Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• Iraq Shiite militias head for Ramadi after IS takeover
• Ramadi falls, but one way Islamic State might yet be pushed back
• Rout in Ramadi calls US Iraq strategy into question
• A look at the hybrid aircraft involved in fatal Hawaii crash
• Obama and military-style policing: Back to era of Officer Friendly?
• Shi'ite forces move in on Iraqi city taken by Islamic State
• Nearly 25,000 fled IS attack on Ramadi in Iraq: U.N.
• IS militants look for collaborators after taking Iraqi city
• Iraq War vet Phil Klay wins Chautauqua Award, a $7,500 prize
• Wall St. ends at new highs, dollar rallies
• Severely injured vets find healing, hope through sports
• The Painful Loss of Ramadi
• Oil down as firmer dollar, ample supplies offset Mideast turmoil
• Ramadi battle: Why defeat could prove a hammer blow for anti-IS strategy
• 1 critical, 3 hospitalized after fatal Marine Corps crash
• Troops practice retaking land in 18-nation drill in Jordan
• The 2016 U.S. Presidential Race: A Cheat Sheet
• Fall of Ramadi deals a blow to US-led war on IS group
• Oil prices retreat on strong Gulf production
• The Problem With Asking Republicans, 'Would You Have Invaded Iraq?'
• Ramadi a setback for Iraqi forces: top U.S. military officer
• Senator Graham to announce presidential bid next month
• U.S. signals no strategy shift in Iraq, despite Ramadi's fall
• ISLAMIC STATE
• In Kobane, site of key defeat of Islamic State, rebuilding is a Kurdish affair
• IS says German carried out Iraq suicide mission
• U.S. to question Islamic State leader's wife on hostages, officials say
• Q&A: The IS group captures Iraq's Ramadi
• EU agrees Mediterranean naval mission to tackle people smugglers
• Obama to Pentagon: Stop Giving Grenade Launchers to Local Police Forces
• Graham: 'I'm running' to be 'best commander in chief'
• Iran uses maritime confrontations to project power in Gulf
• IS takeover of Ramadi a 'setback': US military
• White House: Ramadi loss to Islamic State a 'setback'
• Can Iraq be saved?
• Assad, under pressure, may need his friends more than ever
• U.S., allies conduct 25 air strikes in Iraq, Syria: task force
• Oil to rebound further this year: OPEC official
• Push to write new war powers for Obama stalls in Congress
• Ramadi fall failure of Iraqi PM's anti-IS strategy: analysts

Iraq Shiite militias head for Ramadi after IS takeover Posted: 18 May 2015 04:52 PM PDT Shiite militias converged on Ramadi Monday to try to recapture it from jihadists who dealt the Iraqi government a stinging blow by overrunning the city in a deadly three-day blitz. The loss of the capital of Iraq's largest province was Baghdad's worst military setback since it started clawing back territory from the Islamic State (IS) group late last year. Washington, which had made Anbar -- of which Ramadi is the capital -- a cornerstone of its assistance to Baghdad against IS, admitted to a "setback". Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi had been reluctant to deploy Shiite militias to Anbar province for fear of alienating its overwhelmingly Sunni Arab population.

Ramadi falls, but one way Islamic State might yet be pushed back Posted: 18 May 2015 04:30 PM PDT The fall of Ramadi, the capital of Iraq's Sunni heartland, to forces of the Islamic State (IS) is a serious setback to the government in Baghdad and to US-led efforts to "degrade and destroy" the radical Islamist group. On Monday, thousands of Shiite militiamen were assembling at an Iraqi army base east of Ramadi preparing a battle to retake the city, after Iraqi forces, backed by US airstrikes, failed Sunday to hold onto it. The entry into the fight of the Iran-backed militias was approved by Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who initially resisted their involvement in hopes that Iraqi Army forces could hold Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province.

