Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• Walker Looks for a Trump Bump as He Takes on Immigration
• Ranger school success reflects U.S. military's opening to women
• More needed from Turkey in Islamic State fight: U.S. defense chief
• Israeli army: 4 rockets from Syria hit Israel; no injuries
• Iraq could face 'partition' without reform: top Shiite cleric
• Massive IS Cairo car bomb underlines focus on state targets
• US defense chief urges Turks to 'do more' against IS
• Pentagon chief urges Turks to 'do more' against IS
• George W. Bush pitches in for Jeb as 2016 heats up
• U.S., allies target Islamic State with 29 air strikes in Syria, Iraq
• Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind Announces 5th Annual Light the Way 5k Fun Walk/Run on Saturday, September 12th
• Britain and Iran to reopen embassies as ties thaw
• After island ordeal, desperate Syrians rerouted to Athens
• Turkish PM makes last-ditch call for unity as government deadline looms
• IS claims powerful blast targeting Cairo police office
• Uncertainty reigns in Iraqi Kurdistan as president's mandate expires
• Macedonia declares state of emergency over migrant influx
• Iraq PM orders major cuts in guards for officials
• 'Legal vacuum' as Iraqi Kurd leader's term expires
• Minute of silence for refugees tops Austrian chart
• Two US soldiers become symbols of new generation of female fighters
• Kurdish civilians under fire as Turkey bombs PKK in Iraq
• 'Migrant cafe' owners in Greece's Kos broken by refugee crisis
• Islamic State claims Cairo courthouse bomb which wounded 30
• "Criminal Minds'" Joe Mantegna and WWII Vets to be Honorary Grand Marshals at Coronado Speed Festival
• Bosnia trial begins for men accused of fighting with IS
• Who carried out Bangkok's deadly bombing?
• Malaysia arrests 10 suspected of Islamic State links
• Saudi executes Chadian Qaeda militants for murder of Frenchman
• War-torn Yemen on brink of famine as coalition bombs port: U.N.
• Trump as Commander in Chief? Tune in for a Foreign Policy Reality Show
• New tools, new complications in fight to keep cities safe
• Turkish currency hits new historic low of 3 lira to dollar
• Turkey detains over 40 leftists after Istanbul shooting
• Australia detains seven men suspected of trying to join militants
• Ben Carson’s Idea for Controlling the Border: Military Drone Attacks
• 5 suspected jihadis attempt twice to leave Sydney for Syria
• Islamic State claims Cairo courthouse bomb which wounded 29
• Militants kills one policeman in Tunisia's Sousse resort: source
• Nearing record, Queen Elizabeth shows no sign of stepping aside

Walker Looks for a Trump Bump as He Takes on Immigration Posted: 20 Aug 2015 04:15 PM PDT It seems eons ago that Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker wowed an Iowa audience of grass roots conservatives in late January and sparked a groundswell of support for his Republican presidential bid. Fast forward to last Monday, when he spent 20 mostly frustrating minutes on a soapbox at the Iowa State fair, shouting into a microphone to try to be heard over the catcalls of liberal hecklers and protesters with signs. While Walker once personified the political clout and energy of governors in shaping the outcome of the 2016 GOP presidential campaign, he now is in a stunning tailspin in the polls and fundraising that threaten his once promising prospects.  And his tepid performance in the first nationally televised GOP debate in Cleveland Aug. 6 didn't help matters.

Ranger school success reflects U.S. military's opening to women Posted: 20 Aug 2015 03:48 PM PDT Two pioneering women who completed the daunting U.S. Army Ranger school this week said Thursday they hoped their historic achievement would open doors for other females as the Pentagon opens new roles, including elite Navy SEALs, to women. The feat by Army Captain Kristen Griest and First Lieutenant Shaye Haver followed a re-evaluation of the role of women after their frontline involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan and the end of a rule barring them from combat roles in 2013. "I do hope that with our performance in Ranger School, we have been able to inform that decision as to what they can expect from women in the military - that we can handle things physically, mentally on the same level as men, and we can deal with the same stresses in training that the men can," said Griest.

