Yahoo! News: Iraq

---

• U.S. plans to deliver anti-tank weapons to Iraq in early June
• US taking 'hard look' at Iraq strategy after Ramadi fall
• Islamic State's Egypt affiliate urges attacks on judges -recording
• Ten nabbed in Canada's fight against radicalized youth
• Ten killed as Libya's rival governments take on Islamist fighters
• Osama bin Laden: To the end, obsessed with America
• 10 Canadians arrested on suspicion of heading to join Middle East militants
• Islamic State seizes ancient town of Palmyra in Syria
• Bridge opens to let displaced Iraqis flee Anbar
• US releases 100+ bin Laden documents
• Bin Laden fixated on attacking U.S. interests: documents
• Obama calls climate change an 'indisputable' security threat
• EU lawmakers accuse states of passing buck on migrants
• Bush faults Obama about Iraq, stops short on more troops
• Islamic State seizes ancient Palmyra city from Syrian forces
• IS overruns most of Syria's ancient Palmyra: monitor
• Ghosts of Iraq stalk 2016 White House race
• Iraq dismisses Anbar police chief after Ramadi rout
• U.N. announces Yemen talks, Iran to allow ship inspection
• Cannes mirrors reality as film shows hunt for teen joining jihad
• IS in almost full control of Syria's Palmyra: monitor
• Boat migrant arrest over Tunisia attack sparks Italy row
• Iraq PM heads to Russia seeking more arms
• FIFA central to soccer's success despite scandals
• Soccer-FIFA central to soccer's success despite scandals
• Paris to host international anti-IS meeting in June
• U.S.-led air raid kills 15 al Qaeda fighters in Syria: monitor
• US sending Iraq 1,000 anti-tank missile systems
• Pakistan arrests suspects in attack that killed 47 Shiites
• Bin Laden bent on spectacular US attack until the end: files
• Iraqi forces say thwart Islamist attack near Ramadi
• Battle of Anbar - who are the players?
• Fear of surveillance haunted Bin Laden
• Anti-Islamic State coalition to meet in Paris on June 2
• Algerian sweep kills 25 suspected Islamists
• Obama mulls enhanced support for Sunnis after Iraq rout
• 10 arrested in Canada over attempt to join IS
• Algerian troops kill more militants in major assault, 25 dead in total
• U.S., allies target Islamic State with 25 air strikes: task force
• One dead in clashes between Libya's Tripoli government and Islamic State

U.S. plans to deliver anti-tank weapons to Iraq in early June Posted: 20 May 2015 04:36 PM PDT The United States plans to deliver 1,000 anti-tank weapons to Iraq in June to combat Islamic State suicide bombings like those that helped the group seize Ramadi, a senior U.S. State Department official said on Thursday. The United States decided to supply Iraq with anti-tank weapons when Iraq's prime minister visited Washington in April and plans to deliver 1,000 of the shoulder-fired AT4 systems in early June, the official told reporters. Islamic State (IS) fighters overran Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province, over the weekend, handing the government its most significant setback in a year and exposing the limitations of Iraq's army and the U.S.-led air strikes against the group.

US taking 'hard look' at Iraq strategy after Ramadi fall Posted: 20 May 2015 04:19 PM PDT Washington conceded Wednesday it is taking a "hard look" at its Iraq strategy after the fall of Ramadi, sending in anti-tank weapons to battle car bombs and working to shore up dispirited Iraqi forces. After days of denying that the weekend capture of the Iraqi town by the Islamic State (IS) group was forcing a policy rethink, a top US official said since Sunday's "significant setback" the US had been focused solely on winning back Ramadi. The Islamic State group's seizure of Ramadi, the first major city to fall to IS since the US and its coalition partners launched air strikes last August, was a painful blow to the US-led war against the jihadists.

Islamic State's Egypt affiliate urges attacks on judges -recording Posted: 20 May 2015 04:05 PM PDT By Michael Georgy and Stephen Kalin CAIRO (Reuters) - Islamic State's Egypt affiliate on Wednesday urged followers to attack judges, declaring a new front in an Islamist militant insurgency in the world's most populous Arab state. "Poison their food... surveil them at home and in the street... destroy their homes with explosives if you can." Any full-blown campaign against judges could spell trouble for President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who as army chief removed the Muslim Brotherhood from power in mid-2013 after mass protests against its rule. Sisi has only just managed to deliver a degree of stability to Egypt after years of political upheaval triggered by an uprising in 2011 that toppled autocrat Hosni Mubarak.

