Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• Two ex-Guantanamo inmates charged with 'terrorism' in Belgium
• Gold price slumps as China bites
• Reports: Turkish jets hit IS targets in Syria, Kurds in Iraq
• Survivor of Turkey attack vows to keep up 'revolution'
• Turkey stages first air strikes on Islamic State in Syria
• Turkish jets bomb PKK Kurdish rebels in Iraq: spokesman
• Turkey launches air raids against IS, PKK targets
• Special Ops General: ISIS Leader Preparing for Own Demise
• /C O R R E C T I O N -- Knights of Columbus/
• Turkey warplanes attack Kurdish militants in northern Iraq - media
• British soldier shot in Afghanistan in 2012 dies
• Turkey's Incirlik: US airbase on frontline for half a century
• Obama in Africa: Will his trip be more about symbolism or substance?
• In shift, Turkish jets strike Islamic State targets in Syria
• Belgium arrests two ex-Guantanamo inmates on terrorism charges
• Turkish bombing of Islamic State marks end of tacit truce
• 'Staggering toll': Iran executed nearly 700 in first half of 2015, report says
• The war against IS: key developments
• Turkey bombs IS in Syria, vows to carry on fight
• U.S., allies target Islamic State with 27 air strikes in Syria, Iraq
• Kerry to talk with Russia on Islamic State fight and role Iran might play
• Pentagon chief hails peshmerga as model for Iraq
• Senior Al Qaeda operational commander killed in US airstrike
• Afghan-Taliban peace talks likely in China next week
• US air strike kills senior Al-Qaeda commander in Afghanistan
• Syrian government says too early for more U.N.-backed peace talks
• Top Iraq Shiite cleric calls for protection of army families
• Expulsion from Derna bastion may show limits for Islamic State in Libya
• Defense Secretary Carter meeting with Kurds in Iraq
• Carter: US airstrike kills senior Al-Qaida commander
• Al Qaeda operational commander killed in U.S. air strike: Pentagon
• Hungary expects to complete Serbian border fence by November: lawmaker
• Pentagon chief flies into Iraqi Kurdistan, to meet Barzani
• Things Are About to Get a Lot Hotter for ISIS
• Australian nurse who aided ISIS heading home, could face arrest
• Australian IS nurse faces prosecution on return to Sydney
• Iran's Zarif 'to visit Gulf, Iraq'

Two ex-Guantanamo inmates charged with 'terrorism' in Belgium Posted: 24 Jul 2015 04:35 PM PDT Two former inmates at the US prison in Guantanamo Bay have been arrested in Belgium on charges of belonging to a group suspected of recruiting jihadists for Syria, prosecutors said Friday. The pair were arrested early Thursday in connection with a burglary at an apartment near the northern Belgian port city of Antwerp, a spokesman for the prosecutor, Jean Pascal Thoreau, told AFP. The pair were charged with "participating in the activities of a terrorist group," which in turn is suspected of recruiting fighters for Syria, he added.

Gold price slumps as China bites Posted: 24 Jul 2015 04:29 PM PDT Gold prices hit multi-year low points this week, hit by a stronger dollar and weak Chinese demand. PRECIOUS METALS: Gold slumped to the lowest point in nearly five and a half years, weighed down by the strong dollar and reports of massive selling in China, dealers said. "It can't be overestimated how much sentiment towards purchasing gold has been weakened following the stunning and sudden drop below $1,100 at the beginning of the week," said Jameel Ahmad, chief market analyst at trading group FXTM.

Reports: Turkish jets hit IS targets in Syria, Kurds in Iraq Posted: 24 Jul 2015 04:07 PM PDT ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish jets flying from a base in Turkey's southeast have struck Islamic State group targets across the border in Syria for the second straight night, Turkish news reports said Saturday. The fighter jets also hit camps of Kurdish PKK militants in northern Iraq, the reports said.

Survivor of Turkey attack vows to keep up 'revolution' Posted: 24 Jul 2015 04:05 PM PDT Activist Oguz Yuzgec was wounded in a deadly suicide bombing blamed on Islamic State militants in a Turkish border town, but he remains defiant and vows to keep fighting for his beliefs. The slim, brown-haired survivor is still recovering from wounds to his abdomen and stomach in the town of Sanliurfa, which borders Syria. "Seeing people demonstrating and mobilising after what happened gives me strength," Yuzgec said, referring to protests in solidarity with the victims of Monday's suicide attack.

