Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• White House: No. 2 IS leader killed in US military airstrike
• White House: Islamic State second-in-command killed in U.S. air strike
• Islamic State mortar fragments show traces of chemical arms: U.S. general
• ISIS Second in Command Killed by US Airstrike, White House Says
• As Trump surges, Republican rivals struggle to parry
• First women graduate US Army's Ranger School
• US air strike kills 'IS number two': White House
• Afghan ties with Pakistan sour as Taliban gain strength
• UNESCO chief: IS systematically destroying heritage sites
• First female graduates of Ranger School earn elite tab
• Iraq's top cleric says 'battle' for reforms must continue
• ISIS Fight, Iran Deal Sink Obama’s Numbers
• Turkey seeks to extend mandate for Iraq, Syria incursions: official
• Turkey accuses BBC of making propaganda for 'terrorist' PKK
• US: Tests show mustard gas traces in Islamic State attack
• Does the U.K.’s Labor Party Really Want Out of NATO?
• IS destroying heritage in Syria and Iraq
• U.S., allies target Islamic State with 33 air strikes in Syria, Iraq: statement
• IS CALIPHATE
• OPEC concern widens about oil drop, but cuts still ruled out
• Turkey's Erdogan says he will call a new election for Nov. 1
• Turkey to hold snap polls on Nov 1: Erdogan
• Why German universities will offer free education to refugees
• Turkey's risky offensive can weaken but not destroy PKK: analysts
• UK Labour's Corbyn vows Iraq war apology if elected leader
• 5 reasons oil is sliding toward $40 a barrel
• Australia considers US request to bomb IS targets in Syria
• Australia considers joining US-led Syria air campaign against IS
• Turkish forces killed 771 'PKK rebels' in past month: state media
• Labour will apologise for Iraq war: Corbyn
• Arbil: the departure terminal for Iraq's exodus
• Australia considering U.S. request to join air strikes in Syria
• Malaysian police arrest 10 suspected of IS links
• Wall for nothing: the misjudged but growing taste for border fences
• Archives reveal MI5 concern over Spanish Civil War fighters
• Archives reveal UK concern over Spanish Civil War fighters
• Russia court nixes bid to move Ukraine pilot trial to Moscow

White House: No. 2 IS leader killed in US military airstrike Posted: 21 Aug 2015 04:51 PM PDT OAK BLUFFS, Mass. (AP) — The No. 2 leader of the Islamic State militant group was killed in a U.S. military airstrike in Iraq earlier this week, the White House said Friday.

White House: Islamic State second-in-command killed in U.S. air strike Posted: 21 Aug 2015 03:16 PM PDT By Jeff Mason and Warren Strobel EDGARTOWN, Mass./WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The second-in-command of the Islamic State militant group was killed during a U.S. air strike in Iraq on Tuesday, the White House said on Friday, dealing a blow to the group that has sought to form a caliphate across the Muslim world. "Fadhil Ahmad al-Hayali, also known as Hajji Mutazz ... was killed in a U.S. military air strike on August 18 while traveling in a vehicle near Mosul, Iraq, along with an ISIL media operative known as Abu Abdullah," White House spokesman Ned Price said in a statement.

Islamic State mortar fragments show traces of chemical arms: U.S. general Posted: 21 Aug 2015 03:16 PM PDT By David Alexander WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Fragments from mortars fired by Islamic State militants at Kurdish fighters in northern Iraq earlier this month tested positive in a U.S. military field analysis for sulfur mustard, a chemical weapons agent, a U.S. general said on Friday. Marine Corps Brigadier General Kevin Killea, chief of staff for operations against the group, said the test was not conclusive proof of chemical weapons use, and the fragments would be further tested to confirm the finding. Killea said that in addition to the Aug. 11 mortar attack, he was aware of at least two other claims of chemical weapons use by Islamic State.

