Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• White House: Obama wants to admit more Syrian refugees
• Pentagon chief demands honest war intelligence
• Intelligence chief: Iraq and Syria may not survive as states
• Jihadists put squeeze on Syria's Assad as Russia defends aid
• Driver charged in fatal hit-and-run of Michigan firefighter
• Brian Williams back to TV later this month, as MSNBC anchor
• After Russian delay, U.N. council okays probe of Syria gas attacks
• 18 Moments When The Hero Of The Group Made  Everyone Feel Safe
• Lawmakers blocked from marching to Turkish town under 24-hour curfew
• No 'specific or credible threats' linked to 9/11 anniversary: FBI chief
• Russian troops already in Syria, Israel says
• Turkey blocks pro-Kurdish MPs from curfew city after deadly fighting
• New campaign to send 1 million Syrian refugee kids to school
• Cold, fever and babies born on migrants' long journey to Europe
• US intel analysts revolt over rosy IS assessments: Daily Beast
• U.S., allies launch 28 air strikes against Islamic State: U.S. military
• Baghdad condemns Turkish incursion into Iraq
• Russia lifts UN hold on Syria chemical attacks probe: diplomats
• $42 Million for 54 Recruits? U.S. Program to Train Syrian Rebels Is a Disaster
• Paris Egypt exhibit holds defiant message for Islamic State
• AP Interview: Refugee chief links aid crisis, Europe exodus
• Desperate Iraqis join tide of migrants heading to Europe
• In central Yemen, Saudi policy of 'checking' Iran is tested in battle
• 'Mama Merkel' cheered by Syrians at refugee centre
• Al Qaeda Leader Al-Zawahiri Declares War on ISIS 'Caliph' Al-Baghdadi
• Islamic State militants advance on key Syrian military base
• For savvy migrants, social media helps ease trip to the West
• Nearly one in five Iraqi workers government-employed: PM
• Kurds present groundbreaking Kurdistan Tour Guide to members of Congress
• Sniper fire wounds Iraq provincial councillor: officials
• Turkish air strikes against PKK in northern Iraq 'very effective': PM
• France's Sarkozy says borderers Europe untenable in migrant crisis
• 54 dead as IS advances on east Syria airbase: monitor
• Islamic State group's attacks in Saudi test security of hajj
• Warfighter Outfitters, Inc. Is Latest Wounded Warrior Project Grant Recipient
• Kuwait signs $385 mn solar energy project
• Chinese reportedly held by Islamic State is advertising man
• IS uses images of drowned toddler to warn refugees
• Islamic State attacks Syrian air base in east, dozens reported killed
• Clinton stirs up old difference with Obama on foreign policy

White House: Obama wants to admit more Syrian refugees Posted: 10 Sep 2015 04:43 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States is making plans to accept 10,000 Syrian refugees in the coming budget year, a significant increase from the 1,500 people who have been cleared to resettle in the U.S. since civil war broke out in the Middle Eastern country more than four years ago, the White House said Thursday.

Pentagon chief demands honest war intelligence Posted: 10 Sep 2015 04:08 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Ash Carter has reminded the Pentagon's senior intelligence corps that they are expected to give him their unvarnished views, amid allegations that the military command overseeing the war against the Islamic State distorted or altered intelligence assessments to exaggerate progress against the military group, officials said Thursday.

Intelligence chief: Iraq and Syria may not survive as states Posted: 10 Sep 2015 04:00 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Iraq and Syria may have been permanently torn asunder by war and sectarian tensions, the head of the Defense Intelligence Agency said Thursday in a frank assessment that is at odds with Obama administration policy.

Jihadists put squeeze on Syria's Assad as Russia defends aid Posted: 10 Sep 2015 03:53 PM PDT Jihadists advanced on a regime airbase in eastern Syria on Thursday after the fall of one in the north, as staunch ally Russia defended its military aid to embattled President Bashar al-Assad. Moscow dismissed criticism of its intervention by Western states, which are carrying out air strikes on jihadists in both Syria and neighbouring Iraq but also seek Assad's ouster. "We helped, are continuing to help and will help the Syrian government when it comes to supplying the Syrian army with everything it needs," said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

Driver charged in fatal hit-and-run of Michigan firefighter Posted: 10 Sep 2015 03:19 PM PDT DETROIT (AP) — A Michigan man was charged with murder Thursday in the death of a firefighter who authorities say was deliberately struck by a pickup truck as he collected money for charity.

