Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• UN employee 'abducted in Iraq'
• Defense blames Boston bombings on dead older brother
• One policeman killed, two wounded in 'Islamist' attack in Bosnia
• Kerry says Iran, world powers closer than ever to historic nuclear deal
• Gunman kills Bosnian policeman in apparent Islamist attack
• Yemen crisis spills into new Iran-US nuclear talks
• Nearly 120 US-led strikes in week in Iraq
• Rand Paul faces tough questions from Orthodox Jewish crowd
• GOP defense budget challenges Obama on Ukraine, Guantanamo
• Car bombings in Iraq's capital kill at least 20 civilians
• U.S., allies conduct 31 air strikes in Syria, Iraq: U.S. military
• France, Australia to step up anti-terror cooperation
• Islamic State kills five journalists working for Libyan TV station-army official
• A look at judge, lawyers in Colorado theater shooting trial
• George W. Bush criticizes Barack Obama’s anti-terrorism strategies
• Heavy fighting as Taliban attack northern Afghan city
• Texas English teacher named National Teacher of the Year
• Afghan president delays trip to India by few hours
• Set to begin, U.S. plan for Syrian rebels already mired in doubt
• Why Iran is standing by its weakened, and expensive, ally Syria
• Firebrand, survivor face off in UK's wildest election race
• Islamist rebels capture army base in Syria's Idlib province
• Australia concern over doctor in IS video
• Malaysia says foils plan by suspected militants to attack capital

UN employee 'abducted in Iraq' Posted: 27 Apr 2015 04:15 PM PDT A United Nations employee working as a liaison in Iraq's Diyala province has been "abducted" northeast of Baghdad, a spokeswoman for the UN mission in the country told AFP on Monday. The Iraqi employee, whose name has not been released, was seized on Sunday in Diyala's provincial capital Baquba, Eliana Nabaa said. Iraq was plagued by kidnappings in previous years, but they declined after the 2007-2008 peak of Sunni-Shiite sectarian violence in Iraq.

Defense blames Boston bombings on dead older brother Posted: 27 Apr 2015 03:47 PM PDT A crack defense team launched its bid Monday to save Boston bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev from the death penalty, blaming his older brother Tamerlan, "consumed by jihad," for the 2013 carnage. "As awful as his crime was, life in prison faced with what he has done is a better choice for everyone," said lawyer David Bruck in his opening statement at the penalty phase of Tsarnaev's trial. Bruck showed the Boston courtroom a picture of America's only federal "supermax" prison in the wilds of Colorado, where he said Tsarnaev would live out the remainder of his days in obscurity. Tamerlan was "consumed by jihad," going to Russia when Tsarnaev was a 17-year-old at high school and returning to the United States six months later, Bruck said.

One policeman killed, two wounded in 'Islamist' attack in Bosnia Posted: 27 Apr 2015 03:45 PM PDT One policeman was killed and two others wounded Monday in the eastern Bosnian town of Zvornik when a man opened fire on a police station shouting "Allahu Akbar", officials said. The gunman, identified as 24-year-old Nerdin Ibric from a nearby village, was also killed in the exchange of fire, police spokeswoman Aleksandra Simojlovic told reporters, calling it a "terrorist" attack. "An armed person entered the police station of Zvornik around 7:00 pm (1700 GMT) shouting 'Allahu Akbar' (God is great).

Kerry says Iran, world powers closer than ever to historic nuclear deal Posted: 27 Apr 2015 03:41 PM PDT By Louis Charbonneau and Arshad Mohammed UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United States and five other major powers are closer than ever to a deal with Iran that would end a 12-year-old nuclear standoff, though more tough negotiations lie ahead, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Monday. Kerry was speaking at the United Nations on the opening day of a month-long conference taking stock of the 1970 nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and ahead of a meeting in New York with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, their first face-to-face encounter since recent marathon talks in Lausanne, Switzerland. Zarif and Kerry, who met on Monday at the Iranian U.N. Ambassador's residence across from Central Park, were expected to discuss efforts to secure a final agreement between Iran and the six powers by a June 30 deadline.

Gunman kills Bosnian policeman in apparent Islamist attack Posted: 27 Apr 2015 03:16 PM PDT By Maja Zuvela SARAJEVO (Reuters) - A gunman shouting "Allahu Akbar" (God is greatest) attacked a police station in eastern Bosnia on Monday, killing one police officer and wounding two before he was shot dead, a police spokeswoman said. The attack occurred at around 7 p.m. (1700 GMT) in Zvornik, a town in Bosnia's Serb-dominated autonomous region, the Serb Republic, which together with the Bosniak-Croat Federation makes up the Bosnia that emerged from the 1992-95 war. "This is the worst terrorism attack that could happen in the Serb Republic," regional Interior Minister Dragan Lukac told local television, adding that security levels had been raised after the attack.

