Yahoo! News: Iraq

---

• Video shows Canada Parliament gunman praying before attack
• Canada may now strip militants of citizenship
• Truck bombs: the Islamic State's 'air force'
• Interpol: Islamic State group gains support in Africa, Asia
• All 8 women fail Ranger School: Some Rangers say standards should change
• Police ramp up for anti-Islam demonstration outside Phoenix mosque
• Syrian army in retreat as rebels tighten grip on Idlib
• At U.N., states urged to do more to stop flow of foreign fighters
• Rand Paul Unfiltered: 6 Straight-from-the-Hip Quotes
• Former RI governor set to announce 2016 campaign next week
• Latest US proposal for ethanol could have political fallout
• IS claims suicide bombing on Shiite mosque in Saudi, 4 dead
• Foreign fighters switching tactics to reach Syria, Iraq
• FOR EUROPE, GENEROSITY MAY COME WITH A PRICE
• CAUTION CONTINUES TO GUIDE JOINT CHIEFS CHAIRMAN
• Free Speech and Guns Mark Another Muhammad Cartoon Contest
• Islamic State suicide bomber in women's garb kills three in Saudi Arabia
• Christian beheads jihadist in Syria revenge killing: monitor
• Following National Vote, 24 of America's Most Courageous Canines Chosen to Compete for Title as America's Top Dog
• 'Chaotic picture' as funding gap threatens WHO operations in Iraq
• Death toll from Baghdad hotel bombings rises to 15
• U.S., allies target Islamic State with 24 air strikes: statement
• Break the vicious cycle, Singapore tells South China Sea rivals
• Insurgents advance in areas around captured Syrian town: monitor
• France and Morocco strengthen counterterrorism cooperation
• Rocky road: Britain's troubled ties to European Union
• 12 Australian women have tried to join IS: police
• Iraq's Sunni-Shiite divide: Does US experience show how it can be bridged?

Video shows Canada Parliament gunman praying before attack Posted: 29 May 2015 03:48 PM PDT A gunman who fatally shot a soldier in Canada's capital last October, and then stormed Parliament, prayed for guidance and cursed his foes, previously unreleased sections of a video he made before the attacks show. Michael Zehaf-Bibeau made the short video on his cell phone, sitting in a car, before launching his attacks in Ottawa on Oct. 22. The unedited video was released by police on Friday.

Canada may now strip militants of citizenship Posted: 29 May 2015 03:42 PM PDT Ottawa (AFP) - A revised Canadian immigration law came into force Friday enabling the government to revoke the citizenship of persons convicted of terrorism, treason, spying or taking up arms against Canadian soldiers.

Truck bombs: the Islamic State's 'air force' Posted: 29 May 2015 03:25 PM PDT They're easy to drive and hard to stop, can be made on a farm and destroy a city block: the Islamic State group's monstrous truck bombs are reshaping the battlefield. The jihadists used about 30 explosives-rigged vehicles in the Iraqi city of Ramadi this month, blasting their way through positions government and allied fighters had managed to hold for more than a year. When a position is too well defended for a more conventional advance, a suicide driver steers a truck bomb, protected by the makeshift armour, through enemy fire and straight to his target.

Interpol: Islamic State group gains support in Africa, Asia Posted: 29 May 2015 03:24 PM PDT UNITED NATIONS (AP) — A growing number of extremist groups from Africa to southeast Asia are shifting their allegiance to the Islamic State group, leading to greater risks for "cross-pollination" among conflicts beyond Syria and Iraq, the head of Interpol said Friday.

All 8 women fail Ranger School: Some Rangers say standards should change Posted: 29 May 2015 02:46 PM PDT On Friday, the Army is expected to announce that all the women who had attempted to graduate from Ranger School had officially failed to meet the standards, according to a military source. Ranger School, which grooms the Army's most elite special operations fighting force, opened its doors to women for the first time this year. The Rangers are the best of the best, and being a Ranger means passing a physical test that pushes body and mind to the breaking point.