Brian Williams back to TV later this month, as MSNBC anchor Posted: 10 Sep 2015 02:36 PM PDT Disgraced journalist Brian Williams will return to U.S. television on Sept. 22 as an anchor for breaking news on cable channel MSNBC, the network said on Thursday. Williams, 56, was dropped from his job as news anchor of NBC's flagship "Nightly News" program in June after an internal investigation established he had exaggerated various events involving his reporting from the field. NBC and MSNBC are units of Comcast Corp. A representative for NBCUniversal said Williams will take up his new job on Sept. 22, the day Pope Francis begins his first visit to the United States, ending a six-month suspension.

After Russian delay, U.N. council okays probe of Syria gas attacks Posted: 10 Sep 2015 02:10 PM PDT By Louis Charbonneau UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United Nations Security Council on Thursday gave a green light to an international investigation aimed at assigning blame for chemical weapon attacks in Syria, the U.N. press office said on Thursday. The official start of the joint inquiry by the United Nations and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) was delayed due to objections by Russia, which had wanted to expand the investigation to include alleged attacks by Islamic State in neighboring Iraq, diplomats said. Speaking on condition of anonymity, U.N. diplomats said Iraq opposed having the mandate of the Syria investigation broadened to include its territory.

18 Moments When The Hero Of The Group Made  Everyone Feel Safe Posted: 10 Sep 2015 02:00 PM PDT 1) Criminal Minds

Lawmakers blocked from marching to Turkish town under 24-hour curfew Posted: 10 Sep 2015 01:20 PM PDT Turkish police stopped pro-Kurdish politicians on Thursday marching to a town where they say 21 civilians have been killed and a humanitarian crisis has unfolded since authorities imposed a curfew to combat Kurdish rebels. Turkish authorities said nearly all of those killed in the week-old curfew were Kurdish militants. Cizre, near Turkey's borders with Syria and Iraq, has become a flashpoint in two months of deepening violence in the mainly Kurdish southeast.

No 'specific or credible threats' linked to 9/11 anniversary: FBI chief Posted: 10 Sep 2015 01:04 PM PDT The Federal Bureau of Investigation said Thursday that it has picked up no "specific or credible threats" linked to the anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States. Friday is the 14th anniversary of the attacks that brought down the World Trade Center in New York and destroyed part of the Pentagon, killing nearly 3,000 people.

Russian troops already in Syria, Israel says Posted: 10 Sep 2015 12:35 PM PDT Russia has been sending military forces into Syria in recent days, Israel's defense chief announced Thursday, as Moscow hinted at broader action to bolster President Bashar Assad's embattled army following a string of battlefield losses.

Turkey blocks pro-Kurdish MPs from curfew city after deadly fighting Posted: 10 Sep 2015 12:33 PM PDT Turkey on Thursday prevented a delegation of deputies from the main pro-Kurdish party from entering the embattled southeastern city of Cizre, where the army and Kurdish rebels have fought deadly battles in recent days. Pro-Kurdish MPs from the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) said 21 civilians, including children, had been killed since the military operation in Cizre was launched last week and an army curfew was imposed.

New campaign to send 1 million Syrian refugee kids to school Posted: 10 Sep 2015 12:29 PM PDT UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Education groups launched a campaign Thursday to raise $250 million in 21 days to get one million Syrian refugee children into school this year in Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon.

Cold, fever and babies born on migrants' long journey to Europe Posted: 10 Sep 2015 12:18 PM PDT By Krisztina Than BUDAPEST (Reuters) - At a makeshift medical center at Budapest's eastern railway terminus migrant women keep coming with small children and babies, many of whom have a bad cough, fever, diarrhea or insect bites after being on the road for weeks. The long journey from Syria, Afghanistan or Iraq to Europe, which migrants do partly on foot, is exhausting enough for men fleeing wars, persecution and poverty. Amina, 28, from Aleppo in Syria, and her husband have been traveling with a one-year-old boy and are now camping in a makeshift tent in the underpass, waiting to board a train to Germany.

