Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• US says IS suspect in Benghazi attack killed in airstrike
• US airstrike kills IS operative in Iraq: official
• IS ties 2 boys to pole for eating in Ramadan: monitor
• Syrian Kurdish fighters chase IS from key base north of Raqa: NGO
• U.S. air strike in Iraq kills Islamic State fighter linked to Benghazi attack: Pentagon
• Army Reprimands Top General Who Helped Run War Against ISIS
• American teen arrested on IS-linked terrorism charges
• Syrian Kurds, on offensive, seize military base from Islamic State
• Officials: Man planned killings in US for Islamic State
• Carter: US to provide weapons, aircraft, commandos for NATO
• Egypt security forces kill 22 suspected militants in North Sinai: sources
• Tripoli forces hit Islamic State in Libya with air strikes
• Bush’s ‘General Election Strategy’ May be Working
• More Pain for Putin: EU Extends Sanctions
• North Carolina man charged in plot to kill Americans for Islamic State
• Syrian army advances west of IS-controlled Palmyra
• Turkish Heritage Organization Deepens Advisory Board with Global Expertise
• Death threats for Saudi satire star who fights Islamic State with laughs
• Ten Iraqi security officials killed in bombings and shooting
• Was the Charleston Attack 'Terrorism'?
• Europol to battle Islamic State social media propaganda
• U.S. leads 29 air strikes against Islamic State: statement
• Cycling Saves Lives with Wounded Warrior Project's Soldier Ride
• European cyber police unit to take on Islamic State propaganda
• Kurds find Islamic State group tunnel near Turkish border
• Exiled Chagos islanders go to top UK court in bid to go home
• European police team to take on IS social media propaganda
• Overcapacity stifling Europe's defense industry
• AP PHOTOS: Editor selections from the Middle East
• Attacks in Baghdad, elsewhere in Iraq kill at least 8 people
• Israel, Jordan discreetly foster ties amid regional chaos
• Today in History

US says IS suspect in Benghazi attack killed in airstrike Posted: 22 Jun 2015 04:40 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon says an Islamic State operative suspected of involvement in the 2012 attack on the U.S. diplomatic outpost in Benghazi, Libya, has been killed in a U.S. airstrike in Iraq.

US airstrike kills IS operative in Iraq: official Posted: 22 Jun 2015 04:30 PM PDT A US airstrike in northern Iraq has killed an Islamic State operative who was a person of interest in the 2012 Benghazi attack, the Pentagon said Monday. Pentagon spokesman Colonel Steve Warren said Tariq bin al-Tahar bin al-Falih al-'Awni al-Harzi of Tunisia was killed in Mosul on June 15. The US Treasury and the State Department had designated him as a terrorist operating for or on behalf of IS.

IS ties 2 boys to pole for eating in Ramadan: monitor Posted: 22 Jun 2015 04:04 PM PDT The Islamic State group on Monday made two youths hang from a beam by their wrists after accusing them of eating during daylight hours in the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights said. "Residents of the village of Mayadeen in Deir Ezzor province reported that IS suspended from a crossbar two boys aged under 18 near the HQ of the Hissba", the jihadist police, Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP. Throughout the month of Ramadan, which began on Thursday, believers abstain from eating, drinking, smoking and having sex from dawn until sunset.

Syrian Kurdish fighters chase IS from key base north of Raqa: NGO Posted: 22 Jun 2015 03:37 PM PDT Syrian Kurdish fighters have chased Islamic State militants from a key base north of the jihadists' stronghold city of Raqa, according to a monitoring group. The Kurdish People's Protection Units -- with US-led air support -- took complete control of the Liwa (Brigade) 93 base on Monday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. "IS lines of defence were pushed back to the gates of Raqa," added Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the Observatory.

U.S. air strike in Iraq kills Islamic State fighter linked to Benghazi attack: Pentagon Posted: 22 Jun 2015 03:33 PM PDT A U.S. air strike on Mosul, Iraq, killed an Islamic State fighter linked to the 2012 attack on a U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, the Pentagon said on Monday. The June 15 air strike killed Ali Awni al-Harzi, whom the Pentagon said was a "person of interest" in the Benghazi attack, which killed the U.S. ambassador to Libya and three other Americans.