Rout in Ramadi calls US Iraq strategy into question Posted: 18 May 2015 03:53 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — The fall of Ramadi calls into question the Obama administration's strategy in Iraq.

A look at the hybrid aircraft involved in fatal Hawaii crash Posted: 18 May 2015 03:48 PM PDT An investigation is underway after a U.S. military Osprey aircraft crashed during a weekend training exercise in Hawaii, killing a Marine and injuring 21 others. Here are some things to know about the ...

Obama and military-style policing: Back to era of Officer Friendly? Posted: 18 May 2015 03:48 PM PDT The idea seemed to make sense at the time: The United States military had excess equipment and local police departments were happy to have it – free of charge. Then came the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and money flowed from the newly formed Department of Homeland Security to help local communities defend against terrorists. Again, police departments stocked up on military-style equipment. Heavily armed officers in combat gear, some atop armored vehicles, invited comparisons to US troops on patrol in Iraq.

Shi'ite forces move in on Iraqi city taken by Islamic State Posted: 18 May 2015 03:09 PM PDT Thousands of Shi'ite militiamen on Monday prepared to fight Islamic State insurgents who seized the Iraqi provincial capital Ramadi at the weekend in the biggest defeat for government forces in nearly a year. A column of 3,000 Shi'ite militia fighters assembled at a military base near Ramadi, preparing to take on Islamic State militants advancing in armored vehicles from the captured city northwest of Baghdad, witnesses and a military officer said. The decision by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who is a Shi'ite, to send in the militias to try to retake the predominantly Sunni city could add to sectarian hostility in one of the most violent parts of Iraq. Washington, which is leading a campaign of air strikes to roll back Islamic State advances and struggling to rebuild Baghdad's shattered army, played down the significance of the loss of Ramadi, the capital of the vast western Anbar province.

Nearly 25,000 fled IS attack on Ramadi in Iraq: U.N. Posted: 18 May 2015 03:09 PM PDT Close to 25,000 people fled the Iraqi city of Ramadi after it was attacked by Islamic State militants and most of them headed toward Baghdad, the United Nations said on Monday. U.N. and other aid agencies have begun distributing food, water and medical supplies as well as setting up temporary camps and latrines, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Iraq said. Ramadi fell to the militants at the weekend and those fleeing were thought to be escaping from Islamic State for a second time, having been among 130,000 who fled from the western Iraqi city in April.

IS militants look for collaborators after taking Iraqi city Posted: 18 May 2015 02:33 PM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — Islamic State militants searched door-to-door for policemen and pro-government fighters and threw bodies in the Euphrates River in a bloody purge Monday after capturing the strategic city of Ramadi, their biggest victory since overrunning much of northern and western Iraq last year.

Iraq War vet Phil Klay wins Chautauqua Award, a $7,500 prize Posted: 18 May 2015 02:29 PM PDT NEW YORK (AP) — Iraq War veteran Phil Klay has written one book and is receiving a growing number of awards.

Wall St. ends at new highs, dollar rallies Posted: 18 May 2015 01:56 PM PDT By Michael Connor NEW YORK (Reuters) - Wall Street stocks rose on Monday to record highs on hopes the Federal Reserve will hold off raising interest rates, while the dollar rallied and Greek bond yields jumped on worries the nation will not be able to make its debt payments. Oil prices retreated, as supply worries triggered by advances by Islamic State militants in Iraq eased. Gains in U.S. stocks were helped by weak economic data and a rise in Apple Inc shares and took the Dow Jones and S&P 500 indices of top U.S. companies to new closing highs. "It's becoming more of the collective thought that the Fed can wait, because you really don't see any blistering growth," said Kurt Brunner, a portfolio manager at Swarthmore Group in Philadelphia.

Severely injured vets find healing, hope through sports Posted: 18 May 2015 01:39 PM PDT EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AP) — As an Air Force crew chief in Afghanistan and Iraq, part of Sgt. Tim McDonough's dangerous mission was recovering the remains of soldiers killed in combat.