ISIS Second in Command Killed by US Airstrike, White House Says Posted: 21 Aug 2015 02:55 PM PDT A senior ISIS operative and second in the terror group's chain of command, Fadhil Ahmad al-Hayali, was killed in a U.S. military air strike Tuesday, the White House announced today. Al-Hayali, also known as Hajji Mutazz, was traveling in a vehicle near Mosul, Iraq, along with another ISIS operative known as Abu Abdullah when they were hit by a missile fired from a U.S. military aircraft, officials said.

As Trump surges, Republican rivals struggle to parry Posted: 21 Aug 2015 02:52 PM PDT Donald Trump steamrolls into Alabama for potentially the biggest US campaign rally of the year Friday, leaving Republican rivals flummoxed over how to contain the political brute now turning the presidential race on its head. The billionaire real estate mogul has snatched the lion's share of the attention, interest and support of Republican voters, using a combative tone to lash out at other candidates with a coarseness rarely seen at the top tier of American campaigns. With more than five months before Iowa and New Hampshire cast the early votes in the party nominating process, Trump leads in polls across the board, leaving the remaining 16 Republican candidates in his dust.

First women graduate US Army's Ranger School Posted: 21 Aug 2015 02:18 PM PDT They hiked for miles across mountains and jungle with 90-pound (40-kilogram) packs, jumped out of helicopters and worked 20-hour days on the US Army's most grueling training course. On Friday, the first women to complete Ranger School graduated, to the delight of female peers hoping to see more frontline roles open up for women combat leaders. Lieutenant Shaye Haver and Captain Kristen Griest faced all the same combat, survival and stamina challenges as the 94 men also pinning the Ranger tab on their fatigues.

US air strike kills 'IS number two': White House Posted: 21 Aug 2015 01:33 PM PDT The second-in-command of the Islamic State jihadist group has been killed in a US air strike in northern Iraq, the White House said Friday. The National Security Council identified the slain militant as Fadhil Ahmad al-Hayali, also known as Haji Mutaz, and said he was IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's senior deputy. In December, US defense officials, speaking to reporters on condition of anonymity, said he was one of several senior figures killed in coalition strikes, giving another of his pseudonyms, Abu Muslim al-Turkmani.

Afghan ties with Pakistan sour as Taliban gain strength Posted: 21 Aug 2015 01:25 PM PDT KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — One of the world's testier strategic relationships is deteriorating by the day as Afghanistan accuses Pakistan of meddling in its affairs and prolonging a 14-year war by aiding Taliban militants in a cynical quest for influence.

UNESCO chief: IS systematically destroying heritage sites Posted: 21 Aug 2015 01:08 PM PDT DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Islamic State extremists in Syria and Iraq are engaged in the "most brutal, systematic" destruction of ancient sites since World War II, the head of the U.N. cultural agency said Friday — a stark warning that came hours after militants demolished a 1,500-year-old monastery in central Syria.

First female graduates of Ranger School earn elite tab Posted: 21 Aug 2015 12:53 PM PDT FORT BENNING, Ga. (AP) — The first female soldiers to complete the Army's rigorous Ranger School pinned on their black-and-gold Ranger tab at a raucous graduation ceremony Friday, capping their history-making week and putting a spotlight on the debate over women in combat.

Iraq's top cleric says 'battle' for reforms must continue Posted: 21 Aug 2015 12:24 PM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq's top Shiite cleric urged the government on Friday to press ahead with reforms and fighting corruption, but cautioned against doing so at the expense of the fight against the Islamic State group, which is tenaciously holding on to large swaths of Iraqi territory.

ISIS Fight, Iran Deal Sink Obama’s Numbers Posted: 21 Aug 2015 12:15 PM PDT Support among the American public for President Obama's handling of foreign affairs, chiefly the ongoing fight against ISIS and the U.S. relationship with Iran, has emerged as an Achilles heel as a majority of voters disapprove of his job performance. Just last month those numbers were essentially flipped, with 49 percent backing Obama against 47 percent who did not. The question also sparked a strong rebuke from Obama's fellow Democrats, with 35 percent of them disapproving of his strategy.

