Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• France terror suspect claims he thwarted church attack
• More Fear Than Faith for Christie at Conference for Religious Conservatives
• U.S man arrested for attempting to provide support to Islamic State
• Putin says willing to 'push' Syria's Assad on reform
• Global 'terror' death toll soared in 2014: US
• US report finds Iran threat undiminished as nuke deal nears
• Brian Williams' rehabilitation efforts begin Friday
• Rangers, SEALs, now Raiders: Marines resurrect historic name
• Agent Orange: US makes more veterans eligible for disability benefits
• Men charged in Boston beheading plot plead not guilty in court
• US Marines resurrect historic Raiders name for Special Ops
• Flow of migrants from Libya to continue: EU border agency
• U.S., allies conduct 24 air strikes against Islamic State: military
• Syria pro-regime tribes reject Jordanian king's support
• Bush touts pro-life stance at conservative faith rally
• Terror attacks, deaths up sharply in 2014: State Department
• British PM says Muslims must do more to counter IS ideology
• Ex-Army contractor gets prison for military theft in Iraq
• English city stunned by family's flight to join Islamic State
• Dutch govt extends military missions in Iraq, Mali by a year
• Disgraced NBC anchorman Brian Williams blames ego for exaggerating stories
• Dutch to extend Iraq military mission against Islamic State: PM
• UK's Cameron tells Muslim communities to do more to tackle extremism
• Cameron tells Muslim communities to do more to tackle extremism
• Brian Williams Tells Matt Lauer, "I Own Up To This"
• Jeb Bush vs. Marco Rubio: Can the friendly tone last?
• Millennials Chart a Different Foreign Policy Course
• OSCE calls for 'humane treatment' of migrants and refugees
• Islamic State seen overtaking al Qaeda in South Asia social media war
• Greek island swamped by refugee flood; no relief in sight
• Jury rules no extra prison for Marine who killed Iraqi
• Despite obstacles, chances grow for final Iran nuclear deal
• Military jury sentences U.S. Marine convicted of Iraq murder to time served
• Today in History
• Jury recommends no extra prison for Marine who killed Iraqi
• Clinton opposes VA privatization but sees need for choice
• Kurds emerge as key force in fight against IS 'caliphate'

France terror suspect claims he thwarted church attack Posted: 19 Jun 2015 03:46 PM PDT An Algerian man accused of murdering a woman and planning an attack on a church on the southern edge of Paris claimed in court on Friday he had actually foiled the terror plot, his lawyers said. Sid Ahmed Ghlam, 24, was taken into custody on April 19 after he accidentally shot himself in the leg, a fluke occurrence that led police to uncovering an alleged plot against a church in the Villejuif suburb. Paris prosecutors say they found documents at his residence about Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group, and that he had been in touch with a possible jihadist in Syria to ask him how to attack a church.

More Fear Than Faith for Christie at Conference for Religious Conservatives Posted: 19 Jun 2015 03:01 PM PDT New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was one of many Republican presidential contenders who appeared at the Faith and Freedom Coalition's Road to Majority conference in Washington on Friday, but he was the only one who didn't emphasize the subject of his personal religiosity as a means of connecting with the overwhelmingly white and Christian crowd. Others who appeared on the stage Friday, including former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, Ohio Gov. John Kasich and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, all went to great lengths to assure the crowd of the depth of their Christian faith and to promise, overtly or not, to be guided by it in office. Instead of trying to connect with the crowd through religion, Christie went mainly with fear: "When you think about the world that Barack Obama inherited when he came to the White House, the world that he will be leaving the next president, it is startling how much damage can be done to America's reputation in seven short years.

U.S man arrested for attempting to provide support to Islamic State Posted: 19 Jun 2015 02:26 PM PDT A U.S. man was arrested on Friday in Ohio for attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State militant group, the U.S. Justice Department said. Amir Said Abdul Rahman Al-Ghazi, 38, was also charged with possessing a firearm as a convicted felon and trafficking marijuana, prosecutors said. Al-Ghazi was arrested in North Olmstead in northeastern Ohio, the Justice Department said.