Police ramp up for anti-Islam demonstration outside Phoenix mosque Posted: 29 May 2015 01:32 PM PDT By Paul Ingram PHOENIX (Reuters) - Arizona police stepped up security near a mosque on Friday ahead of a planned anti-Islam demonstration featuring displays of cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad, weeks after a similar contest in Texas came under attack from two gunmen. Friday's event outside the Islamic Community Center of Phoenix was being organized by an Iraq war veteran who posted photos of himself online wearing a T-shirt with the slogan "Fuck Islam" on it and waving the U.S. flag. More than 900 people wrote on the event's Facebook page that they would take part in the Phoenix demonstration at 6:15 p.m. local time (0115 GMT on Saturday).

Syrian army in retreat as rebels tighten grip on Idlib Posted: 29 May 2015 12:57 PM PDT The Syrian government has abandoned Idlib to concentrate on regions deemed vital for its survival, allowing Al-Qaeda to seize the province's last regime-held city, a security source and monitor said Friday. Rebels now control the vast majority of Idlib province after Al-Nusra Front -- Al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate -- and its allies overran Ariha and surrounding villages on Thursday. "The lightning offensive ended with a heavy pullout of regime forces and their allies Hezbollah from the western side of the city," said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group.

At U.N., states urged to do more to stop flow of foreign fighters Posted: 29 May 2015 12:54 PM PDT By Louis Charbonneau UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Interior ministers from members of the United Nations Security Council on Friday voiced concern that some countries were not doing enough to prevent their citizens from traveling abroad and joining militant groups like Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. In a move sparked by Islamic State's military conquests, the 15-nation Security Council adopted a resolution last September at a meeting chaired by U.S. President Barack Obama demanding that all states "prevent and suppress" the recruitment and travel of militant fighters to foreign conflicts.

Rand Paul Unfiltered: 6 Straight-from-the-Hip Quotes Posted: 29 May 2015 12:45 PM PDT Rand Paul likes to shake things up. Like his father, Ron Paul—the man who defined libertarianism for most Americans—Rand can be a thorn in the side of his own Republican Party. He proved that in an interview ...

Former RI governor set to announce 2016 campaign next week Posted: 29 May 2015 12:39 PM PDT PROVIDENCE R.I. (AP) — Former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee, once a Republican, then an independent, then a Democrat, plans to announce his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination next week.

Latest US proposal for ethanol could have political fallout Posted: 29 May 2015 12:38 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration's latest plan on ethanol, the corn-based renewable fuel, probably will not have a major effect on pump prices, but could have political reverberations in Iowa and other farm states in the 2016 presidential campaign.

IS claims suicide bombing on Shiite mosque in Saudi, 4 dead Posted: 29 May 2015 12:14 PM PDT RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — A suicide bomber disguised as a woman blew himself up in the parking lot of a Shiite mosque during Friday prayers, killing four people in the second such attack in as many weeks claimed by the Islamic State group.

Foreign fighters switching tactics to reach Syria, Iraq Posted: 29 May 2015 11:38 AM PDT Foreign fighters bent on joining jihadists in Syria, Iraq and North Africa are changing tactics to avoid detection, increasingly resorting to tortuous travel routes and relying on middlemen, Interpol said Friday. Interpol chief Juergen Stock told a special UN Security Council meeting that intelligence-sharing was key to stopping would-be jihadists who are now flocking to war zones in record numbers.

FOR EUROPE, GENEROSITY MAY COME WITH A PRICE Posted: 29 May 2015 11:25 AM PDT In 1973, a prominent French writer, Jean Raspail, set forth on the French literary stage a novel that managed to fascinate even as it shocked the West. To them, apparently, this picture of a refugee fleet, appropriately called "The Last Chance Armada," which had sailed several seas bringing no-chancers-at-all(DESPERATE IMMIGRANTS?) from faraway India to the luxurious southern borders of Europe, was not so horrifying as it was to the average Frenchman or Spaniard.