US intel analysts revolt over rosy IS assessments: Daily Beast Posted: 10 Sep 2015 12:18 PM PDT More than 50 US intelligence analysts have complained that senior military officials altered reports so as to downplay the strength of Islamic State and Al-Qaeda's branch in Syria, the Daily Beast reported Thursday. The online news outlet said senior officials at US Central Command changed the reports to bring them into line with the White House's rosier public view that the United States was winning the war against the militant groups. It said the revolt came to a head when two senior analysts at Centcom signed and sent a written complaint to the Defense Department inspector general in July alleging that reports, including some presented in briefings to President Barack Obama, portrayed the groups as weaker than the analysts believed they were.

U.S., allies launch 28 air strikes against Islamic State: U.S. military Posted: 10 Sep 2015 11:55 AM PDT A coalition led by the United States bombarded Islamic State militants on Wednesday with 10 air strikes in Syria and 18 in Iraq, according to a statement released on Thursday. The air strikes in Iraq near Tuz, Sinjar, Mosul, Ramadi and other locations hit tactical units and fighting positions and destroyed vehicles, buildings and two light machine guns belonging to the militant group, the Combined Joint Task Force said in the statement. In Syria, the area around Hasaka bore the brunt of the force, with three air strikes hitting Islamic State tactical units and destroying three fighting positions, two motorcycles and a structure, it said.

Baghdad condemns Turkish incursion into Iraq Posted: 10 Sep 2015 11:54 AM PDT Iraq on Thursday condemned Turkey for sending ground troops onto its territory in pursuit of Kurdish rebels, calling it a "clear violation" of its sovereignty. "The foreign ministry expresses its condemnation of the incursion of a number of Turkish military units inside Iraqi territory," spokesman Ahmed Jamal said in a statement. "It represents a clear violation of Iraqi sovereignty and a clear offence to bilateral relations between the two countries," he said.

Russia lifts UN hold on Syria chemical attacks probe: diplomats Posted: 10 Sep 2015 11:30 AM PDT Russia has lifted its objections to a UN investigation into chemical attacks in Syria, clearing the way for the probe to begin, diplomats said Thursday. The UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution August 7 approving a joint investigation by the United Nations and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.

$42 Million for 54 Recruits? U.S. Program to Train Syrian Rebels Is a Disaster Posted: 10 Sep 2015 11:30 AM PDT The Defense Department has finally provided a price tag for its deeply troubled program to train and equip moderate Syrian rebels to battle the Islamic State. In a statement to DOD Buzz, Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said that through May 30 the agency had spent "$41.8 million to fund the training and equipping of the vetted Syrian opposition."  He added that the department was working to get updated cost figures. Congress approved $500 million for the effort last year on the premise that the Pentagon would have over 3,000 opposition fighters on the ground in Syria by the end of the calendar year.

Paris Egypt exhibit holds defiant message for Islamic State Posted: 10 Sep 2015 11:27 AM PDT PARIS (AP) — French President Francois Hollande and archaeological officials have used an exhibit in Paris of two preserved ancient Egyptian cities as a defiant example that the world will not be cowed by Islamic State militants who recently destroyed ancient Syrian heritage sites in Palmyra and killed a local archaeologist.

AP Interview: Refugee chief links aid crisis, Europe exodus Posted: 10 Sep 2015 10:27 AM PDT AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — The influx of refugees to Europe was triggered in part by donors taking the "cheap option" and not giving enough aid to displaced Syrians in Middle Eastern asylum countries, the head of the U.N. refugee agency in Jordan said in an interview.

Desperate Iraqis join tide of migrants heading to Europe Posted: 10 Sep 2015 09:39 AM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — As the sun sets over Baghdad, Mustafa Jassim Mohammed wades into the Tigris River, lifts his feet off the muddy bottom and paddles with an arm maimed by shrapnel, practicing ahead of a journey on which his ability to swim could mean the difference between death at sea and a new life in Europe.

In central Yemen, Saudi policy of 'checking' Iran is tested in battle Posted: 10 Sep 2015 09:26 AM PDT Saudi Arabia's newfound military prowess and interventionist policy is being put to the test in the battle for central Yemen, with rising casualties posing a challenge to public support for the war. For Saudi Arabia and its Sunni Arab Gulf allies, the military campaign in Yemen's central province of Marib is their largest in more than 80 years and for some members of the coalition, their first real taste of war. This week they embarked on the offensive's largest ground operation, escalating a six-month aerial campaign targeting Shiite Houthi militias – which Riyadh says are backed by regional rival Iran – in a bid to re-install a pro-Saudi government.