Putin says willing to 'push' Syria's Assad on reform Posted: 19 Jun 2015 02:00 PM PDT Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday he is ready to "push" his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad towards introducing reforms in the war-torn country, while vowing to continue to support his ally. "We are ready to work with Assad so that he engages in a process of political change," Putin said at the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum. "We are ready to push President Assad so that he engages in discussions with the 'healthy' opposition with a view towards political reforms.

Global 'terror' death toll soared in 2014: US Posted: 19 Jun 2015 01:28 PM PDT Islamic jihadists fuelled a huge spike in terror attacks last year with the global death toll soaring 81 percent in more than 1,100 assaults a month, the United States said Friday. There were 13,463 attacks in 95 countries in 2014 -- up by a third from the year before -- with Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan bearing the brunt of extremist violence, the State Department said in a report. The largest number of attacks were carried out by Islamic State (IS) militants, who unleashed 1,083 assaults last year as part of a deadly march across Iraq and Syria.

US report finds Iran threat undiminished as nuke deal nears Posted: 19 Jun 2015 12:59 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Iran's support for international terrorist groups remained undiminished last year and even expanded in some respects, the Obama administration said Friday, less than two weeks before the deadline for completing a nuclear deal that could provide Tehran with billions of dollars in relief from economic sanctions.

Brian Williams' rehabilitation efforts begin Friday Posted: 19 Jun 2015 12:38 PM PDT NEW YORK (AP) — Brian Williams said the months since his suspension from NBC News had been like torture, and a come-clean interview with colleague Matt Lauer on the "Today" show must surely have felt like an extension.

Rangers, SEALs, now Raiders: Marines resurrect historic name Posted: 19 Jun 2015 12:29 PM PDT RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The Army has the Green Berets, while the Navy is known for the SEALs. Now, an elite branch of the U.S. Marine Corps will officially be known as Raiders.

Agent Orange: US makes more veterans eligible for disability benefits Posted: 19 Jun 2015 12:14 PM PDT Forty years after the end of the Vietnam War, the US government has amended regulations to provide disability benefits to more than 2,000 Air Force veterans and reservists who were exposed to Agent Orange while in contact with contaminated aircraft. The new disability benefits are expected to cost $47.5 million over 10 years, plus additional health care coverage. The rule change came after new research from the National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine (IOM) suggested that military personnel who were exposed to the C-123 cargo aircraft that dropped the chemical herbicide were subject to adverse health effects.

Men charged in Boston beheading plot plead not guilty in court Posted: 19 Jun 2015 12:11 PM PDT Two New England men pleaded not guilty in federal court in Boston on Friday to charges they plotted to help the militant group Islamic State by beheading Massachusetts police officers. Wearing orange prison fatigues, David Wright, 25, of Massachusetts, and Nicholas Rovinski, 24, of Rhode Island, entered not-guilty pleas at the arraignment in U.S. District Court in Boston. Wright was arrested in Boston on June 2, the same day that officers shot dead a third man, Usaamah Abdullah Rahim, while trying to question him about the beheading plot.

US Marines resurrect historic Raiders name for Special Ops Posted: 19 Jun 2015 11:49 AM PDT After years of controversy and dispute, an elite branch of the US Marine Corps will officially be known as Raiders. The Marines will rename Marine special operations battalions as Marine Raiders at a ceremony on Friday, in honor of World War II units that were engaged in special operations. The name will be given to eight branches of Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command, known as MARSOC.