CAUTION CONTINUES TO GUIDE JOINT CHIEFS CHAIRMAN Posted: 29 May 2015 11:25 AM PDT Last winter, the National Geographic aired an important piece of 20th-century Americana on its television channel. The names involved were famous ones -- legendary four-star generals Colin Powell, Barry McCaffrey and Jack Keane, among others -- but theirs were no ordinary war stories. Almost without exception, all six or so of the generals condemned not only the Vietnam War, but also those more recent disasters, the Iraq and Afghan wars.

Free Speech and Guns Mark Another Muhammad Cartoon Contest Posted: 29 May 2015 11:05 AM PDT Tonight in Arizona, John Ritzheimer, a veteran and a biker, will host a "Prophet Muhammad cartoon drawing contest" outside a Phoenix Islamic community center. The event is scheduled during traditional evening prayers for Muslims. The community center was apparently attended by the two gunmen and Islamic State sympathizers who were killed last month outside a similar contest organized by anti-Islam crusader Pamela Geller in Garland, Texas.

Islamic State suicide bomber in women's garb kills three in Saudi Arabia Posted: 29 May 2015 09:49 AM PDT By Maha El Dahan and Sami Aboudi ABU DHABI/DUBAI (Reuters) - An Islamist militant suicide bomber disguised as a woman blew himself up outside a Shi'ite mosque in eastern Saudi Arabia on Friday, killing himself and three other people, the second attack of its kind in the world's top oil exporter in one week. The bombing, which was claimed by Islamic State, could further escalate sectarian strife in the kingdom, where anti-Shi'ite sentiment has been stoked by a military campaign against Iranian-allied Houthi militias in neighboring Yemen since March. The Interior Ministry said a suicide bomber disguised in women's clothes blew himself up outside the al-Anoud mosque's entrance in the city of Dammam during noon prayers.

Christian beheads jihadist in Syria revenge killing: monitor Posted: 29 May 2015 08:56 AM PDT A Syrian Christian fighter has beheaded an Islamic State group (IS) militant to avenge people "executed" by the jihadists in northeastern Syria, a monitor said on Friday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the incident took place on Thursday in Hasakeh province, where IS holds large areas of the countryside. "He took him prisoner and when he found out he was a member of IS, the Assyrian fighter beheaded him in revenge for abuses committed by the group in the region," Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said.

Following National Vote, 24 of America's Most Courageous Canines Chosen to Compete for Title as America's Top Dog Posted: 29 May 2015 08:45 AM PDT WASHINGTON, May 29, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The results are in! Following more than 600,000 votes by animal lovers across the country, 24 courageous canines are advancing to the semifinal rounds of the 2015 American Humane Association Hero Dog Awards™, presented by the Lois Pope LIFE Foundation. The eight finalists will be flown to Los Angeles to take part in the star-studded Hero Dog Awards gala on September 19 at the Beverly Hilton, where one will be chosen as the 2015 American Hero Dog. This must-watch event for animal lovers will be broadcast as a two-hour special by Hallmark Channel in October.

'Chaotic picture' as funding gap threatens WHO operations in Iraq Posted: 29 May 2015 07:45 AM PDT By Magdalena Mis LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - More than 3 million refugees and displaced Iraqis could be denied life-saving healthcare as the World Health Organization (WHO) scrambles to secure $60 million to fund their operations in the country to the end of the year. Without the money, healthcare providers in Iraq funded by the WHO and its partners could be forced to stop services -- including primary healthcare, disease outbreak detection and immunization -- at the end of June, said Syed Jaffar Hussain, WHO's head of mission in Iraq. "By the 30th of June, the funding will be completely exhausted," Hussain told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by phone from Iraq.

Death toll from Baghdad hotel bombings rises to 15 Posted: 29 May 2015 07:37 AM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — The death toll from car bombs that targeted two prominent hotels in Baghdad a day earlier rose to 15 people, with another 42 wounded, Iraqi officials said Friday, as the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack.