Ten nabbed in Canada's fight against radicalized youth Posted: 20 May 2015 03:49 PM PDT With a combination of new anti-terror measures and appeals to parents, Canada is striving to keep its youths from joining Islamist extremist groups and leaving to fight in Syria. Ten would-be jihadists were arrested at a Montreal airport as they waited to board a flight to Turkey, a popular crossing point into neighboring Syria. There, the young men had hoped to join the Islamic State group, according to an anti-terrorism task force.

Ten killed as Libya's rival governments take on Islamist fighters Posted: 20 May 2015 03:41 PM PDT By Ahmed Elumami and Ayman al-Warfalli TRIPOLI/BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) - Ten people were killed and almost 40 wounded when Libya's two rival governments clashed with Islamist fighters in two large cities on Wednesday, officials said. Supporters of Islamic State and other Islamist militant groups have exploited the turmoil in Libya, where two governments and parliaments are fighting for control four years after the ousting of Muammar Gaddafi. In the eastern city of Benghazi, nine soldiers were killed when fighting the Majlis al-Shura, an umbrella of mostly Islamist groups including Ansar al-Sharia blamed by Washington for the storming of a U.S. diplomatic compound in 2012 which killed the U.S. ambassador.

Osama bin Laden: To the end, obsessed with America Posted: 20 May 2015 03:03 PM PDT When the Navy's SEAL Team Six killed Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in May 2011, it was never going to be the end of the story. Mr. bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, contained computers, books, letters, technical manuals, maps, and other documents. The Director of National Intelligence (DNI) has just released what it calls "a sizeable tranche" of documents recovered during the raid.

10 Canadians arrested on suspicion of heading to join Middle East militants Posted: 20 May 2015 02:54 PM PDT By Allison Lampert MONTREAL (Reuters) - Canadian police arrested 10 young people from Montreal suspected of wanting to leave the country to join militant Islamist groups in the Middle East, officials said on Wednesday. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said the 10 were detained last weekend at Montreal's international airport. "We have reason to believe that the young Montrealers wanted to travel abroad to join jihadist groups," RCMP spokesman Constable Erique Gasse said.

Islamic State seizes ancient town of Palmyra in Syria Posted: 20 May 2015 02:51 PM PDT BEIRUT (AP) — Islamic State extremists captured the ancient Syrian town of Palmyra after government defense lines there collapsed Wednesday, a stunning triumph for the group only days after it captured the strategic city of Ramadi in Iraq.

Bridge opens to let displaced Iraqis flee Anbar Posted: 20 May 2015 02:31 PM PDT More than 2,000 displaced were able Wednesday to flee the conflict-torn Iraqi province of Anbar after the authorities opened a bridge that had been closed for three days. Fighting that led to the Islamic State's (IS) capture of the provincial capital of Anbar on Sunday forced around 40,000 people to flee their homes. Many had massed at the Bzeibez floating bridge to cross into Baghdad but were prevented from going any further by security forces demanding every family have a sponsor.

US releases 100+ bin Laden documents Posted: 20 May 2015 02:20 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Documents swept up in the raid on Osama bin Laden's compound portray a leader cut off from his underlings, disappointed by their failures, beset by their complaints and regretting years of separation from much of his extensive family.

Bin Laden fixated on attacking U.S. interests: documents Posted: 20 May 2015 01:59 PM PDT By Mark Hosenball WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Osama bin Laden was fixated on attacking U.S. targets and pressured al Qaeda groups to heal local rivalries and focus on that cause, according to documents the United States says were seized in his hideout in Pakistan and released on Wednesday. The documents published by U.S. intelligence also contained details of purported negotiations between al Qaeda, its allies in the Pakistani Taliban and representatives of Pakistani intelligence, and what seemed to be an al Qaeda job application.

Obama calls climate change an 'indisputable' security threat Posted: 20 May 2015 01:54 PM PDT President Barack Obama has argued for action on climate change as a matter of health, environmental protection and international obligation. On Wednesday, he added national security. Those who deny global ...

EU lawmakers accuse states of passing buck on migrants Posted: 20 May 2015 01:19 PM PDT EU lawmakers on Wednesday accused some member states of passing the buck by rejecting a Brussels plan for binding quotas for refugees making the dangerous Mediterranean crossing. Members of the main groups in the European Parliament voiced support for the plan that European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker unveiled last week to make the rest of the 28-nation EU share the burden of frontline states such as Italy, Greece and Malta.