Flow of migrants from Libya to continue: EU border agency Posted: 19 Jun 2015 11:44 AM PDT People traffickers in Libya know they are untouchable and the flow of migrants across the Mediterranean is set to continue, the EU's border agency has told AFP. The smugglers who pack thousands of people on unseaworthy boats for Europe "are organising these departures without risk of being arrested, so for as long as the situation in Libya remains what it is, these flows will continue," Frontex spokeswoman Izabella Cooper said. Cooper was speaking Thursday aboard the Belgian navy ship Godetia, which was carrying out a patrol as part of the EU's Triton border security operation that alongside the Italian coast guard, works to rescue migrants at sea.

U.S., allies conduct 24 air strikes against Islamic State: military Posted: 19 Jun 2015 11:09 AM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. and coalition forces conducted 13 air strikes targeting Islamic State in Iraq on Thursday and 11 strikes against the militant group in Syria, the U.S. military said on Friday. In Syria, forces focused on Islamic State's crude oil-collection points, as attacking "revenue generation activities remains a priority for the coalition," said Brigadier General Thomas Weidley, the Combined Joint Task Force's chief of staff, in a statement. ...

Syria pro-regime tribes reject Jordanian king's support Posted: 19 Jun 2015 11:05 AM PDT "It is our duty as a nation to support the tribes in eastern Syria and western Iraq," the king was quoted as saying by Jordanian official media during the meeting on Sunday. While the pledge was welcomed by some tribes in Iraq, the comments were received differently in Syria, where the government accuses Amman of backing rebels fighting to oust President Bashar al-Assad.

Bush touts pro-life stance at conservative faith rally Posted: 19 Jun 2015 11:04 AM PDT Jeb Bush, who launched his 2016 presidential campaign this week, issued a reminder to skeptical conservatives Friday that his faith and anti-abortion stance are front and center in his political life. Bush, aiming to follow his father and brother into the White House, has spent months fleshing out his economic principles, denouncing the record of President Barack Obama, and jousting with reporters over brother George W. Bush's Iraq policy.

Terror attacks, deaths up sharply in 2014: State Department Posted: 19 Jun 2015 10:16 AM PDT By Warren Strobel WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Terrorist attacks worldwide surged by more than a third and fatalities soared by 81 percent in 2014, a year that also saw Islamic State eclipse al Qaeda as the leading jihadist militant group, the U.S. State Department said on Friday. In its annual report on terrorism, the department also charts an unprecedented flow of foreign fighters to Syria, often lured by Islamic State's use of social media and drawn from diverse social backgrounds. Al Qaeda's leaders "appeared to lose momentum as the self-styled leader of a global movement in the face of ISIL's rapid expansion and proclamation of a Caliphate," the report said, using an alternate acronym for Islamic State.

British PM says Muslims must do more to counter IS ideology Posted: 19 Jun 2015 09:14 AM PDT BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) — Prime Minister David Cameron charged Friday that some British Muslims quietly condone the radical ideology of the Islamic State group, prompting accusations that he is scapegoating the large and diverse community.

Ex-Army contractor gets prison for military theft in Iraq Posted: 19 Jun 2015 08:09 AM PDT WACO, Texas (AP) — A former Army contractor in Iraq who helped to steal and sell more than $2.6 million in U.S. military property must serve nearly four years in prison.

English city stunned by family's flight to join Islamic State Posted: 19 Jun 2015 07:47 AM PDT By Michael Holden BRADFORD, England (Reuters) - Zahoor Ahmed shakes his head in disbelief as he surveys the back of a terraced house belonging to the family of the three Dawood sisters, believed to have traveled to Syria to join Islamic State militants and brought their nine children with them. "Why would you go to Syria? The case came to light just two days after reports that Talha Asmal, a 17-year-old from Dewsbury just a few miles from Bradford, had carried out an Islamic State attack in Iraq, becoming what is believed to be Britain's youngest suicide bomber.

Dutch govt extends military missions in Iraq, Mali by a year Posted: 19 Jun 2015 07:32 AM PDT THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The Dutch government is extending by a year its contribution to the international coalition fighting the Islamic State terror group in Iraq and to a United Nations peacekeeping force in Mali.