More needed from Turkey in Islamic State fight: U.S. defense chief Posted: 20 Aug 2015 03:18 PM PDT By David Alexander WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Turkey needs to do more in the fight against Islamic State militants and has indicated it is willing to go beyond its recent decision to allow U.S. planes to conduct air strikes from Turkish bases, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said on Thursday. Carter said Turkey had agreed in principle to participate in the coalition bombing campaign against the militants, but the United States also needed Ankara to step up its efforts to control its long border with Iraq and Syria. "It's a border over which logistics for ISIL and the fighters cross," Carter said, using an acronym for the militant group.

Israeli army: 4 rockets from Syria hit Israel; no injuries Posted: 20 Aug 2015 02:47 PM PDT JERUSALEM (AP) — Militants in Syria fired several rockets into northern Israel on Thursday afternoon, prompting Israeli retaliatory fire, the military said — the first time since the 1973 Mideast war that rockets from Syrian territory have slammed into Israel.

Iraq could face 'partition' without reform: top Shiite cleric Posted: 20 Aug 2015 02:25 PM PDT Iraq's top Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, warned on Thursday that the country faces dire consequences including possible "partition" if real reform is not carried out. Sistani, who is revered by millions and has unmatched prestige in Iraq, has made several calls for reforms this month that have played a major role in a wide-ranging anti-corruption drive by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi. "Today, if true reform is not realised by fighting corruption without mercy and realising social justice on different levels, it is expected that circumstances will become worse than before," Sistani said in a written response from his office to questions from AFP.

Massive IS Cairo car bomb underlines focus on state targets Posted: 20 Aug 2015 02:04 PM PDT CAIRO (AP) — A massive pre-dawn car bomb by Islamic State extremists blasted the facade off a police headquarters Thursday and rattled windows across Cairo — wounding 29 but causing no deaths.

US defense chief urges Turks to 'do more' against IS Posted: 20 Aug 2015 01:00 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Turkey needs to "do more" to assist the U.S.-led international coalition fighting the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Thursday, urging America's sometimes reluctant NATO partner to take steps to participate in airstrikes and better control its border.

Pentagon chief urges Turks to 'do more' against IS Posted: 20 Aug 2015 12:46 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Turkey needs to "do more" to assist the U.S.-led international coalition fighting the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Thursday, urging America's sometimes reluctant NATO partner to take steps to participate in airstrikes and better control its border.

George W. Bush pitches in for Jeb as 2016 heats up Posted: 20 Aug 2015 12:21 PM PDT Jeb Bush might be his own man, but he showed Thursday he won't hesitate to enlist his brother George, the former president, in his own bid to win the White House in 2016. George W. Bush wrote a fundraising email in support of his younger brother, who is locked in a tough race for the Republican nomination and is trailing bombastic frontrunner Donald Trump in poll after poll. "I rarely send emails like this, but I wanted to make sure I asked for your support on behalf of my brother, Jeb," George W. Bush wrote in the first campaign message of its kind by the 43rd president.

U.S., allies target Islamic State with 29 air strikes in Syria, Iraq Posted: 20 Aug 2015 11:13 AM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and its allies launched 29 air strikes on Wednesday against Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq, according to the Combined Joint Task Force leading the air operations. In Iraq, 21 air strikes targeted the militant group and its operations near seven cities, the task force said in a statement on Thursday. In Syria, eight air strikes hit near Al Hasaka, Aleppo and Kobani, destroying fighting positions and machine guns, it said. (Reporting by Washington newsroom)

Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind Announces 5th Annual Light the Way 5k Fun Walk/Run on Saturday, September 12th Posted: 20 Aug 2015 11:13 AM PDT WASHINGTON, Aug. 20, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind (CLB) will host its 5th annual Light the Way 5k Fun Walk/Run on Saturday, September 12th, 2015, beginning at 8:00 a.m. at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. The annual event benefits the programs and services CLB provides to people of all ages who are blind, low vision, and deaf-blind in the Washington, D.C., region. Light the Way 5k Fun Walk/Run is a unique and fun non-competitive walk, run, and roll race that begins at Nationals Park and ends on the ballpark warning track.  Opportunities are available to act as a guide to a blind or visually impaired participant.