Army Reprimands Top General Who Helped Run War Against ISIS Posted: 22 Jun 2015 02:50 PM PDT The Army has reprimanded a former top general in the fight against ISIS for misconduct reportedly involving the alleged steering of a contract award to former West Point classmates when he was in command of Fort Bliss, Texas. Secretary of the Army John McHugh will decide whether Maj. Gen. Dana Pittard should retire at his current two star rank or at a lesser rank as a result of the career-ending reprimand. Until April, Pittard was the deputy commanding general of Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve, the U.S. military headquarters directing the war on ISIS in Iraq and Syria.

American teen arrested on IS-linked terrorism charges Posted: 22 Jun 2015 02:25 PM PDT A 19-year-old American was charged Monday with conspiracy to provide material support to the Islamic State group, after allegedly planning to carry out assassinations and attacks in its name. Justin Nolan Sullivan, a self-described Muslim convert, was arrested without incident Friday at his home in Morganton, North Carolina in possession of an unlicensed silencer, the Justice Department said. ISIL is the acronym the US government uses for Islamic State, a militant group that now controls parts of Syria and Iraq.

Syrian Kurds, on offensive, seize military base from Islamic State Posted: 22 Jun 2015 02:24 PM PDT By Tom Perry BEIRUT (Reuters) - Kurdish-led forces said on Monday that they had captured a military base from Islamic State in Syria's Raqqa province, advancing deeper into territory held by the group and showing new momentum after they seized a border crossing from the jihadists last week. The Kurds, aided by U.S.-led air strikes and smaller Syrian rebel groups, pushed on Monday to within 7 km (4 miles) of Ain Issa, a town 50 km (30 miles) north of Islamic State's de facto capital Raqqa city, said Redur Xelil, a spokesman for the Kurdish forces. "They have been defeated," YPG spokesman Redur Xelil told Reuters.

Officials: Man planned killings in US for Islamic State Posted: 22 Jun 2015 12:32 PM PDT CHARLOTTE, North Carolina (AP) — A 19-year-old man has been taken into custody after telling an undercover FBI employee that he wanted to support the Islamic State group by killing as many as 1,000 people in the United States, authorities said Monday.

Carter: US to provide weapons, aircraft, commandos for NATO Posted: 22 Jun 2015 12:24 PM PDT TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — The U.S. committed Monday to contribute weapons, aircraft and forces, including commandos, as needed for NATO's new rapid reaction force, to help Europe defend against potential Russian aggression from the east and the Islamic State and other violent extremists from the south.

Egypt security forces kill 22 suspected militants in North Sinai: sources Posted: 22 Jun 2015 11:15 AM PDT Egyptian security forces killed 22 suspected militants who were planning to target security forces in the restive North Sinai province on Monday, security sources said. Egypt is facing a Sinai-based insurgency that has killed hundreds of policemen and soldiers since the army toppled Islamist President Mohamed Mursi after mass protests against his rule in 2013. The sources said security forces struck a group of people meeting outside a mosque south of the Sheikh Zuwayed town who were planning an attack on security points.

Tripoli forces hit Islamic State in Libya with air strikes Posted: 22 Jun 2015 11:06 AM PDT By Ahmed Elumami TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Libya's self-declared government in control of the capital Tripoli has launched air strikes on Islamic State fighters in the city of Sirte, officials and witnesses said on Monday. Fighters allied to Islamic State commanders in Iraq and Syria have been gaining ground in Libya, where two rival governments are battling for control and militants have taken advantage of the security vacuum. Islamist State has gained ground in cities like Sirte and Derna to the east, challenging local armed groups and government forces alike.

Bush’s ‘General Election Strategy’ May be Working Posted: 22 Jun 2015 10:44 AM PDT Since his earliest major economic speech in Detroit last February, former Florida governor Jeb Bush has been signaling his intention to run a general-election style campaign rather than catering to the orthodoxy of primary voters, who tend to be more conservative. In his speech to the Detroit Economic Club, Bush outlined the economic woes of the middle class and argued that he and his party were offering better solutions than the "failed liberal policies" of the Democrats. Related: Can Jeb Bush Unite the GOP's Establishment and Religious Wings?