Bush faults Obama about Iraq, stops short on more troops Posted: 20 May 2015 01:16 PM PDT PORTSMOUTH, N.H. (AP) — Jeb Bush is sharply criticizing President Barack Obama for withdrawing troops from Iraq, but he won't say whether he would order additional ground forces into the country to repel Islamic State militants.

Islamic State seizes ancient Palmyra city from Syrian forces Posted: 20 May 2015 01:15 PM PDT By Sylvia Westall and Tom Perry BEIRUT (Reuters) - Islamic State insurgents stormed the historic Syrian city of Palmyra on Wednesday, fighting off pro-government forces who withdrew after evacuating most of the civilian population, state television said. The capture of Palmyra is the first time the al Qaeda offshoot has taken control of a city directly from the Syrian army and allied forces, which have already lost ground in the northwest and south to other insurgent groups in recent weeks. Islamic State has destroyed antiquities and ancient monuments in neighboring Iraq and is being targeted by U.S.-led air strikes in both countries.

IS overruns most of Syria's ancient Palmyra: monitor Posted: 20 May 2015 01:08 PM PDT Islamic State group fighters overran most of the historic Syrian city of Palmyra on Wednesday, in a blow to efforts to repel the advancing jihadists after the fall of Iraq's Ramadi. The jihadists, notorious for demolishing archaeological treasures since declaring a "caliphate" last year straddling Iraq and Syria, appeared to have fought their way into Palmyra on foot after breaking through in the city's north. It was unclear if they had reached Palmyra's UNESCO-listed heritage site, including ancient temples and colonnaded streets, and its adjacent museum housing priceless artefacts, located in the city's southwest.

Ghosts of Iraq stalk 2016 White House race Posted: 20 May 2015 12:59 PM PDT The Islamic State group's recent victories have called Barack Obama's Middle East strategy into question and once again made Iraq an issue on the US electoral battlefield. It has been 12 years since president George W. Bush marched into an unpopular war in Iraq, and still the reverberations are being felt. With militant jihadists in control of several major Iraqi cities, now including Ramadi, Republicans and Democrats are scrambling to assign -- and deflect -- blame.

Iraq dismisses Anbar police chief after Ramadi rout Posted: 20 May 2015 12:59 PM PDT Baghdad (AFP) - Iraq's interior minister on Wednesday dismissed the police chief of Anbar province, where the performance of security forces during the jihadist takeover of its capital Ramadi has come under scrutiny.

U.N. announces Yemen talks, Iran to allow ship inspection Posted: 20 May 2015 12:43 PM PDT By Louis Charbonneau and Sam Wilkin UNITED NATIONS/DUBAI (Reuters) - U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday announced talks between warring Yemeni parties in Geneva on May 28 to end over seven weeks of war, as Iran agreed for international inspections of an aid ship sailing to Yemen. Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia and regional Shi'ite powerhouse Iran are in a tussle over influence in the Middle East, where sectarian tensions are fuelling civil strife in Syria and Iraq that has killed hundreds of thousands of people.

Cannes mirrors reality as film shows hunt for teen joining jihad Posted: 20 May 2015 12:11 PM PDT Art mirrored reality at the Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday with a French film about a girl fleeing home to join jihadists just as Canada arrested 10 teens for allegedly trying to join the Islamic State group. The new film, "Cowboy", tells the story of a 16-year-old girl called Kelly who runs away from her home in France's rural Rhone region after converting to Islam to be with her boyfriend. "Cowboy" is likely to touch a nerve in France, where hundreds of young people have left the country to join the Islamic State group (IS) and other jihadist organisations, particularly in Iraq and Syria.

IS in almost full control of Syria's Palmyra: monitor Posted: 20 May 2015 11:53 AM PDT Jihadists from the Islamic State group were in almost full control of Syria's historic city of Palmyra on Wednesday night after the withdrawal of government forces, a monitor said. "IS controls almost all of Palmyra" following the withdrawal of government troops from all sectors except for a prison in the east and military intelligence headquarters in the west, said Rami Abdel Rahman of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Boat migrant arrest over Tunisia attack sparks Italy row Posted: 20 May 2015 11:45 AM PDT Italy said Wednesday it had arrested a Moroccan illegal immigrant suspected of involvement in a deadly attack on a Tunis museum, fuelling a row over the threat of jihadists arriving in Europe by boat. Authorities in Tunisia have arrested nearly two dozen suspects in connection with the March attack in which 21 tourists died, but Abdel Majid Touil, 22, was thought to be the first to be detained abroad. Touil, who was wanted for premeditated murder, kidnapping and terrorism according to the police, was detained on Tuesday evening on an international warrant by Italy's anti-terrorism DIGOS police in the northern town of Gaggiano.