Disgraced NBC anchorman Brian Williams blames ego for exaggerating stories Posted: 19 Jun 2015 07:10 AM PDT By Bill Trott WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Fallen anchorman Brian Williams said on Friday he was not trying to mislead people by exaggerating stories about his work but that his ego drove him to make the mistakes that cost him his job on NBC's "Nightly News." Williams, who will end a six-month NBC-imposed suspension in August, appeared on the network's "Today" show and said he was sorry for the inaccuracies. "I got it wrong," Williams said. "I own this and I own up to this." NBC said on Thursday that Williams, 56, will not return to his prestigious anchor job but will join the network's cable channel MSNBC as anchor of breaking news and special reports in mid-August.

Dutch to extend Iraq military mission against Islamic State: PM Posted: 19 Jun 2015 06:52 AM PDT AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The Netherlands will extend its participation in the military mission against Islamic State militants in Iraq by one year until October 2016, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Friday. The Netherlands is assisting the air campaign in Iraq with four F-16 fighter jets and is also helping to train Iraqi soldiers. It contributes roughly 450 military personnel. (Reporting By Anthony Deutsch; Editing by Gareth Jones)

UK's Cameron tells Muslim communities to do more to tackle extremism Posted: 19 Jun 2015 06:24 AM PDT British Prime Minister David Cameron urged Muslim communities and families on Friday to do more to fight extremism, warning some Muslims risk fostering radicalism in young people by quietly condoning extreme views. Cameron highlighted two cases this week - a 17-year-old from northern England who blew himself up in Iraq and three sisters who abandoned their husbands and are believed to be in Syria with their nine children - as examples of how people can slide from prejudice to extremism.

Cameron tells Muslim communities to do more to tackle extremism Posted: 19 Jun 2015 06:22 AM PDT British Prime Minister David Cameron urged Muslim communities and families on Friday to do more to fight extremism, warning some Muslims risk fostering radicalism in young people by quietly condoning extreme views. Cameron highlighted two cases this week - a 17-year-old from northern England who blew himself up in Iraq and three sisters who abandoned their husbands and are believed to be in Syria with their nine children - as examples of how people can slide from prejudice to extremism.

Brian Williams Tells Matt Lauer, "I Own Up To This" Posted: 19 Jun 2015 05:50 AM PDT The recently demoted former 'NBC Nightly News' anchor spoke out for the first time since he was suspended, after he was found to have told a account of a 2003 incident in Iraq.

Jeb Bush vs. Marco Rubio: Can the friendly tone last? Posted: 19 Jun 2015 04:00 AM PDT Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio, both top GOP prospects for president, often describe one another as "friend" or even "good friend." And they seem to mean it. It is a relationship born of their days in Florida politics, Mr. Bush as governor, Senator Rubio as a state representative. For the moment, top-tier candidates like Bush and Rubio – and those with a shot at making the top tier – are working on channeling their inner Ronald Reagan or even their inner Barack Obama.

Millennials Chart a Different Foreign Policy Course Posted: 19 Jun 2015 03:45 AM PDT As the U.S. wages war on ISIS, seeks to neutralize Iran's nuclear program, and challenges China on trade, a new study suggests that an important group of young Americans constituting a quarter of the population favors a significant shift in U.S. policy. It is one that includes improved relations with China and other global rivals and less urgency in confronting Middle Eastern terrorists. The study published this week by the libertarian Cato Institute offers compelling evidence that millennials are coming into their own as a political and economic force.

OSCE calls for 'humane treatment' of migrants and refugees Posted: 19 Jun 2015 03:25 AM PDT The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe called Friday for countries to treat migrants "humanely", as the EU struggles to cope with tens of thousands of people arriving in rickety boats. "Ahead of World Refugee Day, we have to be aware of our responsibility to treat refugees and migrants humanely," said Michael Georg Link, head of the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights. Recent events "have raised the question of the treatment of refugees to the top of policy agendas," he was quoted in a statement as saying in Hungary, where the government this week announced plans to erect a fence along its border with Serbia to keep out migrants.