Turkey stages first air strikes on Islamic State in Syria Posted: 24 Jul 2015 03:32 PM PDT By Orhan Coskun and Dasha Afanasieva ANKARA/ELBEYLI, Turkey (Reuters) - Turkish warplanes pounded Islamic State targets in Syria for the first time on Friday, with President Tayyip Erdogan promising more decisive action against both the jihadists and Kurdish militants. Hours after the initial attacks, fighter jets were launched in a second round against Islamic State, while others targeted militants camps of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in northern Iraq, according to local media. Friday's operations followed a telephone conversation between Erdogan and U.S. President Barack Obama on Wednesday, and were accompanied by police raids across Turkey to detain hundreds of suspected militants, including from Kurdish groups.

Turkish jets bomb PKK Kurdish rebels in Iraq: spokesman Posted: 24 Jul 2015 03:15 PM PDT Turkish warplanes bombed military positions of Turkey's rebel Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in neighbouring Iraq Friday, a spokesman for the rebel organisation said. "At around 11:00 pm (2000 GMT) tonight, Turkish warplanes started bombing our positions near the border, accompanied by heavy artillery shelling," PKK spokesman in Iraq Bakhtiar Dogan told AFP.

Turkey launches air raids against IS, PKK targets Posted: 24 Jul 2015 03:11 PM PDT Turkey on Friday launched a second wave of raids against Islamic State (IS) jihadists in Syria and embarked on a new campaign to bombard camps of Kurdish militants in northern Iraq. The raids marked a major shift in policy towards IS by key NATO member Turkey, which has faced severe criticism from its Western allies for not doing enough to combat the jihadists. "At around 11:00 pm (2000 GMT) tonight, Turkish warplanes started bombing our positions near the border, accompanied by heavy artillery shelling," PKK spokesman in Iraq Bakhtiar Dogan told AFP.

Special Ops General: ISIS Leader Preparing for Own Demise Posted: 24 Jul 2015 03:00 PM PDT The leader of ISIS appears to be preparing for his own demise by looking for an heir to the terror throne, the chief of U.S. special operations said today."I think he's trying to be resilient. I think he's trying to develop some level of follow-on leadership so in the event something happens to him that somebody will know to carry on," Gen. Joseph Votel, Commander of U.S. Special Operations Command said today at the Aspen Security Forum. ...

/C O R R E C T I O N -- Knights of Columbus/ Posted: 24 Jul 2015 02:26 PM PDT In the news release, Knights of Columbus to Expand Humanitarian Assistance to Suffering Middle East Christians, issued 24-Jul-2015 by Knights of Columbus over PR Newswire, we are advised by the organization that the seventh paragraph, first sentence, should read "Christians in the Middle East are facing a dire situation - and even extinction - while the response from the international community has been woefully inadequate," rather than "Christians in the Middle East are facing a dire situation - and even extinction - while the response from the international community has woefully inadequate," as originally issued inadvertently.

Turkey warplanes attack Kurdish militants in northern Iraq - media Posted: 24 Jul 2015 02:09 PM PDT ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish warplanes launched attacks on camps of the militant Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in northern Iraq late on Friday, Dogan news agency and other local media reported. The attacks, which was Reuters was unable to immediately confirm, followed air strikes into northern Syria, where Turkish fighters had targeted Islamic State bases. (Reporting by Gulsen Solaker and Daren Butler; Writing by David Dolan)

British soldier shot in Afghanistan in 2012 dies Posted: 24 Jul 2015 01:10 PM PDT A British soldier shot in Afghanistan more than three years ago has died from his wounds, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said Friday. Michael Campbell's death, nearly nine months after British combat forces ended their 13-year operation against the Taliban, brings the total number of British fatalities in the Afghanistan conflict to 454. Lance Corporal Campbell, from 3rd Battalion The Royal Welsh infantry, died in the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, central England, on Thursday, the MoD said.

Turkey's Incirlik: US airbase on frontline for half a century Posted: 24 Jul 2015 12:34 PM PDT Incirlik airbase in southern Turkey has been a prized US facility since the depths of the Cold War but its strategic value has often been held hostage to discord between Ankara and Washington. A landmark deal letting US warplanes use Incirlik to strike Islamic State jihadists in neighbouring Syria marks the latest chapter in the base's long involvement in conflicts. "Incirlik has always been problematic," Michael Stephens of the RUSI Qatar research unit at the Royal United Services Institute in London told AFP.