Iraq PM heads to Russia seeking more arms Posted: 20 May 2015 11:35 AM PDT Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi flew to Russia on Wednesday seeking closer military cooperation as he faces tough challenges in the fight against the Islamic State jihadist group. Abadi, who is due to meet President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, heads a large delegation that includes several ministers and a number of civil and military advisers. Iraqi government and allied forces have since been battling IS fighters on several fronts.

FIFA central to soccer's success despite scandals Posted: 20 May 2015 11:32 AM PDT One of FIFA president Sepp Blatter's favorite lines is that his organization boasts more members than the United Nations. The comparison may be slightly open to question as some of FIFA's 209 members are not fully independent nations and therefore not eligible to join the UN. No other sport has quite the same ability to bring entire countries to a standstill, many declaring public holidays when their national teams are involved in World Cup matches.

Soccer-FIFA central to soccer's success despite scandals Posted: 20 May 2015 11:22 AM PDT One of FIFA president Sepp Blatter's favourite lines is that his organisation boasts more members than the United Nations. The comparison may be slightly open to question as some of FIFA's 209 members are not fully independent nations and therefore not eligible to join the UN. No other sport has quite the same ability to bring entire countries to a standstill, many declaring public holidays when their national teams are involved in World Cup matches.

Paris to host international anti-IS meeting in June Posted: 20 May 2015 11:08 AM PDT France will host a high-level meeting of the international community on combating the threat posed by the Islamic State group next month in Paris, authorities said on Wednesday. "Along with (US Secretary of State) John Kerry and (Iraqi Prime Minister Haider) al-Abadi, I will be welcoming in Paris on June 2 the members of the international coalition to talk about Iraq," Fabius said in a speech in the French capital.

U.S.-led air raid kills 15 al Qaeda fighters in Syria: monitor Posted: 20 May 2015 10:50 AM PDT An air raid by U.S.-led forces killed at least 15 members of al Qaeda's Syria wing Nusra Front in the northwest of the country on Wednesday, a group monitoring the Syrian civil war said. The raid hit the headquarters of the group in Tawama village in the western countryside of Aleppo province, said the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which gathers information from a network of sources on the ground. U.S.-led forces have been striking jihadists in Syria and neighboring Iraq since mid-2014 and have mainly targeted the militant Islamic State group, but have also killed a smaller number of Nusra Front members in Syria.

US sending Iraq 1,000 anti-tank missile systems Posted: 20 May 2015 10:16 AM PDT Washington (AFP) - The United States is sending Iraq 1,000 anti-tank missile systems to help fight suicide car bombings, which played a "devastating" role in the capture of Ramadi by Islamic militants, a top US official said Wednesday.

Pakistan arrests suspects in attack that killed 47 Shiites Posted: 20 May 2015 09:39 AM PDT ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan's interior minister on Wednesday announced a breakthrough in the case of last week's Karachi bus attack that killed 47 minority Shiite Muslims, saying police have arrested the suspected mastermind and several gunmen involved in the assault.

Bin Laden bent on spectacular US attack until the end: files Posted: 20 May 2015 09:35 AM PDT Hunkered down in his Pakistani compound, Osama bin Laden pleaded with his followers to stay focused on attacking the United States instead of being dragged into Muslim infighting. Documents that were declassified on Wednesday shed new light on the mindset of Al-Qaeda's founder, his debates over tactics, his anxiety over Western spying and his fixation with the group's media image. "The focus should be on killing and fighting the American people and their representatives," the late Al-Qaeda figurehead wrote.

Iraqi forces say thwart Islamist attack near Ramadi Posted: 20 May 2015 09:28 AM PDT Iraqi forces said they fought off an overnight attack by Islamic State militants near the city of Ramadi, which the insurgents overran at the weekend in the most significant setback for the government in a year. Islamic State is seeking to consolidate its gains in the vast desert province of Anbar, of which Ramadi is capital, where only pockets of territory remain under government control. The IS advance has exposed the shortcomings of Iraq's army and the limitations of U.S. air strikes.

Battle of Anbar - who are the players? Posted: 20 May 2015 08:00 AM PDT The battle to retake Ramadi, capital of Iraq's Anbar province, will pit the Islamic State jihadists against a myriad of fighting forces. IS scored its biggest victory since the summer of 2014 when it took control of Ramadi on Sunday. The jihadist group and its previous incarnations have maintained a presence in the Ramadi region for the past decade, even after US-led efforts to remove insurgents from Anbar.