The Painful Loss of Ramadi Posted: 18 May 2015 01:18 PM PDT On Monday, a day after the reported fall of the Iraqi city of Ramadi to Islamic State forces, the Pentagon downplayed the significance of the loss.

Oil down as firmer dollar, ample supplies offset Mideast turmoil Posted: 18 May 2015 01:17 PM PDT By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil slipped on Monday as a rallying dollar and concerns of growing oversupply weighed on the market after Saudi Arabia reported its highest crude exports in nearly a decade. Crude oil futures erased early gains of more than $1 a barrel on worries of turmoil in the Middle East after a major advance by Islamic State militants in Iraq and renewed air strikes by a Saudi-led coalition against Houthi militia in Yemen. Oil was also weighed down by data showing that Saudi Arabia's crude oil exports rose in March to the highest levels since November 2005, analysts said. Brent crude , the more widely used benchmark, settled 54 cents lower at $66.27, after hitting a high of $67.88.

Ramadi battle: Why defeat could prove a hammer blow for anti-IS strategy Posted: 18 May 2015 01:16 PM PDT After months of fighting for control of Ramadi, the capital of Iraq's largest province, the army of the so-called Islamic State scored a major coup over the weekend. The official US position has been that IS is on the run in Iraq, in part thanks to US-led airstrikes. We've seen similar attacks in Ramadi over the last several months of which the ISF [Iraqi Security Forces] has been able to repel. It's hard, however, to square this assessment with events on the ground, or the fact that IS has occupied Iraq's second largest city of Mosul for nearly a year.

1 critical, 3 hospitalized after fatal Marine Corps crash Posted: 18 May 2015 01:03 PM PDT HONOLULU (AP) — One Marine is in critical condition and three others remain hospitalized in stable condition after a fatal MV-22 Osprey crash over the weekend, the Marine Corps said Monday.

Troops practice retaking land in 18-nation drill in Jordan Posted: 18 May 2015 12:59 PM PDT AQABA, Jordan (AP) — Troops participating in an 18-nation drill have staged mock exercises, including recapturing an international border and a ship seized by militants.

The 2016 U.S. Presidential Race: A Cheat Sheet Posted: 18 May 2015 12:58 PM PDT On Monday, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal formed an exploratory committee with plans to make a final decision in June and Lindsey Graham, the senator from South Carolina, said he would start his campaign on June 1. Former New York Governor George Pataki announced last week he would announce his decision on May 28, followed by former Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley two days later. Neurosurgeon Ben Carson and tech executive Carly Fiorina both announced campaigns on May 4, followed shortly thereafter by former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee. If he enters, O'Malley would be the second Democratic candidate to join the race this month after Senator Bernie Sanders.

Fall of Ramadi deals a blow to US-led war on IS group Posted: 18 May 2015 12:56 PM PDT The Islamic State group's capture of Ramadi is a serious setback to the US strategy to defeat the jihadists and raises fresh doubts about the competence of its Iraqi partners. The Iraqi security forces' defeat in the capital of Anbar province came despite US and coalition warplanes carrying out more than 160 air strikes over the past month, and after an elaborate effort starting last year to arm and train government troops and Sunni tribesmen. As recently as Friday, a senior US officer told reporters the IS group was "on the defensive," even as Iraqi forces struggled to hang on in Ramadi and battled an assault on the Baiji oil refinery north of Baghdad. Two outspoken critics of Obama's approach to the war, senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham, said Ramadi has once been "a symbol of Iraqis working together with brave young Americans in uniform to defeat Al-Qaeda.

Oil prices retreat on strong Gulf production Posted: 18 May 2015 12:42 PM PDT Oil prices fell on Monday amid signs that Gulf producers continue to battle for market share with high output. US benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for delivery in June fell 26 cents to $59.43 a barrel. Brent North Sea crude for July delivery dropped 54 cents to $66.27 a barrel in London trading. This served as a reminder that the market is being well-supplied by Saudi Arabia and it seemed to pressure prices back down," said Phil Flynn of Price Futures Group.

