

'The Longest Ride': What the Critics Are Saying Posted: 10 Apr 2015 05:06 AM PDT A reckless bull rider and a young college student spark a star-crossed romance in Nicholas Sparks latest film adaptation.

In rush to reclaim Yemen, exiled leaders risk shattering it Posted: 10 Apr 2015 04:00 AM PDT From the gilded suites and granite lobby of a luxurious five-star hotel here, the remnants of Yemen's embattled government sees a daily lineup of Yemeni tribal leaders, Western diplomats, and Saudi military commanders. They lack the air of urgency or desperation of a government forced to take refuge with its powerful neighbor.

The Battle Is On to Save Military Bases from Closure Posted: 10 Apr 2015 03:30 AM PDT A delegation of about 32 people from Kentucky and Tennessee is headed to Washington, D.C. to press their case with Congress to save Fort Campbell from budgetary cuts. "Our message is that you should be growing Fort Campbell not cutting it," said Marian Mason, president and CEO of the Christian County Chamber of Commerce, which is in Kentucky. Members of Congress from states such as New Jersey, North Carolina, Texas and Hawaii have vowed to give their all to protect military bases in their states from significant budgetary cuts.

Officials: 2 bombings kill 11 people in Iraq Posted: 10 Apr 2015 03:05 AM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi officials say two separate bombings have targeted public places in Baghdad and near the Iraqi capital, killing 11 people.

Shell needs to go beyond oil price bet in BG deal Posted: 10 Apr 2015 02:58 AM PDT By Dmitry Zhdannikov LONDON (Reuters) - When it comes to forecasting the oil price, big companies play their cards very close to their chests. The beauty of the deal and the upside, though, won't be in the bold bet on oil prices rising to $90 per barrel turning good, say investors and analysts as they urge Shell to use the deal as a opportunity to review its portfolio and geography. Analysts from Barclays agreed that because the BG deal brings Shell rich reserves and production outlook in Brazil, it hoped it would prompt the company to slow down or relinquish less competitive assets.

View of Phnom Penh's fall from diplomat who saw it happen Posted: 10 Apr 2015 02:33 AM PDT PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — A snapshot of Cambodia's fall, from an American diplomat evacuated from the besieged capital of Phnom Penh in 1975.

Ambassador: US handed Cambodia to 'butcher' 40 years ago Posted: 10 Apr 2015 02:30 AM PDT PARIS (AP) — Twelve helicopters, bristling with guns and U.S. Marines, breached the morning horizon and began a daring descent toward Cambodia's besieged capital. Residents believed the Americans were rushing in to save them, but at the U.S. Embassy, in a bleeding city about to die, the ambassador wept.

White House Brief: Things to know about Lincoln Chafee Posted: 10 Apr 2015 12:25 AM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee made a surprise announcement Thursday that he was considering a Democratic presidential campaign in 2016. Key things to know about Chafee:

Statue row blots Mandela's post-apartheid vision for South Africa Posted: 09 Apr 2015 11:33 PM PDT By Wendell Roelf CAPE TOWN (Reuters) - South Africa's University of Cape Town removed a statue of British imperialist Cecil Rhodes on Thursday to cheers from students, a symbolic move that exposes persistent racial divides two decades after the end of apartheid. The statue at the university, one of Africa's top academic institutions, has been covered up for the past few weeks as both white and black students regularly marched past with #Rhodesmustfall placards calling for its removal. They believe it is a symbol of the racism against blacks that prevails in South Africa two decades after the end of oppressive white-minority rule.

Algerian army kills four militants east of Algiers: ministry Posted: 09 Apr 2015 11:25 PM PDT ALGIERS (Reuters) - The Algerian army has killed four suspected Islamist militants east of the capital Algiers, the defence ministry said on Thursday, in an operation that seized weapons and explosives including a suicide bomb belt. The operation took place early on Thursday morning in the Boumerdès area, the ministry said in a statement issued via the state APS news agency. ...

Carter says US has made progress against Islamic State Posted: 09 Apr 2015 10:43 PM PDT SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter says the U.S. has made progress against the Islamic State group in Iraq but cannot predict how long the fight will take.

Japan journalist's new passport bans travel to Iraq, Syria Posted: 09 Apr 2015 10:27 PM PDT An experienced war photographer has vowed to fight the Japanese government after being issued a passport that specifically bars him from going to violence-wracked Iraq and Syria. Yuichi Sugimoto, who has been reporting from conflict zones for 20 years, had his passport confiscated in February after he refused government requests to abandon a planned trip to a Syrian refugee camp. The move came as Japan was reeling from the brutal murders of two citizens -- war correspondent Kenji Goto and his acquaintance Haruna Yukawa -- by Islamist extremists in Syria. Sugimoto, 58, received a new passport on Thursday, imprinted with the words: "This passport is valid for all countries and areas except Iraq and Syria." "Considering what I have done in the past 20 years, I absolutely cannot accept that I won't be allowed to travel to Syria and Iraq and report from there," he told local media from Niigata, northern Japan, where he lives.

Iraq troops hunt for bombs in search for massacre dead Posted: 09 Apr 2015 05:07 PM PDT Iraqi soldiers use detectors to slowly sweep a grassy field dotted with dirt mounds for explosives to ensure the search for people massacred by jihadists does not leave more dead. Another digs into one of the dozens of mounds in former president Saddam Hussein's Tikrit palace complex with a shovel, but finds nothing, after which a yellow backhoe slowly scrapes it away entirely. IS planted hundreds of bombs in Tikrit, a city north of Baghdad that Iraqi forces recaptured last week, and areas must first be checked for explosives before they can be searched for bodies. Soldiers are working "to search for traps... and bombs and explosives," using detection devices as well as visually and by hand, says Haiwa Ali Mohammed, who was earlier digging through the dirt mound.

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