Britain and Iran to reopen embassies as ties thaw Posted: 20 Aug 2015 11:12 AM PDT Britain and Iran will reopen their respective embassies in the coming days, an Iranian official said Thursday, four years after their closure when protesters angry over nuclear sanctions stormed the UK mission in Tehran. The official said Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, who helped negotiate a historic deal between Iran and the West on the Islamic republic's nuclear programme, "will travel Sunday to Iran for the reopening of the British embassy". "At the same time" Tehran would reopen its embassy in London, the official told AFP, without providing a specific date.

After island ordeal, desperate Syrians rerouted to Athens Posted: 20 Aug 2015 09:46 AM PDT Thousands of Syrians, some still bearing the scars of war on their faces, landed at the main Greek port of Piraeus early Thursday, hoping to continue their journey to safety towards northern Europe. "We stayed four years in the war in Syria. My best friend was ripped to pieces (in a bombing)... anything is better than that," said Lamia, a 21-year-old Kurdish woman from Aleppo who wore Western clothes.

Turkish PM makes last-ditch call for unity as government deadline looms Posted: 20 Aug 2015 09:36 AM PDT By Orhan Coskun and Ercan Gurses ANKARA (Reuters) - Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu made a last-ditch call for Turkey's political parties to agree a working government on Thursday, three days before a deadline that would otherwise see President Tayyip Erdogan call a snap election. Turkey's politicians have until Aug. 23 to agree a working government or else Erdogan could call for an interim, power-sharing cabinet to lead the country to a new election, which would be expected to be held in November. Investors have already been unnerved by rising violence in the mostly Kurdish southeast and by Turkey's growing role in the conflict in neighboring Syria.

IS claims powerful blast targeting Cairo police office Posted: 20 Aug 2015 09:30 AM PDT A powerful car bomb blast tore through a Cairo police building Thursday injuring at least 29 people in the latest attack claimed by the Islamic State group against Egyptian security forces. Described by a resident as "like an earthquake", the overnight explosion shook the working-class Shubra district of northern Cairo, severely damaging the front of the police office and shattering the windows of nearby buildings. The attack came only days after President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi imposed a tough new anti-terrorism law as he struggles with a jihadist insurgency spearheaded by the local branch of IS.

Uncertainty reigns in Iraqi Kurdistan as president's mandate expires Posted: 20 Aug 2015 09:28 AM PDT Political uncertainty hung over Iraq's Kurdistan region on Thursday after President Massoud Barzani's mandate expired without rival factions reaching an agreement to extend his term. Weeks of wrangling between the autonomous region's parties failed to produce a compromise before Barzani's tenure officially ended at midnight on Wednesday, despite a last-minute intervention by U.S. and British diplomats. The stalemate over the presidency, which Barzani has held for more than a decade, is testing Kurdish unity at a time of acute economic hardship, when Iraq itself is being pulled apart by Islamic State.

Macedonia declares state of emergency over migrant influx Posted: 20 Aug 2015 08:59 AM PDT Macedonia declared a state of emergency on the border with Greece on Thursday and said it would draft in the army to help control the influx of migrants crossing the frontier. In a sign of growing tensions on the border, police were locked in a standoff with about 1,500 migrants and refugees stranded in no-man's land trying to cross into Macedonia.