'Mama Merkel' cheered by Syrians at refugee centre Posted: 10 Sep 2015 08:59 AM PDT Chancellor Angela Merkel won a hero's welcome as she visited a Berlin migrant centre on Thursday, with Syrians cheering and taking selfies as Germany threw open its doors to thousands of refugees. "We are so happy Mrs Merkel came to see us today," said a joyful Ramadan Salah, a 35-year-old Syrian Kurdish refugee the migrant refugee centre in western Berlin. As thousands continue to flee bloodshed in Syria, Iraq and beyond, Germany is expected to welcome 800,000 asylum-seekers this year, four times the number in 2014 and far more than any other European country.

Al Qaeda Leader Al-Zawahiri Declares War on ISIS 'Caliph' Al-Baghdadi Posted: 10 Sep 2015 08:50 AM PDT Just ahead of the fourteenth anniversary of al Qaeda's 9/11 attacks on the U.S., the leader of the terrorist group took aim in an angry speech at a mortal enemy -- but not American "crusaders" this time. Ayman al-Zawahiri, the Egyptian doctor who replaced Osama bin Laden as the head of al Qaeda four years ago, in a new audio message accused ISIS top leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi of "sedition" and insisted the Iraqi terrorist recluse was not the leader of all Muslims and militant jihad as "caliph" of the Islamic State, as al-Baghdadi had claimed 14 months ago in a Mosul mosque. "It's pretty interesting," said former National Counterterrorism Center Director Matthew Olsen.

Islamic State militants advance on key Syrian military base Posted: 10 Sep 2015 08:29 AM PDT BEIRUT (AP) — Islamic State militants have launched a new push on a key military base in eastern Syria and seized a nearby missile facility, the group's media and activists reported Thursday.

For savvy migrants, social media helps ease trip to the West Posted: 10 Sep 2015 08:26 AM PDT MOLIVOS, Greece (AP) — The 26-year-old Syrian economics graduate knew exactly what to do and where to go.

Nearly one in five Iraqi workers government-employed: PM Posted: 10 Sep 2015 08:16 AM PDT Nearly one in five Iraqi workers are employed by the government, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said Thursday, as he attempts to reform the country's bloated and often-corrupt civil service. "We have a state with more than four million employees," Abadi said in televised remarks from a conference on implementing economic reforms. "Neighbouring countries, whose populations are maybe two-and-a-half times that of Iraq, have maybe half the number of our (government) employees," he said.

Kurds present groundbreaking Kurdistan Tour Guide to members of Congress Posted: 10 Sep 2015 08:11 AM PDT WASHINGTON, Sept. 10, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- (www.us.gov.krd) – Today more than a dozen Kurdish-Americans are hand-delivering a groundbreaking new book, the Kurdistan Tour Guide, to every member of Congress in an effort to strengthen awareness of their homeland, which is at the forefront of the fight against ISIS. The book, authored by two Americans, is the first comprehensive tour guide of the Kurdistan Region in Iraq. It covers over 200 historic sites, contains 600 pictures and portrays Kurdistan's culture, cuisine and customs.

Sniper fire wounds Iraq provincial councillor: officials Posted: 10 Sep 2015 08:00 AM PDT Sniper fire wounded the deputy head of Anbar's provincial council as he visited military units west of the Iraqi capital Thursday, officials said. Faleh al-Essawi was wounded south of Anbar capital Ramadi, which was overrun by the Islamic State jihadist group in May, said fellow councillor Raja Barakat. Army Colonel Walid al-Dulaimi said he was hit in the leg and was taken to a military hospital at the Habbaniyah base in Anbar.

Turkish air strikes against PKK in northern Iraq 'very effective': PM Posted: 10 Sep 2015 06:26 AM PDT ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish jets continued to bombard Kurdish militant positions in northern Iraq on Wednesday and Thursday, achieving "very effective" results, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Thursday. The Turkish military stepped up air strikes against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) after the group killed 16 soldiers on Sunday, in the deadliest attack by the PKK since the collapse of a ceasefire in July. (Reporting by Ece Toksabay, writing by Jonny Hogg; editing by David Dolan)

France's Sarkozy says borderers Europe untenable in migrant crisis Posted: 10 Sep 2015 06:07 AM PDT Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy called on Thursday for the suspension of the Schengen accord that lets people travel without passport checks between 26 European countries, saying the continent's migration crisis had made it unworkable. Sarkozy, a conservative who is tipped to seek power again in 2017, told Le Figaro newspaper that centers should be set up outside the European Union to vet people seeking asylum. Borderers travel is one of the EU's proudest achievements but the system has come under strain as tens of thousands of migrants and refugees arriving in southern Europe have taken advantage of it to travel north to wealthier nations like Germany.