Yemen crisis spills into new Iran-US nuclear talks Posted: 27 Apr 2015 03:16 PM PDT US top diplomat John Kerry met his Iranian counterpart Monday hoping to push forward tough nuclear negotiations as they reach the final phase, but also aiming to ease unrest in Yemen. The secretary of state huddled with Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif for the first time since they hammered out the groundbreaking parameters for a final deal to curb Iran's nuclear ambitions during marathon eight-day talks in Switzerland earlier this month. Since the talks under the aegis of the P5+1 group resumed in earnest some 18 months ago, the US has insisted they are solely focused on the nuclear program.

Nearly 120 US-led strikes in week in Iraq Posted: 27 Apr 2015 03:06 PM PDT International forces targeting the Islamic State jihadist group carried out nearly 120 air strikes in Iraq over the past week, according to figures released by the US-led coalition. The strikes were concentrated west and north of Baghdad in Anbar and Nineveh, provinces where IS holds its most territory, and in the contested Baiji area of Salaheddin province.

Rand Paul faces tough questions from Orthodox Jewish crowd Posted: 27 Apr 2015 03:03 PM PDT NEW YORK (AP) — Looking to woo New York's Orthodox Jewish community, Republican presidential contender Rand Paul faced tough questions Monday about his support for Israel and his approach to foreign policy in the Middle East.

GOP defense budget challenges Obama on Ukraine, Guantanamo Posted: 27 Apr 2015 01:30 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — The GOP chairman of the House Armed Service Committee on Monday recommended a $604 billion defense budget for 2016 that challenges the White House because it includes lethal weapons for Ukraine, makes it harder for the president to empty the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay and restores funding for the A-10 fleet.

Car bombings in Iraq's capital kill at least 20 civilians Posted: 27 Apr 2015 12:26 PM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — A series of car bombings targeting busy commercial areas in Iraq's capital killed at least 20 civilians Monday, officials said.

U.S., allies conduct 31 air strikes in Syria, Iraq: U.S. military Posted: 27 Apr 2015 11:50 AM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S.-led forces targeted Islamic State militants in Syria with five air strikes from Sunday to Monday morning and conducted 26 strikes against the group in Iraq, the U.S. military said. Four of the strikes in Syria hit targets in Kobani, striking an Islamic State tactical unit, and destroying fighting positions and a heavy machine gun. The coalition forces also hit eight fighting positions with a strike near Al Hasakah, the military said in a statement on Monday. ...

France, Australia to step up anti-terror cooperation Posted: 27 Apr 2015 11:40 AM PDT PARIS (AP) — French President Francois Hollande says France and Australia will reinforce their cooperation in the fight against the Islamic State group and other terrorist threats.

Islamic State kills five journalists working for Libyan TV station-army official Posted: 27 Apr 2015 11:15 AM PDT By Ayman al-Warfalli BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) - Islamic State militants have slit the throats of five journalists working for a Libyan TV station in the eastern part of the country, an army commander said on Monday. The reporters had been missing since August, when they left the eastern city of Tobruk after covering the inauguration of the country's elected parliament to travel to Benghazi. Faraj al-Barassi, a district army commander in eastern Libya, said militants loyal to Islamic State were responsible for killing the journalists, whose bodies were found outside the eastern city of Bayda.

A look at judge, lawyers in Colorado theater shooting trial Posted: 27 Apr 2015 10:58 AM PDT CENTENNIAL, Colo. (AP) — Key players in the trial of Colorado theater shooter James Holmes:

George W. Bush criticizes Barack Obama’s anti-terrorism strategies Posted: 27 Apr 2015 10:07 AM PDT Former President George W. Bush reportedly delivered his toughest publicized criticisms of President Barack Obama at a closed-door meeting in Las Vegas Saturday night. The former commander in chief, who has been reluctant to criticize Obama since leaving the White House, said he feared his successor is naive about Iran and may be putting the United States in a position of retreat around the world, Bloomberg News reported.

Heavy fighting as Taliban attack northern Afghan city Posted: 27 Apr 2015 07:27 AM PDT By Mirwais Harooni and Kay Johnson KABUL (Reuters) - Heavy fighting between Afghan security forces and Taliban insurgents that killed more than 30 combatants threatened a major northern city on Monday, officials said. The battle on the outskirts of Kunduz, part of an intensifying wave of attacks after the departure of most foreign troops, led President Ashraf Ghani to delay his departure on a state visit to India by several hours. Officials said hundreds of Taliban militants had attacked police and army checkposts in the province of Kunduz, the insurgents' last stronghold before U.S.-led forces drove them from power in 2001. Now they threaten to overrun parts of the provincial capital, after fighting that killed eight Afghan security personnel and at least two dozen Taliban, a spokesman for the provincial governor said.