Obama in Africa: Will his trip be more about symbolism or substance? Posted: 24 Jul 2015 12:03 PM PDT Over his time in office, President Obama's engagement with sub-Saharan Africa has often seemed to be heavy on symbolism but light on substance. The first African-American president gave a soaring speech on Africa's need for strong institutions over strongmen in Ghana in 2009, he visited historical vestiges of the transatlantic slave trade in Ghana and then in Senegal in 2013, and he attended Nelson Mandela's funeral in 2014. Critics fault Mr. Obama for failing to offer Africa the kind of generously funded programs that President George W. Bush did with his President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR ) and the Millennium Challenge development initiative, and for ceding America's preeminent place in Africa to a resource-hungry China.

In shift, Turkish jets strike Islamic State targets in Syria Posted: 24 Jul 2015 11:51 AM PDT ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — In a major tactical shift, Turkish warplanes struck Islamic State group targets Friday across the border in Syria, Turkish officials announced — a move that came a day after IS militants fired at a Turkish military outpost, killing a soldier.

Belgium arrests two ex-Guantanamo inmates on terrorism charges Posted: 24 Jul 2015 11:50 AM PDT By Robin Emmott BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Belgium has arrested two former detainees of Guantanamo prison on charges of terrorism, saying the men are suspected of seeking recruits to fight in Syria, the federal prosecutor's office said on Friday. The two men, who were held at the Guantanamo Bay U.S. Naval base in Cuba between 2001 and 2005, were under police surveillance and were arrested in the early hours of Thursday in the Belgian city of Antwerp along with three others. "They were in a car, we believe waiting to commit a robbery," said Jean-Pascal Thoreau, a spokesman for Belgium's federal prosecutor.

Turkish bombing of Islamic State marks end of tacit truce Posted: 24 Jul 2015 11:32 AM PDT ISTANBUL (AP) — Last month, the first edition of the Islamic State group's Turkish-language magazine contained not a word of criticism of the Turkish government. This week, the second edition calls Istanbul occupied territory and blasts President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as a tyrant.

'Staggering toll': Iran executed nearly 700 in first half of 2015, report says Posted: 24 Jul 2015 11:10 AM PDT In 2014, Iran topped the list as the world's most frequent executioner. "Iran's staggering execution toll for the first half of this year paints a sinister picture of the machinery of the state carrying out premeditated, judicially-sanctioned killings on a mass scale," wrote Said Boumedouha, Deputy Director of Amnesty International's Middle East and North Africa Program.

The war against IS: key developments Posted: 24 Jul 2015 11:10 AM PDT August 8, 2014: US jets strike IS positions in northern Iraq in response to an appeal from Baghdad, in the first American military operation in the country since troops withdrew in late 2011. Already entrenched in neighbouring Syria, IS seized swathes of Iraqi territory in a lighting offensive launched in June 2014 marked by the frantic retreat of security forces. On September 5: US President Barack Obama vows to build "a broad, international coalition" to defeat IS.

Turkey bombs IS in Syria, vows to carry on fight Posted: 24 Jul 2015 10:34 AM PDT Turkey on Friday vowed to press on with operations against Islamic State (IS) in Syria and other militant groups, after its war planes bombed the jihadists' positions for the first time. Following the pre-dawn air raids on the IS targets in Syria, Turkish police arrested almost 300 suspected members of IS and pro-Kurdish militant groups nationwide, in one of Turkey's biggest recent crackdowns on extremists. The raids marked a major shift in policy towards IS by key NATO member Turkey, which has faced severe criticism from its Western allies for not doing enough to combat the jihadists.

U.S., allies target Islamic State with 27 air strikes in Syria, Iraq Posted: 24 Jul 2015 08:56 AM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and its allies staged 27 air strikes against Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq on Thursday, the coalition leading the military operation said in a statement. Six of the eight air strikes in Syria hit near al Hasaka, striking five units of fighters, among other targets. In Iraq, the strikes hit multiple targets near nine cities, including Mosul, Makmur and Falluja, the statement released on Friday said. (Reporting by Washington Newsroom; Editing by Bill Trott)

Kerry to talk with Russia on Islamic State fight and role Iran might play Posted: 24 Jul 2015 08:52 AM PDT By Michelle Nichols NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Friday that he planned to discuss combating Islamic State militants in Syria and what role Iran could play when he meets with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, in Qatar in coming weeks. Kerry told the Council on Foreign Relations think tank in New York that "we have to change the dynamic in Syria" to kill off radical Islamic State, which has declared a caliphate in swathes of territory it has seized in Syria and Iraq.

