Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• Russia flying reconnaissance over Syria, no strikes yet: US
• Ex-con found guilty in Vegas slaying of US airman from Guam
• Officials: More work emails from Clinton's private account
• Marine general sworn in as US military's top officer
• Son of US Army doctor gets 10 years on terrorism charge
• The Latest: Serbia to lift embargo on Croatian goods
• New Joint Chiefs chairman facing war, service challenges
• World has 'lost humanity' on Syria: Malala
• Rouhani, meeting editors, hopes for better US relations
• Iraq says winning battle against Islamic State, wants more bombing
• Croatia lifts blockade with Serbia, easing tensions
• U.S. urges Iraqi forces to move 'as quickly as possible' to retake Ramadi
• The West Wing: Imagining 10 Stylish Moments from President Kanye West's First Year In Office
• Pope throws weight behind Iran nuclear deal
• Man who impersonated FBI agent sentenced to time served
• Islamic State frees Kurdish photographer in prisoner swap: press watchdog
• For thousands fleeing war, transit through Greece continues unabated
• Google's Arabic-German translations surge amid migrant influx
• As Europe embraces Syrians, a cooler reception for other refugees
• U.N. sees refugee flow to Europe growing, plans for big Iraq displacement
• Iraq's top Shi'ite cleric says snubbing reforms will revive protests
• U.S. leads 22 more air strikes against Islamic State in Iraq, Syria
• Finnish demonstrators attack refugees with stones and fireworks
• Russia could join anti-IS coalition if conditions met: report
• Two Turkish soldiers, 34 Kurdish militants killed: security sources
• Two soldiers, 34 Kurdish rebels killed in Turkey clashes: army
• Gunmen attack Saudi police checkpoints, killing 3
• Labour gears up for watershed conference
• Rwandan rebels' verdict due in 'breakthrough' German trial
• Militias a vital prop for Syria's beleaguered army
• U.S., allies review Afghan pullback options: WSJ

Russia flying reconnaissance over Syria, no strikes yet: US Posted: 25 Sep 2015 04:47 PM PDT Russian military planes have conducted reconnaissance flights over Syria but not yet launched any airstrikes, a US official said Friday. The Pentagon says Russia has in recent weeks built up a forward operating air base in Latakia in northwestern Syria, and sent at least 500 troops along with fighter jets, tanks, artillery and a slew of military hardware to the facility. "We have seen some ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) activity from Russian ISR aircraft," said Colonel Pat Ryder, the spokesman for the US military's Central Command, better known as CENTCOM, which is overseeing efforts against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria.

Ex-con found guilty in Vegas slaying of US airman from Guam Posted: 25 Sep 2015 04:22 PM PDT LAS VEGAS (AP) — A jury in Las Vegas found an ex-convict guilty on Friday of conspiracy and murder for killing his girlfriend's husband, a U.S. Air Force service member and Iraq War veteran from Guam, in a bid to collect a $650,000 life insurance windfall.

Officials: More work emails from Clinton's private account Posted: 25 Sep 2015 04:07 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration has discovered a chain of emails that Hillary Rodham Clinton failed to turn over when she provided what she said was the full record of work-related correspondence as secretary of state, officials told The Associated Press Friday, adding to the growing questions related to the Democratic presidential front-runner's unusual usage of a private email account and server while in government.

Marine general sworn in as US military's top officer Posted: 25 Sep 2015 03:41 PM PDT Marine General Joseph Dunford became the US military's highest-ranking officer Friday, chosen by President Barack Obama as America's armed forces face an array of global crises and combat challenges. Dunford, 59, replaces General Martin Dempsey as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Dunford, who earned the nickname "Fighting Joe" as an infantry officer during the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, ascends to the top of the military food chain during a difficult time.

Son of US Army doctor gets 10 years on terrorism charge Posted: 25 Sep 2015 03:02 PM PDT AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A former top University of Texas student who pleaded guilty to charges of recruiting terrorists said Friday he was not anti-American and expressed remorse before a federal judge sentenced him to 10 years in prison.

The Latest: Serbia to lift embargo on Croatian goods Posted: 25 Sep 2015 02:48 PM PDT BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — The latest developments as European governments struggle to cope with the huge number of people moving across Europe. All times local:

New Joint Chiefs chairman facing war, service challenges Posted: 25 Sep 2015 02:43 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Gen. Martin Dempsey stepped down as the military's top officer Friday, after four tumultuous years of war, budget cuts and the strains of combat on a battle-worn force.

World has 'lost humanity' on Syria: Malala Posted: 25 Sep 2015 02:36 PM PDT The 18-year-old Pakistani, who was shot by the Taliban for defiantly going to school, said she was so upset by abuses of girls at the hands of extremists in Syria and Iraq that she has stopped watching the news. "We lost humanity on that day when... nowhere a child is welcomed," she told reporters at the United Nations. Malala appealed to world leaders to imagine their own children suffering the abuses meted out by the Islamic State movement, which has sexually enslaved girls from minority groups.