Turkey seeks to extend mandate for Iraq, Syria incursions: official Posted: 21 Aug 2015 12:14 PM PDT Turkey's government is seeking to extend for one more year a parliamentary mandate that allows the military to combat Islamist jihadists and Kurdish militants in neighbouring Syria and Iraq, a foreign ministry official said on Friday. The current mandate under which the Turkish armed forces launched airstrikes in Iraq and Syria expires on October 2, the official told AFP on condition of anonymity. The mandate allows the use of the armed forces in neighbouring Syria and Iraq as well as for foreign forces to transit Turkish territory in operations against Islamic State (IS) jihadists.

Turkey accuses BBC of making propaganda for 'terrorist' PKK Posted: 21 Aug 2015 11:08 AM PDT Turkey on Friday accused the BBC of making propaganda for the "terrorist" Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) over a report on the outlawed group's female fighters in northern Iraq. The BBC responded by saying its report had offered a "unique insight" into the motivations of the PKK's fighters and had also stated clearly that the group is considered a "terrorist organisation" by Turkey. The report, published Thursday on the BBC website, followed female fighters on a PKK training camp in northern Iraq as they prepared to fight against Islamic State (IS) jihadists.

US: Tests show mustard gas traces in Islamic State attack Posted: 21 Aug 2015 10:34 AM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Preliminary tests show traces of the chemical agent sulfur mustard on mortars that Islamic State group militants used to attack Kurdish forces in Iraq, a senior U.S. military officer said Friday.

Does the U.K.’s Labor Party Really Want Out of NATO? Posted: 21 Aug 2015 10:30 AM PDT A man with ideas that would radically transform his country's relationship with the rest of the world is currently leading his party's polls ahead of a leadership election, and it isn't Donald Trump. In the UK, the Labor Party, currently the minority in Parliament but in charge as recently as 2010, is electing a new leader and the man at the head of the polling, Jeremy Corbyn has some interesting views on international relations, including pulling the United Kingdom out of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Corbyn, however, sees the alliance as a relic and has actually blamed NATO's eastward expansion for the current conflict in Ukraine, where Russia has invaded and illegally annexed Crimea and continues to support armed rebels in the eastern part of the country.

IS destroying heritage in Syria and Iraq Posted: 21 Aug 2015 10:29 AM PDT BEIRUT (AP) — The Islamic State group's demolition of the St. Elian Monastery in the central Syrian province of Homs is the latest in a long campaign that has destroyed or extensively damaged some of the Middle East's most spectacular archaeological and cultural sites.

U.S., allies target Islamic State with 33 air strikes in Syria, Iraq: statement Posted: 21 Aug 2015 10:14 AM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and its partners launched 33 air strikes on Thursday against Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq, the Combined Joint Task Force leading the operations said. Twenty-three air strikes in Iraq targeted the militant group in 10 cities, while 10 air strikes in Syria took aim at the group in four cities, the task force said in a statement released on Friday. (Reporting by Washington newroom; Editing by Bill Trott)

IS CALIPHATE Posted: 21 Aug 2015 10:00 AM PDT Map locates the Islamic State group's area of support and control in Syria and Iraq; 3c x 4 inches; 146 mm x 101 mm;

OPEC concern widens about oil drop, but cuts still ruled out Posted: 21 Aug 2015 09:50 AM PDT DUBAI/LONDON (Reuters) - Some of OPEC's Gulf members are concerned about the latest drop in oil prices which had not been expected, OPEC delegates said, but they see little chance of the exporting group diverting from its policy of defending market share. Brent oil is trading near $46 a barrel, close to its 2015 low after an 18 percent drop in July, pressured by abundant supplies and concern about the health of the Chinese economy, the world's second-largest oil consumer. Despite this, the delegates including from Gulf OPEC members who declined to be identified say China is still buying and stockpiling crude and they expect strong global demand growth should push prices back to $60 next year.