Pentagon chief hails peshmerga as model for Iraq Posted: 24 Jul 2015 08:44 AM PDT Pentagon chief Ashton Carter said during a visit to Kurdistan Friday that the autonomous region's peshmerga force was a model for the rest of Iraq in its fight against jihadists. The US defence secretary, on the second day of his first visit to Iraq since taking office earlier this year, praised the efforts of what is the region's de facto army. "We are trying to build a force throughout the territory of Iraq, and someday in Syria, that can do" what the peshmerga have achieved, Carter said.

Senior Al Qaeda operational commander killed in US airstrike Posted: 24 Jul 2015 08:11 AM PDT A US airstrike in Afghanistan has killed a senior Al Qaeda leader, the Pentagon announced on Friday. Abu Khalil al-Sudani was described as a "high-ranking Al Qaeda operational commander" who was the head of Al Qaeda's "suicide and explosives operations," Reuters reported. Mr. Sudani was killed in a July 11 strike in Afghanistan's southeastern province of Paktika. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said Friday the strike illustrated US forces' ongoing efforts against Al Qaeda.

Afghan-Taliban peace talks likely in China next week Posted: 24 Jul 2015 07:19 AM PDT Afghan officials said Friday they will meet Taliban insurgents next week for a second round of talks aimed at ending 13 years of war, pledging to press for a ceasefire in negotiations likely to be held in China. The Afghan government conducted its first face-to-face talks with Taliban cadres on July 7 in Murree, a Pakistani hill station north of Islamabad, which were supervised by American and Chinese representatives. "The second round of talks... is set for July 30 or 31," said Mohammad Ismail Qasimyar, a member of the Afghan High Peace Council (HPC), the government's top peace negotiating body.

US air strike kills senior Al-Qaeda commander in Afghanistan Posted: 24 Jul 2015 06:05 AM PDT A US air strike in Afghanistan killed a senior Al-Qaeda commander, the Pentagon said Friday, in the latest blow to the worldwide militant network struggling with the rise of the Islamic State group. The attack, which occurred in Paktika province on July 11, killed Abu Khalil al-Sudani, a "high-ranking Al-Qaeda operational commander", the Pentagon said in a statement released to reporters in Iraq who were travelling with US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter. "Al-Sudani was one of three known violent extremists killed in the strike.

Syrian government says too early for more U.N.-backed peace talks Posted: 24 Jul 2015 06:02 AM PDT By Laila Bassam and Sylvia Westall BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syria's foreign minister said on Friday it was too early to hold another United Nations-backed peace conference on Syria, indicating the dim prospects for diplomacy as a U.N. envoy wraps up three months of consultations on the war. Walid al-Moualem also reiterated his government's view that Iran's support for Damascus would continue after its nuclear deal with world powers including the United States, which says President Bashar al-Assad must leave power.

Top Iraq Shiite cleric calls for protection of army families Posted: 24 Jul 2015 04:51 AM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq's top Shiite cleric on Friday called on the government in Baghdad to do more to protect the families of Iraqi forces fighting the Islamic State group, saying they are an "easy prey" for extremists bent on revenge attacks.

Expulsion from Derna bastion may show limits for Islamic State in Libya Posted: 24 Jul 2015 04:36 AM PDT By Ulf Laessing and Ayman al-Warfalli CAIRO/BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) - Islamic State jihadists have exploited widespread chaos to gain a foothold in Libya, but their ejection from an eastern city suggests they may not achieve a Iraq-style takeover due to strong local rivals and the absence of sectarian divisions. Last month, local Islamist fighters reinforced by local civilians ousted Islamic State militants from Derna on Libya's eastern Mediterranean coast, one of two bastions the jihadists had established in the North African oil-producing country. It was the first setback in Libya for the ultra-violent jihadist movement that has sent in combatants and clerics from Tunisia, Yemen and other Arab states to try repeat its success in Iraq and Syria, where it has captured vast territories and proclaimed a "caliphate" based on medieval religious precepts.