54 dead as IS advances on east Syria airbase: monitor Posted: 10 Sep 2015 06:02 AM PDT Jihadists of the Islamic State group edged closer to a strategic airbase in eastern Syria in heavy clashes that left 54 fighters dead, a monitoring group said Thursday. The extremist group, which has captured territory across Iraq and Syria, seized control late Wednesday of an army post near the regime-held military airbase outside Deir Ezzor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. "It was one of the Islamic State's fiercest attacks on the airport," Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said, using an Arabic acronym for the jihadist group.

Islamic State group's attacks in Saudi test security of hajj Posted: 10 Sep 2015 05:11 AM PDT DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The Islamic State group is extending its reach in Saudi Arabia, expanding the scope of its attacks and drawing in new recruits with its radical ideology. Its determination to bring down the U.S.-allied royal family has raised concerns it could threaten the annual Muslim hajj pilgrimage later this month.

Warfighter Outfitters, Inc. Is Latest Wounded Warrior Project Grant Recipient Posted: 10 Sep 2015 05:00 AM PDT JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Sept. 10, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) Alumnus Brett Miller's organization Warfighter Outfitters, Inc. is the latest WWP Program Grants recipient with an award of $20,000. WWP Program Grants helps support various organizations that provide programming that meets the needs of wounded servicemen and women in rural, underserved areas of the country with limited WWP services. Miller, a U.S. Army veteran, founded Warfighter Outfitters, Inc. in 2013 as a nonprofit organization for wounded and disabled combat veterans.

Kuwait signs $385 mn solar energy project Posted: 10 Sep 2015 04:30 AM PDT Kuwait signed a contract worth 116 million dinars ($385 million) with Spain's TSK Group on Thursday for a 50 megawatt solar energy project as part of its renewable energy drive. Electricity and Water Minister Ahmad al-Jassar told reporters the target is to produce 4,500 megawatts from solar and wind energy by 2030 when demand is expected to rise to 30,000 megawatts from the current 12,000 megawatts. The latest project is due to start production in December 2017, said Salem al-Hajraf, head of energy research at the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research.

Chinese reportedly held by Islamic State is advertising man Posted: 10 Sep 2015 04:26 AM PDT BEIJING (AP) — A Chinese man reportedly held hostage by the Islamic State group worked in advertising and TV production and describes himself as a free spirit and reader of Greek philosophy.

IS uses images of drowned toddler to warn refugees Posted: 10 Sep 2015 04:03 AM PDT The jihadist Islamic State group has used the shocking image of drowned Syrian toddler Aylan Kurdi to warn refugees against trying to flee to the West, calling it a "major sin". In the latest issue of its English-language magazine Dabiq, IS published the boy's image under the headline: "The danger of Abandoning Darul-Islam," or the land of Islam, including the group's self-declared "caliphate" in Syria and Iraq. IS seized control of large parts of Syria and Iraq last year, imposing a brutal rule of mass killings, torture, institutionalised slavery and widespread rape.

Islamic State attacks Syrian air base in east, dozens reported killed Posted: 10 Sep 2015 01:03 AM PDT Dozens of Syrian government troops and Islamic State fighters have been killed in fighting around a government-held air base in eastern Syria in a region that is a stronghold for the jihadists, a monitoring group said on Thursday, Islamic State used at least two car bombs in its latest assault on the air base near the city of Deir al-Zor, where government troops are holed up, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. It said at least 18 soldiers and 23 Islamic State fighters had been killed.

Clinton stirs up old difference with Obama on foreign policy Posted: 10 Sep 2015 12:26 AM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Eight years, two presidential elections and one shared commitment to the nuclear deal with Iran later, Hillary Rodham Clinton is delicately resurrecting her 2008 critique of Barack Obama's approach to world affairs.

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