Turkey's Erdogan says he will call a new election for Nov. 1 Posted: 21 Aug 2015 08:32 AM PDT ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday that the nation will hold an early election Nov. 1, after no group won a majority from voters in June and Erdogan's party was unable to find a coalition partner.

Turkey to hold snap polls on Nov 1: Erdogan Posted: 21 Aug 2015 08:13 AM PDT Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced Friday he would call snap elections likely to be held on November 1, after coalition talks failed in an unprecedented political impasse. Erdogan, who suffered a rare political setback in inconclusive June polls, said he would meet the parliament speaker on Monday to make the arrangements and then formally call the new elections. "We will take our country to early elections," Erdogan told reporters after Friday prayers in Istanbul.

Why German universities will offer free education to refugees Posted: 21 Aug 2015 07:53 AM PDT About 60 German universities in Germany are providing free university education to the growing population of refugees who are seeking asylum in the country, German newspaper Handelsblatt reports. Some universities are offering language tuition, have waived semester fees, provide free student passes for public transport, and give access to hardship and grant funds, according to survey done last month by the German Rectors' Conference, a voluntary association of state universities. "Migration is a task for all of society, and universities must do their part," University of Hildesheim president Wolfgang-Uwe Friedrich explained to Handelsblatt on why he set up the program.

Turkey's risky offensive can weaken but not destroy PKK: analysts Posted: 21 Aug 2015 04:43 AM PDT Turkey's almost month-long campaign of air strikes against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in the Turkish southeast and northern Iraq will weaken but cannot destroy the Kurdish militant group, analysts say. With some 50 Turkish soldiers so far killed in retaliatory attacks blamed on the PKK, the campaign also risks creating an uncontrolled escalation that could wreck the chances of a final settlement to end the over 30-year insurgency. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is also hoping for a political windfall as he prepares for a re-run of the June election in which the ruling party lost its overall majority for the first time since 2002, possibly as early as November 1.

UK Labour's Corbyn vows Iraq war apology if elected leader Posted: 21 Aug 2015 02:02 AM PDT Jeremy Corbyn, a leftwinger touted to head Britain's main opposition Labour party, said Friday he would apologise over the Iraq war if he wins next month's leadership contest. Under the then Labour prime minister Tony Blair, Britain joined the US led by George W. Bush in invading Iraq in 2003 and had troops there until 2011.

5 reasons oil is sliding toward $40 a barrel Posted: 21 Aug 2015 01:38 AM PDT Oil could soon slide below $40 a barrel for the first time since February 2009. Here's what's driving crude to new lows.

Australia considers US request to bomb IS targets in Syria Posted: 21 Aug 2015 12:30 AM PDT CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia is considering a U.S. request to launch airstrikes against Islamic State fighters in Syria in an unprecedented departure from Australian foreign policy that could spark political disputes.

Australia considers joining US-led Syria air campaign against IS Posted: 21 Aug 2015 12:28 AM PDT Australia is considering a request from the United States to extend its air campaign against the Islamic State group in Iraq into Syria, Prime Minister Tony Abbott said Friday. The United States has been leading a coalition of Western and Arab powers carrying out air strikes against IS fighters in Syria and Iraq since last year.

Turkish forces killed 771 'PKK rebels' in past month: state media Posted: 21 Aug 2015 12:11 AM PDT Turkish forces have killed 771 militants of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in northern Iraq and southeastern Turkey over the last four weeks, the state news agency Anatolia said Friday. The agency, whose figures could not be confirmed independently, said among those killed were 430 rebels who died in air raids on PKK camps in Iraq. Another 260 were killed in ground operations in southeastern Turkey, Anatolia said, quoting what it said were sources in military intelligence.