More Pain for Putin: EU Extends Sanctions Posted: 22 Jun 2015 10:31 AM PDT Russian President Vladimir Putin's thin hope that he might be able to peel off a few European countries and disrupt a vote to extend sanctions against his country came to nothing Monday, when the EU foreign ministers meeting in Luxembourg decided to extend the economic punishment for another six months. Imposed last year in reaction to the Russian invasion of Ukraine's Crimean peninsula and made even tighter as a result of Russia's provision of equipment and soldiers to support the armed rebellion in eastern Ukraine by pro-Russia separatists, the sanctions will run through at least the end of January 2016 unless Russia complies with the demands of the EU. With EU finance ministers locked in increasingly desperate talks with Greece to resolve that country's massive debt crisis, Russia has been courting the Greek government, hinting that an aid package might be on the table.

North Carolina man charged in plot to kill Americans for Islamic State Posted: 22 Jun 2015 10:26 AM PDT A North Carolina man has been charged with an alleged plot to buy a semiautomatic rifle which he planned to use to kill Americans to show his support for the Islamic State militant group, the U.S. Department of Justice said on Monday. Justin Nojan Sullivan, 19, of Morganton, North Carolina, who was arrested Friday, is due to appear in federal court in Charlotte at noon (1600 GMT), said a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of North Carolina. Sullivan is charged with one count of attempting to provide material support to Islamic State and two counts of weapons charges.

Syrian army advances west of IS-controlled Palmyra Posted: 22 Jun 2015 10:01 AM PDT The Syrian army has reopened a key oil supply route near Islamic State-controlled Palmyra, as the jihadist group has mined the city's ancient UNESCO-listed ruins. IS overran Palmyra on May 21, sparking fears that the radical Sunni Muslim group might repeat the sort of vandalism it has carried out in Iraq and destroy one of Syria's most famous archaeological sites. "The infantry has made tangible progress in the area of Biyarat al-Gharbiyeh," west of Palmyra, which had previously been in IS hands, said Al-Watan newspaper.

Turkish Heritage Organization Deepens Advisory Board with Global Expertise Posted: 22 Jun 2015 09:37 AM PDT WASHINGTON, June 22, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Turkish Heritage Organization (THO) announced today the expansion of its Advisory Board to include notable experts on the U.S.-Turkey relationship and international relations. Regional experts Bill Park of King's College London and Malik Mufti of Tufts University, along with global economist Parag Khanna, will aid the THO in better fostering an understanding of the complex security, trade, energy and humanitarian issues impacting the region. Park's expertise of Turkey's position in the region and Turkish foreign policy will further strengthen the THO's security analysis.

Death threats for Saudi satire star who fights Islamic State with laughs Posted: 22 Jun 2015 09:35 AM PDT By Taghreed Almadani DUBAI (Reuters) - A Saudi TV star has earned death threats for deploying a new weapon against Islamic State: laughter. "Selfie", a sketch comedy show which debuted last week on Saudi-owned pan-Arab satellite channel MBC, has won praise from influential voices in the Middle East for daring to mock the hardline militant group. "Come on guys!" interjects a naive character played by the show's Saudi star, Nasser Al Qasabi.

Ten Iraqi security officials killed in bombings and shooting Posted: 22 Jun 2015 09:24 AM PDT Bomb attacks killed at least eight soldiers in Iraq on Monday hours after gunmen shot dead two Interior Ministry intelligence officers in Baghdad, police and sources in an anti-Islamic State militia said. Iraq faces a major security challenge from Islamic State, an ultra-hardline Sunni militant group that controls a third of the country and parts of neighboring Syria. Three roadside bombs hit the army patrol near the city of Haditha in the Sunni heartland Anbar Province, the focus of efforts to slow the advance of Islamic State.

Was the Charleston Attack 'Terrorism'? Posted: 22 Jun 2015 09:06 AM PDT Dylann Storm Roof, the 21-year-old who allegedly murdered 9 people at a black church in South Carolina, wanted to "start a race war," one of his friends told ABC News. As noted, I call it a terrorist attack because it meets the accepted definition.

Europol to battle Islamic State social media propaganda Posted: 22 Jun 2015 08:55 AM PDT THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — A new unit at the European Union's Europol police agency will start fighting Islamic State group propaganda and recruiters in cyberspace next month in a crackdown on the terror network's sophisticated use of social media.

U.S. leads 29 air strikes against Islamic State: statement Posted: 22 Jun 2015 08:25 AM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S.-led coalition forces targeted Islamic State militants with seven air strikes in Syria and 22 in Iraq on Sunday, the combined joint task force leading the operations said in a statement. In Syria, five of the strikes were staged near the Turkish border town of Tel Abyad, where Kurdish fighters have cut off a key Islamic State supply route. Five units of Islamic State fighters, three of the militants' fighting positions and one vehicle there were struck, according to the statement released on Monday. Two other strikes hit near Al Hasaka and Aleppo, it added. ...