The Problem With Asking Republicans, 'Would You Have Invaded Iraq?' Posted: 18 May 2015 12:39 PM PDT The "would you have invaded Iraq" saga continues. Sunday on Fox News, Chris Wallace tried again and again to get Marco Rubio to say whether, in hindsight, the Bush administration was right to invade a WMD-less Iraq. The Iraq War, which I wrongly supported, has cost the United States over $2 trillion.

Ramadi a setback for Iraqi forces: top U.S. military officer Posted: 18 May 2015 12:28 PM PDT The Islamic State's gains in the Iraqi city of Ramadi are setback for Iraqi security forces, the top U.S. military officer said on Monday, adding such setbacks were "regrettable but not uncommon in warfare." "Much effort will now be required to reclaim the city," Army General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the U.S. military's Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in a statement. "We will continue to support Iraq's security forces with U.S. air strikes, training, and equipment.

Senator Graham to announce presidential bid next month Posted: 18 May 2015 12:15 PM PDT U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a longtime Washington insider and critic of President Barack Obama's foreign policy, said he would announce on June 1 whether he will seek the 2016 Republican presidential nomination. "I'm running because I think the world is falling apart," Graham said on Monday in an interview on CBS, all but declaring his official candidacy. Graham is a foreign policy hawk who is often aligned with Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona, one of his best friends. He said he plans to make his announcement in Central, South Carolina.

U.S. signals no strategy shift in Iraq, despite Ramadi's fall Posted: 18 May 2015 11:58 AM PDT By Phil Stewart and Arshad Mohammed WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States signaled no intent to shift its strategy in Iraq's war on Monday, even as the fall of the city of Ramadi to Islamic State called into question the relative strength of Iraq's army after months of U.S.-led advising and air strikes. The loss of the western Iraqi city to the militants represents the biggest defeat for Iraq's government since mid-2014, when Islamic State swept into Iraq and seized more than a third of the country. The U.S. government expressed confidence that Iraqi forces, with U.S.-led coalition support, would eventually retake Ramadi, and that the American strategy in Iraq that keeps U.S. forces off the battlefield was still sound.

ISLAMIC STATE Posted: 18 May 2015 11:58 AM PDT Map shows location of fighting across Iraq.; 2c x 5 inches; 96.3 mm x 127 mm;

In Kobane, site of key defeat of Islamic State, rebuilding is a Kurdish affair Posted: 18 May 2015 11:44 AM PDT The convoy of bulldozers and dump trucks – on loan from Turkish Kurds and laden with water and sewer pipes – gets a hero's greeting as it passes through this last Turkish town before the border with Syria, heralded with honking horns en route to the ruins of Kobane. In January, that northern Syrian city saw what was at the time a rare defeat of Islamic State (IS) militants, after a 4-month battle with tenacious local Kurdish defense forces supported by heavy US airstrikes. The battle grabbed headlines as IS fighters vowed never to retreat, and American forces pummeled them with 428 airstrikes – remarkably 76 percent of all the US firepower expended against IS in Syria in 2014. US officials portrayed the battle as proof of its model for effectively combining forces to defeat IS in Syria and Iraq: using local militias or soldiers on the ground, while the US kept its involvement at a safe altitude.

IS says German carried out Iraq suicide mission Posted: 18 May 2015 11:29 AM PDT A German national carried out a suicide bombing against Iraqi security forces near the city of Baiji Monday, the Islamic State group claimed in a statement posted on jihadist forums. "Our brother Abu Mohammed al-Almani advanced in a booby-trapped vehicle carrying 1.5 tonnes of explosives on a gathering of the Safavid army west of the city of Baiji," it said. The jihadist group controls Baiji, about 200 kilometres (125 miles) north of Baghdad, but the country's largest oil refinery just north of it has been one of the 11-month-old Iraqi conflict's most relentless battles. Dozens of Germans have died fighting for IS in Syria and Iraq, several of them in suicide operations.