Texas English teacher named National Teacher of the Year Posted: 27 Apr 2015 06:39 AM PDT LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — A high school English teacher in Texas who works with students facing poverty and traumas related to their immigration to the United States on Monday was named the 2015 National Teacher of the Year.

Afghan president delays trip to India by few hours Posted: 27 Apr 2015 06:38 AM PDT KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Afghan president delayed his official trip to India by a few hours Monday to hold an emergency meeting with the NATO commander in Afghanistan and top Afghan security officials.

Set to begin, U.S. plan for Syrian rebels already mired in doubt Posted: 27 Apr 2015 04:35 AM PDT By Dasha Afanasieva, Warren Strobel and Phil Stewart REYHANLI, Turkey/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Hundreds of Syrian rebels are approaching the start of U.S. training to battle Islamic State, without knowing whether or how Washington would come to their aid on the battlefield and as other rebel leaders say the proxy army could spark opposition infighting. The U.S. plan to train and arm a force that is expected to eventually total more than 15,000 troops and to get underway in the coming weeks is a major test of President Barack Obama's strategy of engaging local partners to combat extremists. Senior U.S. officials said Obama has not yet decided how extensively and under what circumstances Washington will back the force militarily - a commitment that would risk the very entanglement in Syria that Obama has long sought to avoid. The hardline Sunni Muslim Islamic State movement has seized swathes of Syria and Iraq and proclaimed a caliphate.

Why Iran is standing by its weakened, and expensive, ally Syria Posted: 27 Apr 2015 04:25 AM PDT Iran has proven critical in helping keep President Bashar al-Assad in power after four years of bloody war, dispatching thousands of soldiers and paramilitary fighters to bolster Syria's flagging army and billions of dollars in loans to prop up its economy. Iranian officials have declared that Syria is of supreme strategic importance, and appear unwilling to reconsider the military option in defeating the anti-Assad rebels. The question is how much longer Iran, a country burdened by international sanctions, can afford to continue allocating funds, materiel, and manpower to Mr. Assad while incurring ever greater animosity – and now blowback – from the region's Sunni states. "The Iranians could probably provide additional foreign fighters … but at a certain point the marginal utility of additional foreign forces becomes smaller and smaller," says Robert Ford, a senior fellow with the Washington-based Middle East Institute and US ambassador to Syria between 2010 and 2014.

Firebrand, survivor face off in UK's wildest election race Posted: 27 Apr 2015 03:50 AM PDT BRADFORD, England (AP) — Naz Shah is running for Parliament, but she is hardly a typical British politician. She grew up in poverty in a Pakistani-immigrant family, fled a teenage forced marriage and campaigned to free her mother, imprisoned for murder after poisoning an abusive partner.

Islamist rebels capture army base in Syria's Idlib province Posted: 27 Apr 2015 03:48 AM PDT By Suleiman Al-Khalidi AMMAN (Reuters) - A coalition of Islamist rebels seized an army base in northwestern Syria at dawn on Monday after a suicide bomber from al Qaeda's Nusra Front drove a truck packed with explosives into the compound and blew it up. The capture, reported by a rebel commander and social media videos showing militants inside the base, brought the coalition closer to seizing most of Idlib province and moving toward Latakia, the ancestral home of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Controlling it should help the rebels tighten their siege on the major Mastouma army base nearby. Syrian state media said the army killed scores of Nusra fighters and dozens of Islamist suicide bombers from Russia's Chechnya region in fighting near the base, but did not say the compound had fallen to the militants.

Australia concern over doctor in IS video Posted: 26 Apr 2015 08:34 PM PDT Australia Monday said it was deeply concerned about an Australian-trained doctor who appears in an Islamic State propaganda video which urges other medical professionals to join the jihadists. The slick video, uploaded to YouTube, shows a man who identifies himself as Abu Yusuf explaining that he travelled to the city of Raqa in Syria to use his medical skills to help the IS cause. Australian media widely reported that he was Tareq Kamleh, an Adelaide-trained doctor. "I saw this as part of my jihad for Islam to help the Muslims in the area that I could, which is in the medical field," he said in the video, in a broad Australian accent.

Malaysia says foils plan by suspected militants to attack capital Posted: 26 Apr 2015 05:19 PM PDT Malaysian police have arrested 12 people linked to the militant group Islamic State and seized explosives, foiling a plan to attack several locations in and around the capital, which is hosting the ASEAN summit. Security had already been heightened in Kuala Lumpur where leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) arrived on Sunday for a meeting that officially opens on Monday. The male suspects, aged 17 to 41, were arrested on Saturday and Sunday in Ulu Langat and Cheras, suburbs near Kuala Lumpur, police chief Khalid Abu Baker said in a statement on Sunday. The plans were in response to calls by Islamic State (IS) to launch terrorist attacks on secular Islamic countries seen as "enemies of IS".

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