Iraq PM orders major cuts in guards for officials Posted: 20 Aug 2015 08:47 AM PDT Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi Thursday ordered major cuts in the number of guards for officials, the latest step in a reform drive to curb corruption and streamline the government. Abadi rolled out a reform programme this month in response to popular pressure from weeks of protests against corruption and poor services, and to a call for drastic change from Iraq's top Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani. Parliament has approved Abadi's plan along with additional measures, but a major gap remains between announcements and implementation.

'Legal vacuum' as Iraqi Kurd leader's term expires Posted: 20 Aug 2015 08:22 AM PDT Iraqi Kurdistan president Massud Barzani's extended term expired on Thursday, leaving the autonomous region in a "legal vacuum" that Kurdish political parties are still trying to resolve. The Kurdish leadership dispute comes as Kurdistan faces a multitude of crises: the war against the Islamic State jihadist group, major financial problems and a Turkish bombing campaign targeting the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) rebel group in the region. "The region has entered a legal vacuum, and this is why we must address this issue," said Barzo Majid, from the regional parliament's Goran bloc, one of the main parties in the region.

Minute of silence for refugees tops Austrian chart Posted: 20 Aug 2015 07:55 AM PDT A minute's silence released by an Austrian artist to protest against the treatment of refugees in Europe topped the country's iTunes chart Thursday even though the track was yet to be released. Raoul Haspel, a visual artist, told AFP that all proceeds from "Schweigeminute" ("Minute's silence") will go to help Austria's massively overcrowded Traiskirchen refugee centre south of Vienna. Pre-orders put the track, costing 99 euro cents ($1.11) and set for release later this month, was number one ahead of "Sugar" by Robin Schulz, the iTunes Austria website showed.

Two US soldiers become symbols of new generation of female fighters Posted: 20 Aug 2015 07:49 AM PDT When two young women graduate from the US Army's prestigious Ranger School on Friday, they will cement their places at the forefront of a new generation of females in combat roles. Local media have identified the two as Captain Kristen Griest, a military police officer from Connecticut, and 1st Lieutenant Shaye Haver of Texas, an Apache attack helicopter pilot. Despite having made it this far, however, the two women will still not be allowed to serve with the elite 75th Ranger Regiment, which has yet to lift its ban on female soldiers.

Kurdish civilians under fire as Turkey bombs PKK in Iraq Posted: 20 Aug 2015 07:43 AM PDT By Isabel Coles SIGIRE, Iraq (Reuters) - When Kurdish militant leader Abdullah Ocalan called a ceasefire with Turkey two years ago, residents of the village of Sigire slaughtered a sheep to celebrate what they believed was the start of a new era of peace. "We felt our lives were beginning again," said 54-year-old Mam Bashir from Sigire, which is around 20 km (12 miles) from the Turkish border. Now, they are under fire once more as a peace process between Ankara and the PKK breaks down and Turkish warplanes target the outlawed group in Iraq's Kurdish north, where many of its fighters are based.

'Migrant cafe' owners in Greece's Kos broken by refugee crisis Posted: 20 Aug 2015 07:42 AM PDT Cafes lining the beach front on Greece's Kos that would usually be packed with holidaymakers have become the unlikely first port of call for thousands of refugees landing in the resort island. Struggling to provide basic hospitality and services like toilets, running water, electricity and food, these cafes have tried to adapt and fill in for a remarkable dearth of government assistance to the refugees. Eva Kitrina, who wears her platinum blond hair short and owns the Olympia Greek restaurant, says she has tried as much as possible to adapt to the chaos.

Islamic State claims Cairo courthouse bomb which wounded 30 Posted: 20 Aug 2015 07:25 AM PDT By Ahmed Mohamed Hassan CAIRO (Reuters) - Islamic State's Egypt affiliate said it was behind a car bombing that wounded 30 people, including 8 policemen, near a state security building and courthouse in a Cairo suburb on Thursday. A statement circulated on Twitter by supporters of the group, Sinai Province, said the bomb was a reprisal for the execution of six of its members convicted of carrying out an attack north of the Egyptian capital last year. In May, Egypt executed six members of Sinai Province for attacking soldiers near Cairo in 2014.