Fear of surveillance haunted Bin Laden Posted: 20 May 2015 07:49 AM PDT Osama Bin Laden's last years at his final hideout were haunted by his accurate hunch that he was hunted by a remorseless and technologically advanced foe. According to a letter that was declassified on Wednesday and provided by the CIA to AFP -- which cannot independently confirm its authenticity -- Bin Laden warned one of his wives travelling from Iran to rejoin him to take special care. "Before Um Hamza arrives here, it is necessary for her to leave everything behind, including clothes, books, everything that she had in Iran... Everything that a needle might possibly penetrate," Bin Laden wrote, in a letter dated September 26, 2010.

Anti-Islamic State coalition to meet in Paris on June 2 Posted: 20 May 2015 07:06 AM PDT Ministers from members of the coalition fighting Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria will meet in Paris on June 2 to plot strategy including how to reverse recent losses, French officials said on Wednesday. After taking the city of Ramadi earlier this week, Islamic State militants are seeking to consolidate gains in the vast Iraqi desert province of Anbar, where only small pockets of territory remain under government control. "It falls at the right time to assess what's happening because there have been some positive and negative developments," a senior French diplomat said, adding that the countries would meet on June 2.

Algerian sweep kills 25 suspected Islamists Posted: 20 May 2015 06:58 AM PDT Algerian soldiers shot dead three Islamist militants Wednesday, raising to 25 the number of suspects killed in a sweep east of the capital where jihadists operate, the defence ministry said. The ministry said "three terrorists" armed with automatic weapons were killed. It said automatic weapons, ammunition and other weaponry were seized.

Obama mulls enhanced support for Sunnis after Iraq rout Posted: 20 May 2015 06:44 AM PDT The United States said it is considering accelerating the training and equipping of Iraqi tribal forces to fight the Islamic State group after the fall of the city of Ramadi. The jihadists' capture of city was their most significant victory since mid-2014 when they conquered swathes of land, sparking a US-led air campaign to support Baghdad. US President Barack Obama huddled Tuesday with his national security team at the White House but signalled no change of tack, despite mounting calls for a more decisive approach.

10 arrested in Canada over attempt to join IS Posted: 20 May 2015 06:21 AM PDT Canadian police arrested 10 young people as they allegedly tried to leave the country to join the Islamic State group, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said Tuesday. The federal police arrested the group, all residents of the Montreal area, last weekend at the city's international airport and their passports have been withdrawn. Canada in particular has been concerned over the number of youths from the country who have tried to join the group.

Algerian troops kill more militants in major assault, 25 dead in total Posted: 20 May 2015 05:48 AM PDT Algerian security forces killed three militants east of the capital on the second day of a major offensive, the defence ministry said on Wednesday, bringing to 25 the total number of insurgents shot dead. Fighters allied with both al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and Islamic State operate in Algeria, mostly in mountainous northern areas, but militant attacks have been rare since the war with Islamist insurgents mostly came to an end in 2000. Last September, the Caliphate Soldiers kidnapped and killed a French tourist in the mountains east of Algiers.

U.S., allies target Islamic State with 25 air strikes: task force Posted: 20 May 2015 05:46 AM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S.-led coalition staged 25 air strikes against Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq since early on Tuesday, the Combined Joint Task Force leading the operation said on Wednesday. In Iraq, 16 air strikes targeted al Asad, Falluja, Mosul, Sinjar, Bayji and Huwayja, the task force said. The statement did not list any air strikes near Ramadi. Islamic State forces said they had taken full control of the western Iraqi city of Ramadi on Sunday. In Syria, nine air strikes hit near al Hasaka and the key border town of Kobani, the task force said. ...

One dead in clashes between Libya's Tripoli government and Islamic State Posted: 20 May 2015 05:30 AM PDT Forces loyal to a self-declared Libyan government controlling the capital Tripoli fought Islamic State fighters near the town of Sirte on Wednesday, killing one person and wounding seven, a government official said. Militants loyal to Islamic State have exploited the turmoil in Libya, where two governments and parliaments are fighting for control four years after the ousting of Muammar Gaddafi. Taking advantage of the security vacuum, just as Islamic State did in Syria and Iraq, the militants have seized parts of the coastal city of Sirte, Gaddafi's home town east of Tripoli.

You are subscribed to email updates from Iraq News Headlines - Yahoo! News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States