U.S., allies target Islamic State with 24 air strikes: statement Posted: 29 May 2015 07:10 AM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S.-led coalition conducted 20 air strikes in Iraq and four in Syria targeting Islamic State militants since early on Thursday, the Combined Joint Task Force leading the air operations said. In Iraq, air strikes carried out using attack, fighter, bomber and drone aircraft struck near Baghdadi, Bayji, Falluja, Makhmur, Ramadi, Sinjar and Tal Afar, the task force said in a statement Friday. In Syria, air strikes carried out using bomber and fighter aircraft struck near Al Hasakah and Kobani, it said. The air strikes were conducted between 8 a.m. on Thursday and 8 a.m. ...

Break the vicious cycle, Singapore tells South China Sea rivals Posted: 29 May 2015 05:57 AM PDT By Rujun Shen and David Alexander SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore's prime minister called on countries on Friday to break the "vicious cycle" of the South China Sea row, as the United States and China exchanged increasingly angry barbs over reclaimed islands in the disputed waterway. Inaugurating Asia's biggest security forum, the Shangri-La Dialogue, Lee Hsien Loong also warned of the threat of Islamic State militancy in Southeast Asia and said it was not inconceivable that the ultra-radicals could establish a base in the region physically under their control, like in Syria or Iraq. Just hours before Lee spoke, the Pentagon said China had placed mobile artillery weapons systems on a reclaimed island in the South China Sea.

Insurgents advance in areas around captured Syrian town: monitor Posted: 29 May 2015 05:53 AM PDT Insurgents who captured the last government-held town in Syria's Idlib province celebrated inside on Friday and made more advances in surrounding areas, in a further blow to the stretched army and allied militia. The "Army of Fatah" alliance which includes al Qaeda's Syria wing Nusra Front, the Islamist Ahrar al-Sham group and other factions, captured Ariha town on Thursday night as the Syrian military pulled back. The army has lost large parts of the northwestern province to insurgents since late March, when the provincial capital fell to Army of Fatah, a name which refers to Islamic conquest.

France and Morocco strengthen counterterrorism cooperation Posted: 29 May 2015 03:00 AM PDT PARIS (AP) — France and Morocco have vowed to strengthen counterterrorism cooperation, four months after they resumed judicial cooperation following a year-long diplomatic rift.

Rocky road: Britain's troubled ties to European Union Posted: 29 May 2015 02:44 AM PDT The British people will get another chance to decide on their European future by the end of 2017 — marking one more milestone in a long-troubled relationship. The planned referendum on Britain's membership ...

12 Australian women have tried to join IS: police Posted: 29 May 2015 12:40 AM PDT At least 12 Australian women from one city have attempted to join the Islamic State group, police said Friday, warning of a trend towards a "romanticised view" of violent jihadists. More than 100 Australians have left the country to support IS in Syria and Iraq, raising concerns about radicalisation and whether they pose a security threat on return, the authorities have said. Victoria Police assistant commissioner Tracy Linford said those attracted to IS were mostly young, isolated people swayed by slick social media propaganda.

Iraq's Sunni-Shiite divide: Does US experience show how it can be bridged? Posted: 28 May 2015 06:30 PM PDT A tempest in Iraq over a military operation's name might have been a small thing, but to some regional experts, it offers a measure of the deepening divide between the country's Shiite and Sunni Muslim communities. On Wednesday, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi officially renamed the military offensive that was launched to retake Anbar province from Islamic State (IS) militants "Lubbayk ya Iraq," or "At your service, Iraq." The operation was originally dubbed "Lubbayk ya Hussein" – chosen by the Shiite militias leading the battle to honor a revered figure in Shiite Islam. The switch to a less sectarian name was seen as a positive gesture toward Iraq's marginalized Sunni population – something bestowing an air of nationalism and unity on the operation.

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