"Criminal Minds'" Joe Mantegna and WWII Vets to be Honorary Grand Marshals at Coronado Speed Festival Posted: 20 Aug 2015 07:00 AM PDT SAN DIEGO, Aug. 20, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The 18th annual Fleet Week Coronado Speed Festival, September 19-20, is proud to announce award-winning actor and long-time supporter of the U.S. Military, Joe Mantegna, as Grand Marshal.  As a man with a rich military family history, Mantegna has been a major supporter and fundraiser for the armed forces.San Diego area WWII veterans will have the opportunity to co-host as Honorary Grand Marshals along with Mantegna, as the event pays tribute to the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II. ...

Bosnia trial begins for men accused of fighting with IS Posted: 20 Aug 2015 06:51 AM PDT SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — A dozen Bosnian men have gone on trial on charges of fighting with the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq.

Who carried out Bangkok's deadly bombing? Posted: 20 Aug 2015 06:16 AM PDT Confusion swirls around who carried out Bangkok's deadly bombing. Thai police say a man believed to be a foreigner planted the bomb, he was spart of a network of more than 10 people, and that Interpol will be asked for help in gathering information from abroad.

Malaysia arrests 10 suspected of Islamic State links Posted: 20 Aug 2015 06:01 AM PDT Malaysian police on Thursday said they had arrested and were investigating 10 Malaysians suspected of links to Islamic State, among them six members of the country's security forces. Although the Southeast Asian country has not seen any significant militant attacks, it has arrested nearly 100 citizens this year on suspicion of links to Islamic State. Authorities have identified 39 Malaysians in Syria and Iraq.

Saudi executes Chadian Qaeda militants for murder of Frenchman Posted: 20 Aug 2015 04:55 AM PDT Saudi authorities executed two alleged Chadian militants Thursday for murdering a French engineer in the Red Sea city of Jeddah 11 years ago, the interior ministry said. Isa Barkaj and Isaac Shakila were convicted of shooting Laurent Barbot, a technical assistant for French electronics group Thales, on September 26, 2004, said a statement published by the official SPA news agency. Barbot's murder was the first of a French national in the kingdom during a deadly wave of attacks on the Gulf state between 2003 and 2006, blamed on Al-Qaeda.

War-torn Yemen on brink of famine as coalition bombs port: U.N. Posted: 20 Aug 2015 04:33 AM PDT War-torn Yemen is on the brink of famine, with millions of women and children most at risk of starvation as fighting around major ports stalls imports of food and other humanitarian aid, according to the United Nations. Some 13 million people in the impoverished Arab state, half the population, are hungry, while 6 million face starvation and urgently need food aid, the World Food Programme said. The war has killed more than 4,300 people, many of them civilians, and spread disease and hunger throughout Yemen.

Trump as Commander in Chief? Tune in for a Foreign Policy Reality Show Posted: 20 Aug 2015 03:15 AM PDT I have been refusing to write about Donald Trump, because – let us be frank – that is exactly what he wants us to do. He will certainly not be President. He is riding high in the polls of August, our political ...

New tools, new complications in fight to keep cities safe Posted: 20 Aug 2015 03:10 AM PDT NEW DELHI (AP) — For generations, the world's cities have struggled to keep themselves safe.

Turkish currency hits new historic low of 3 lira to dollar Posted: 20 Aug 2015 03:02 AM PDT Turkey's embattled lira on Thursday hit a new historic low in value against the US dollar, breaking the ceiling of three lira to the dollar for the first time. The currency hit 3.0031 lira to the dollar in early morning trade, according to Bloomberg data, before rallying very slightly to 2.99 to the greenback -- a loss in value of 2.25 percent on the day so far. The Turkish currency has now declined 10.65 percent against the dollar over the last month, and 27.88 percent since the start of the year.