U.S. to question Islamic State leader's wife on hostages, officials say Posted: 18 May 2015 11:23 AM PDT By Mark Hosenball WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The captured wife of a senior Islamic State leader who was killed in a weekend raid will face questions over what she and her husband knew about the group's treatment of hostages, including Americans, U.S. officials said. The U.S. government believes the leader, Abu Sayyaf, was involved in handling foreign hostages, including Kayla Mueller, an American aid worker who was killed in February, U.S. security and law enforcement officials said. The White House said on Saturday that U.S. military personnel based in Iraq had carried out a raid in eastern Syria aimed at capturing Abu Sayyaf and his wife, known as Umm Sayyaf. Umm Sayyaf was captured by U.S. forces, but Abu Sayyaf was killed after "he engaged U.S. forces," the White House said.

Q&A: The IS group captures Iraq's Ramadi Posted: 18 May 2015 11:22 AM PDT Nearly a year after sweeping across northern and western Iraq, the Islamic State group this weekend seized Ramadi, capital of the western Anbar province, routing Iraqi forces despite heavy U.S.-led airstrikes.

EU agrees Mediterranean naval mission to tackle people smugglers Posted: 18 May 2015 10:30 AM PDT By Robin Emmott and Alastair Macdonald BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union agreed a naval mission on Monday to target gangs smuggling migrants from Libya but parts of a broader plan to deal with the influx began to unravel in a row over national quotas for housing asylum seekers. Many hundreds of deaths at sea, including the drowning of up to 900 on a single vessel in the Mediterranean last month, have jolted European governments into a more robust response, but beyond greater funding for rescue operations, the EU is divided on how to act as anti-immigrant parties gain support at home. Now the planning starts," EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said of the naval mission, adding that the operation could start next month. "There is a clear sense of urgency," Mogherini said of the migrants, most of whom make for her native Italy.

Obama to Pentagon: Stop Giving Grenade Launchers to Local Police Forces Posted: 18 May 2015 10:30 AM PDT Local police departments in America will no longer be able to "declare war" on a neighboring town with grenade launchers, tanks and other armor from the Pentagon. Now, the White House is placing a ban on the transfer of some surplus military equipment including grenade launchers, armored vehicles, aircraft, bayonets, and certain kinds of guns and ammo.

Graham: 'I'm running' to be 'best commander in chief' Posted: 18 May 2015 10:19 AM PDT ATLANTA (AP) — South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham all but confirmed Monday he will run for president in 2016, saying he believes he would be the best choice to serve as commander in chief amid continued unrest in the Middle East.

Iran uses maritime confrontations to project power in Gulf Posted: 18 May 2015 10:18 AM PDT By Parisa Hafezi ANKARA (Reuters) - Iran is using its sea power in the Gulf to show it will not be cowed by Washington's newly assertive Arab allies, prompting critics to accuse Tehran of destabilizing the region. Iranian ships fired shots at a Singapore-flagged tanker which it said damaged an Iranian oil platform, causing the vessel to flee, and seized a container ship in the Strait of Hormuz, the world's most important oil route, over a debt row. The incidents coincided with a push by Washington to reassure Gulf Arab monarchies that their interests would not be threatened by a nuclear accord that Tehran and world powers are trying to reach by the end of June. In an escalating confrontation with Saudi Arabia over Yemen, Tehran criticized Arab states for recklessness and brutality in that country, where a Saudi-led coalition is attacking an Iranian-allied militia.