Defense Secretary Carter meeting with Kurds in Iraq Posted: 24 Jul 2015 04:33 AM PDT IRBIL, Iraq (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter held talks Friday with Iraqi Kurdish leaders in their regional capital of Irbil, seeking insights to their military successes against the Islamic State.

Carter: US airstrike kills senior Al-Qaida commander Posted: 24 Jul 2015 03:37 AM PDT IRBIL, Iraq (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Friday that a U.S. airstrike recently killed a senior Al-Qaida operational commander in eastern Afghanistan.

Al Qaeda operational commander killed in U.S. air strike: Pentagon Posted: 24 Jul 2015 02:12 AM PDT A U.S. air strike in Afghanistan has killed a high-ranking al Qaeda operational commander, the U.S. military said on Friday. The U.S. military named the target of the strike as Abu Khalil al-Sudani, saying he was killed in a July 11 strike in the Bermal district of Afghanistan's Paktika province. In a statement, it said he was head of al Qaeda "suicide and explosives operations" and was linked to plots to attack U.S. targets.

Hungary expects to complete Serbian border fence by November: lawmaker Posted: 24 Jul 2015 01:58 AM PDT Hungary expects to complete a four-meter-high (12 feet) fence along its border with Serbia by November to stem the flow of tens of thousands of illegal migrants, a top ruling-party lawmaker was quoted as saying. Hungary is part of Europe's visa-free Schengen zone, making it attractive to migrants coming through the Balkans. The number trying to reach western Europe through Hungary could reach 200,000 to 300,000 this year, Antal Rogan, the parliamentary group leader of the ruling Fidesz party, told the newspaper Magyar Hirlap in an interview published on Friday.

Pentagon chief flies into Iraqi Kurdistan, to meet Barzani Posted: 24 Jul 2015 01:38 AM PDT By Phil Stewart ERBIL, Iraq (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter arrived on an unannounced visit on Friday to Erbil, capital of Iraq's Kurdistan region whose forces have emerged as one of America's strongest partners in the fight against Islamic State. Carter was expected to meet the Kurdistan region's President Massoud Barzani as well as U.S. forces advising and training the Kurdish region's security forces, known as peshmerga. While lamenting the shortcomings of Iraq's army, which collapsed in the face of Islamic State's advance last year, Pentagon officials have solidly praised the Kurds.

Things Are About to Get a Lot Hotter for ISIS Posted: 23 Jul 2015 09:15 PM PDT The United States may have more than doubled its capacity to conduct air strikes on ISIS strongholds in Syria without committing a single new plane or soldier to the fight. Multiple foreign media sources are now reporting on an agreement between the U.S. and Turkey that would open up Turkey's Incirlik air base to U.S. planes engaged in the fight against the terror group. Turkey has been a reluctant ally in the battle to push back ISIS, which still controls large amounts of territory in Iraq and Syria.

Australian nurse who aided ISIS heading home, could face arrest Posted: 23 Jul 2015 08:37 PM PDT By Matt Siegel SYDNEY (Reuters) - An Australian nurse alleged to have given medical assistance to Islamic State militants fighting in Syria could face arrest for violating tough new security laws when he lands in Sydney on Friday, police and officials said. Australia is on high alert for attacks by radicalized Muslims, including home-grown militants returning from fighting in the Middle East, having raised its threat level to "high" and unleashed a series of high-profile raids in cities. An Australian national, identified by Foreign Minister Julie Bishop as Melbourne-born nurse Adam Brookman, is returning home voluntarily after negotiating with the government, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) said.

Australian IS nurse faces prosecution on return to Sydney Posted: 23 Jul 2015 06:16 PM PDT CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — An Australian nurse who has said he was forced by the Islamic State movement to work as a medic in Syria faces prosecution under counterterrorism laws when he returns to Sydney on Friday, police said.

Iran's Zarif 'to visit Gulf, Iraq' Posted: 23 Jul 2015 05:04 PM PDT Iran's top diplomat Mohammad Javad Zarif will visit Kuwait, Qatar and Iraq this weekend, the ISNA press agency said Friday, following a landmark nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers. The accord, struck on July 14, which imposes certain controls on Iran's nuclear programme in exchange for a lifting of crippling economic sanctions, is expected to form the basis of discussions during Zarif's trip. Gulf countries led by Saudi Arabia have been quick to voice concern over the agreement, which will see a progressive easing of international sanctions on Iran in place since 2006.

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