Turkey detains over 40 leftists after Istanbul shooting Posted: 20 Aug 2015 02:52 AM PDT Turkish authorities on Thursday launched dawn raids in Istanbul and the southern city of Mersin to arrest suspected members of an ultra-left group, a day after two of its militants attacked the Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul, state media said. Police detained over 40 suspected militants from the Marxist Revolutionary People's Liberation Party Front (DHKP-C) in Istanbul's Sariyer district on the shores of Bosphorus and several districts of Mersin, Anatolia news agency reported. The majority of the detentions took place in Mersin, where the suspected militants from other parts of Turkey had been staying in tents on a beach in the port city, it added.

Australia detains seven men suspected of trying to join militants Posted: 20 Aug 2015 02:28 AM PDT By Colin Packham SYDNEY (Reuters) - Authorities have detained seven young Australian men as they were attempting to fly to the Middle East, Prime Minister Tony Abbott said on Thursday, over suspicions they wanted to join militant Islamist groups. Australia is on high alert for attacks by radicalized Muslims, including home-grown militants returning from fighting in the Middle East. "We have stopped at the airport seven young Australians who were planning to travel to the Middle East, it seems, to join terrorist groups over there," Abbott told reporters in Canberra.

Ben Carson’s Idea for Controlling the Border: Military Drone Attacks Posted: 20 Aug 2015 02:15 AM PDT For a while this week, Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson sounded like the voice of reason. While a few of the other GOP contenders aligned themselves with Donald Trump's startling immigration proposals to build a wall along the 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexican border and then round up and deport more than 11 million illegal immigrants, Carson said that was crazy. "I have heard people say, yeah, round them all up and send them back," the celebrated former neurosurgeon told Chuck Todd on NBC's Meet the Press program last Sunday.

5 suspected jihadis attempt twice to leave Sydney for Syria Posted: 20 Aug 2015 01:59 AM PDT CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Five young men have become the largest single group of suspected jihadis to attempt to leave Australia for Syria and Iraq. But they were stopped twice on consecutive days last week by counterterrorism officials at Sydney International Airport, a minister said Friday.

Islamic State claims Cairo courthouse bomb which wounded 29 Posted: 20 Aug 2015 01:36 AM PDT By Ahmed Mohamed Hassan CAIRO (Reuters) - Islamic State's Egypt affiliate said it was behind a car bombing that wounded 29 people near a state security building and courthouse in a Cairo suburb early on Thursday. A statement circulated on Twitter by supporters of the group, Sinai Province, said the bomb was a reprisal for the execution of six of its members convicted of carrying out an attack north of the Egyptian capital last year. In May, Egypt executed six members of Sinai Province for attacking soldiers near Cairo in 2014.

Militants kills one policeman in Tunisia's Sousse resort: source Posted: 20 Aug 2015 12:17 AM PDT Two Islamist militants riding a motorbike shot dead a Tunisian police officer on Wednesday in the beach resort of Sousse, where a gunman killed 38 people in June, a security source said. Tunisia is struggling to protect its vital tourism centres following the Sousse killings and an attack in March against foreign visitors at the Bardo Museum in Tunis. At least one police officer is dead," the security source said, asking not to be identified because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

Nearing record, Queen Elizabeth shows no sign of stepping aside Posted: 19 Aug 2015 11:03 PM PDT By Michael Holden LONDON (Reuters) - After 63 years on the throne, Queen Elizabeth next month becomes Britain's longest-ruling monarch but there is little prospect of her stepping aside, as other ageing European crowned heads have done, in favour of her son, Charles. "I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family," Elizabeth said in a 21st birthday broadcast to the nation in 1947. The milestone of overtaking Victoria has already prompted speculation as to whether Elizabeth might step aside.

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