IS takeover of Ramadi a 'setback': US military Posted: 18 May 2015 10:00 AM PDT The US military said Monday the fall of Ramadi to the Islamic State group was "a setback" but vowed the Iraqi government backed by American air power would eventually seize back control of the western city. This is a difficult, complex, bloody fight," Pentagon spokesman Colonel Steven Warren told reporters. A senior officer in the US military command overseeing the anti-IS war effort in Iraq and Syria last week insisted the jihadists remained "on the defensive," even as the Iraqi army's defenses were crumbling in Ramadi.

White House: Ramadi loss to Islamic State a 'setback' Posted: 18 May 2015 09:55 AM PDT The loss of the city of Ramadi in Iraq to Islamic State militants is a "setback" but the United States and its coalition will help Iraqi forces retake the city, a spokesman for the White House said on Monday. "There's no denying that this is indeed a setback, but there's also no denying that we'll help the Iraqis take back Ramadi," White House spokesman Eric Schultz told reporters traveling with President Barack Obama. "We believe that Iraqi forces have the capacity to ultimately take Ramadi with coalition support," Schultz said.

Can Iraq be saved? Posted: 18 May 2015 09:43 AM PDT After capturing the capital city of major Iraqi region, ISIS is claiming one of its biggest victories. According to local officials, Islamic State militants likely killed up to 500 people in the city of Ramadi, and forced 8,000 to flee from their homes.

Assad, under pressure, may need his friends more than ever Posted: 18 May 2015 09:26 AM PDT By Laila Bassam and Tom Perry QALAMOUN MOUNTAINS, Syria/BEIRUT (Reuters) - When Lebanon's Hezbollah first joined Syria's war on the side of President Bashar al-Assad, its role was a closely guarded secret. Today, as Hezbollah plants its flag in land won from rebels north of Damascus, its role could hardly be more public. In the last week, the Iranian-backed guerrilla group has unleashed its powerful arsenal to drive insurgents from wide areas of the Qalamoun mountain range, a short drive from Assad's seat of power in Damascus.

U.S., allies conduct 25 air strikes in Iraq, Syria: task force Posted: 18 May 2015 08:21 AM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and its allies conducted 25 air strikes since early on Sunday targeting Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq, the Combined Joint Task Force carrying out the operations said. In Syria, six air strikes near al Hasaka destroyed vehicles and fighting positions, the task force said in a statement on Monday. In Iraq, 19 strikes hit buildings and vehicles near Ramadi, Falluja, Sinjar and other towns, it said. (Reporting by Washington newsroom)

Oil to rebound further this year: OPEC official Posted: 18 May 2015 07:56 AM PDT Oil prices could continue to rebound in the second half of 2015 following signs of growth in demand and a drop in high-cost production, an OPEC official said Monday. "It is expected that a kind of a balance will exist in the oil market in the second half of 2015 which will support prices," Kuwait's governor at OPEC Nawal al-Fuzai told reporters. "Prices are improving, growth in supplies from outside OPEC -- especially shale oil -- is lower than before and demand is recovering," she said. This has pushed both the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries and the International Energy Agency to adjust upward their forecasts for crude demand, Fuzai said.

Push to write new war powers for Obama stalls in Congress Posted: 18 May 2015 07:53 AM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — A move to write new war powers to authorize the Obama administration's 9-month-old battle against Islamic State militants has stalled in Congress. It might even be dead.

Ramadi fall failure of Iraqi PM's anti-IS strategy: analysts Posted: 18 May 2015 07:33 AM PDT The fall of Ramadi has scuppered Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's efforts to build a credible cross-sectarian force to fight the Islamic State group, analysts said Monday. The commander-in-chief had been keen, with strong US support, to make Anbar province the place where Sunni tribal forces under his command would prove their worth. The first unit of 1,180 Sunni tribal fighters fully integrated into the Popular Mobilisation units (Hashed al-Shaabi) was to graduate Monday at Habbaniyah base, east of Ramadi. Now that base is teeming with the Hashed's Shiite fighters Abadi reluctantly called in after the Islamic State group's capture of Ramadi sparked a chaotic army retreat.

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