Islamic State seen overtaking al Qaeda in South Asia social media war Posted: 19 Jun 2015 03:17 AM PDT By Katharine Houreld ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Islamist militant propaganda websites and social media accounts in South Asia are promoting Islamic State at the expense of al Qaeda, analysts said on Friday, highlighting the rivalry between the two global militant groups. Disaffected Taliban factions have started to look toward Islamic State, impressed by its rapid capture of territory in Syria and Iraq, though there is no evidence it is providing substantial material support to the Taliban. The popularity of IS comes at the expense of al Qaeda, whose deep pockets and foreign fighters once readily attracted local commanders.

Greek island swamped by refugee flood; no relief in sight Posted: 19 Jun 2015 02:59 AM PDT MYTILENE, Greece (AP) — An inflatable dinghy touches the shore in darkness. Dozens of men, women and children jump into the shallow water, stumbling on unseen rocks as they scramble onto a narrow strip of seaweed-strewn beach.

Jury rules no extra prison for Marine who killed Iraqi Posted: 19 Jun 2015 01:34 AM PDT CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. (AP) — A Marine staff sergeant told military jurors that everyone looked up to Lawrence Hutchins III, his squad leader. Hutchins' 11-year-old daughter said it was "sheer terror" to live without her father.

Despite obstacles, chances grow for final Iran nuclear deal Posted: 18 Jun 2015 10:05 PM PDT By Louis Charbonneau, Parisa Hafezi and John Irish NEW YORK/ANKARA/PARIS (Reuters) - Iran is trying to avoid detailed commitments. U.S. officials, including Obama, have long said they see at best a 50-50 chance of getting a deal with Iran.

Military jury sentences U.S. Marine convicted of Iraq murder to time served Posted: 18 Jun 2015 09:57 PM PDT A U.S. Marine convicted of the 2006 murder of a former Iraqi police officer was sentenced on Thursday to time he had already served in confinement, in a decision by a military jury at Camp Pendleton in California. The jury also gave Marine Sergeant Lawrence Hutchins III a bad-conduct discharge from the Marine Corps. After the killing in Iraq came to light, then-U.S. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus called it a "cold-blooded murder".

Today in History Posted: 18 Jun 2015 09:01 PM PDT Today is Friday, June 19, the 170th day of 2015. There are 195 days left in the year.

Jury recommends no extra prison for Marine who killed Iraqi Posted: 18 Jun 2015 06:28 PM PDT CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. (AP) — A military jury on Thursday recommended that a U.S. Marine twice convicted of murdering an Iraqi civilian get no additional prison time beyond the roughly seven years he has already served for the crime.

Clinton opposes VA privatization but sees need for choice Posted: 18 Jun 2015 05:59 PM PDT By Michelle Conlin RENO, Nevada (Reuters) - Hillary Clinton, the Democratic front-runner for the 2016 presidential race, said on Thursday she opposes blanket privatization of military veterans' healthcare but realizes that vets need choices. In her first substantive comments on the campaign trail about veterans' affairs, Clinton vowed to win a better deal for vets and protect their education funding benefits.

Kurds emerge as key force in fight against IS 'caliphate' Posted: 18 Jun 2015 05:14 PM PDT Kurdish fighters in Iraq and Syria have emerged as some of the most effective forces battling the Islamic State jihadist group in the year since IS declared a cross-border "caliphate". Iraq's Kurds defended their autonomous region, gained control of a swathe of long-disputed territory during IS's sweeping offensive and retook areas they lost to the jihadists, coming out better than most in a war with no real winners. In neighbouring Syria, Kurdish forces defended the town of Kobane against IS in a months-long battle, retook the key hub of Tal Abyad on the Turkish border this month and fought the jihadists in other areas.

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