Cycling Saves Lives with Wounded Warrior Project's Soldier Ride Posted: 22 Jun 2015 08:15 AM PDT This June, the rehabilitative cycling event brings dozens of injured service members to Chicago for a long weekend of cycling, healing, and camaraderie. After he spent several months at home, he learned about Wounded Warrior Project and the Soldier Ride program. WWP set him and his caregiver up with a tandem bike so he could participate.

European cyber police unit to take on Islamic State propaganda Posted: 22 Jun 2015 07:55 AM PDT European police agency Europol said Monday it was launching a continent-wide cybercrime unit to combat social media accounts promoting jihadist propaganda, particularly those of the Islamic State (IS) group. The unit, set to start operating from Europol's Hague-based headquarters next month, will comb tens of thousands of social media accounts connected with IS and report them to the companies behind the websites, Europol chief Rob Wainwright said. The team "will focus on publicly-available material and combine what we see on social media with more traditional intelligence sources," Wainwright told AFP in a telephone interview.

Kurds find Islamic State group tunnel near Turkish border Posted: 22 Jun 2015 07:39 AM PDT ISTANBUL (AP) — Kurdish forces have discovered a 400-meter (440-yard) long tunnel dug by Islamic State group militants near the Turkish border with Syria, a spokesman for the militia said Monday.

Exiled Chagos islanders go to top UK court in bid to go home Posted: 22 Jun 2015 07:39 AM PDT LONDON (AP) — Indian Ocean islanders who were forced into exile to make way for a key U.S. military base are appealing to Britain's top court in their long-running campaign to return home.

European police team to take on IS social media propaganda Posted: 22 Jun 2015 07:30 AM PDT By Michael Holden LONDON (Reuters) - A Europe-wide police unit is to be set up next month with the aim of shutting down social media accounts used by key Islamic State (IS) militants to spread propaganda and recruit foreigners to their cause, Europol said on Monday. The small police team will scour the internet and try to take down accounts of IS ringleaders within hours of being detected, in a bid to dent a propaganda machine which is reckoned to send out about 100,000 tweets a day. "One of the major issues for us is the number, the scale of this - we're talking about tens of thousands of user accounts that are operating in this space," said Rob Wainwright, Director of Europol, the Hague-based police agency which will coordinate the unit.

Overcapacity stifling Europe's defense industry Posted: 22 Jun 2015 06:57 AM PDT By Andrea Shalal, Sarah Young and Adrian Croft PARIS/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Europe's politicians need to put aside national pride and security sensitivities and let the defense industry tackle the overcapacity that has led to competing production of tanks and fighter jets, executives and EU officials say. France's Dassault, for example, reached deals this year to sell fighter jets to Egypt and Qatar and hopes to conclude a sale to India soon, compensating for falling demand at home.   But Europe has failed to follow the example of the United States, where the defense industry became more efficient after a downturn caused by the end of NATO combat operations in Afghanistan and Western spending cuts. Efforts by European Union policymakers and industrialists to forge a single European defense market have often been obstructed by individual EU governments which jealously protect their national defense industries and jobs, an issue likely to be discussed at an EU summit on Thursday and Friday to consider how to strengthen the industry.

AP PHOTOS: Editor selections from the Middle East Posted: 22 Jun 2015 05:58 AM PDT Across the Middle East last week, Muslims marked the start of Ramadan, a month of intense prayer, dawn-to-dusk fasting and nightly feasts.

Attacks in Baghdad, elsewhere in Iraq kill at least 8 people Posted: 22 Jun 2015 04:21 AM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi officials say attacks in Baghdad and elsewhere in the country have killed at least eight people.

Israel, Jordan discreetly foster ties amid regional chaos Posted: 22 Jun 2015 12:22 AM PDT AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — A new Jordanian think tank that focuses on Israel is tucked away on the seventh floor of a glass-fronted Amman office building, without a sign announcing the presence of the Center for Israel Studies.

Today in History Posted: 21 Jun 2015 09:00 PM PDT Today is Monday, June 22, the 173rd day of 2015. There are 192 days left in the year.

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