Labour will apologise for Iraq war: Corbyn Posted: 20 Aug 2015 10:51 PM PDT Jeremy Corbyn will apologise for the Iraq war if he becomes Labour leader next month, the Guardian reported. Britain was led into the 2003 invasion of Iraq and subsequent war by a Labour government led by former Prime Minister Tony Blair. "It is past time that Labour apologised to the British people for taking them into the Iraq war on the basis of deception and to the Iraqi people for the suffering we have helped cause," Corbyn said in a statement to the Guardian.

Arbil: the departure terminal for Iraq's exodus Posted: 20 Aug 2015 10:47 PM PDT Iraq's gateway to Europe, the northern city of Arbil, is the first bottleneck on a long and uncertain journey for a growing number of Iraqis choosing exile. People are desperate," said Emre Shawkat, who runs a tourism transport business in Arbil, capital of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region. The militants have carried out atrocities from beheadings and mass executions to enslavement and rape in the territory they control in Iraq and in neighbouring Syria.

Australia considering U.S. request to join air strikes in Syria Posted: 20 Aug 2015 09:48 PM PDT Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said on Friday that he was considering a formal request from the United States for Australia to join air strikes in Syria against the Islamic State militant group. The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is already involved in bombing Islamic State targets in Iraq, but its aerial role in Syria has so far been limited to refueling and intelligence gathering.

Malaysian police arrest 10 suspected of IS links Posted: 20 Aug 2015 09:46 PM PDT Ten Malaysians have been arrested for fostering suspected links with the Islamic State group and planning attacks in the country, police said. Malaysia's national police chief Khalid Abu Bakar said late Thursday that the 10 individuals were allegedly "planning to obtain weapons to launch attacks in the country and arrange logistics for Malaysians to join the IS in Syria". Authorities say dozens of Malaysians have travelled to Syria to fight in the civil war there, and have warned of radicals returning home to stage attacks.

Wall for nothing: the misjudged but growing taste for border fences Posted: 20 Aug 2015 09:40 PM PDT When the Berlin Wall was torn down a quarter-century ago, there were 16 border fences around the world. Today, there are 65 either completed or under construction, according to Quebec University expert Elisabeth Vallet. From Israel's separation barrier (or "apartheid wall" as it is known by the Palestinians), to the 2,500-mile (4,000-kilometre) barbed-wire fence India is building around Bangladesh, to the enormous sand "berm" that separates Morocco from rebel-held parts of the Western Sahara -- walls and fences are ever-more popular with politicians wanting to look tough on migration and security.

Archives reveal MI5 concern over Spanish Civil War fighters Posted: 20 Aug 2015 06:32 PM PDT Archived files on high-profile Britons fighting in the Spanish Civil War, released Friday, reveal that radicals returning from foreign wars have long been a cause for concern for security services. An estimated 4,000 Britons went to Spain during the Civil War, according to a detailed MI5 census. Many of them such as the writer George Orwell were monitored long after the conflict ended.

Archives reveal UK concern over Spanish Civil War fighters Posted: 20 Aug 2015 06:08 PM PDT Archived British files on high-profile Britons fighting in the Spanish Civil War, released Friday, reveal that radicals returning from foreign wars have long been a cause for concern for security services. An estimated 4,000 Britons went to Spain during the Civil War, according to a detailed MI5 census. Many of them such as the writer George Orwell were monitored long after the conflict ended.

Russia court nixes bid to move Ukraine pilot trial to Moscow Posted: 20 Aug 2015 05:25 PM PDT A Russian court on Friday turned down an appeal to shift the high-profile trial of a Ukrainian female helicopter pilot from southern Russia to Moscow, her lawyer said. Nadiya Savchenko, 34, went on trial last month in a provincial court close to the Ukrainian border for her alleged involvement in the killing of two Russian journalists in war-torn eastern Ukraine last year. Savchenko, whose detention has become a cause celebre in her conflict-wracked homeland, insists she is not guilty and was kidnapped and smuggled illegally across the border into Russia.

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