Rouhani, meeting editors, hopes for better US relations Posted: 25 Sep 2015 02:13 PM PDT UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is holding out the possibility for improved relations with the United States if the international nuclear deal that has caused controversy in both the U.S. and Iran gets fully implemented later this year.

Iraq says winning battle against Islamic State, wants more bombing Posted: 25 Sep 2015 11:30 AM PDT Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari said on Friday that he wanted the U.S.-led coalition to bomb more Islamic State targets in his country to help local forces on the ground, who were "winning" the fight against the radical group. The Iraqi army's failure to recapture the country's largest oil refinery from Islamic State after 15 months of fighting is calling into question the government's plans to retake the northern city of Mosul from the militants. Iraq's military has been trying to build momentum at the Baiji refinery and in Anbar province in the west before attempting to seize Mosul, the biggest prize in the war against the hardline Sunni group.

Croatia lifts blockade with Serbia, easing tensions Posted: 25 Sep 2015 11:28 AM PDT BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Southeastern Europe's squabbling leaders moved Friday to ease the border tensions that have escalated for more than a week since Hungary sought to slow the flood of asylum seekers through its territory.

U.S. urges Iraqi forces to move 'as quickly as possible' to retake Ramadi Posted: 25 Sep 2015 10:52 AM PDT The United States is encouraging Iraqi forces to move to retake the city of Ramadi from Islamic State militants "as quickly as possible" to deny them the chance to regroup, a U.S. military spokesman said on Friday. The militants seized Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province, in May, extending its control over the Euphrates valley west of Baghdad and handing the Iraqi army its worst defeat since June 2014 when Islamic State swept through northern Iraq. The military setback has renewed questions about the ability of Iraq's Shi'ite-led government in Baghdad to overcome the sectarian divide that has helped fuel the militants' expansion in Iraq's Sunni heartland.

The West Wing: Imagining 10 Stylish Moments from President Kanye West's First Year In Office Posted: 25 Sep 2015 10:06 AM PDT What if Kanye West was President? What a time to be alive that would be.

Pope throws weight behind Iran nuclear deal Posted: 25 Sep 2015 10:03 AM PDT Pope Francis on Friday threw his support behind Iran's accord with major powers as he backed a goal of global abolition of nuclear weapons. The Iran agreement "is proof of the potential of political goodwill, exercised with sincerity, patience and constancy," Francis said in an address to the United Nations. Francis made his remarks a day after a friendly welcome at the US Congress, where many Republican lawmakers have vehemently criticized President Barack Obama for negotiating with Iran, an enemy of the United States and Israel since its 1979 Islamic revolution.

Man who impersonated FBI agent sentenced to time served Posted: 25 Sep 2015 09:58 AM PDT BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A convicted con man and military veteran accused of impersonating an FBI agent in the North Dakota oil patch was sentenced Friday to the time he's already spent in prison, during a hearing where he spoke about suffering post-traumatic stress disorder.

Islamic State frees Kurdish photographer in prisoner swap: press watchdog Posted: 25 Sep 2015 07:29 AM PDT Islamic State militants have freed a Kurdish photographer they kidnapped last year in northeastern Syria as part of a prisoner swap with a Kurdish militia, the press freedom watchdog Reporters Without Borders said on Friday. The jihadists, who control large areas of Iraq and Syria, are still holding a Kurdish reporter they kidnapped at the same time, RSF said in a statement. Massoud Aqeel was released on Sep. 21 under a deal between Islamic State and the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), which have seized wide areas of territory from Islamic State this year.

For thousands fleeing war, transit through Greece continues unabated Posted: 25 Sep 2015 07:25 AM PDT By Karolina Tagaris PIRAEUS, Greece (Reuters) - They cheered, waved and flashed the victory sign when their boat, packed with thousands of mainly Afghan, Syrian and Iraqi refugees, docked at Greece's main port of Piraeus on Friday. As the stream of arrivals from Turkey across to Greece's islands continued unabated, nearly 4,000 people were ferried from the eastern islands of Lesbos and Chios to the mainland on Friday morning on two government-chartered ships. "(It will continue) as long as the war continues," Greece's new migration minister, Yannis Mouzalas, said after being sworn in on Friday.

Google's Arabic-German translations surge amid migrant influx Posted: 25 Sep 2015 06:18 AM PDT As Middle Eastern migrants flocked to Germany, Google said Friday demand for its Arabic-German translation service had surged five-fold, urging native speakers to help improve the service. "Communication between refugees and aid workers is currently a major challenge," said Google Germany in a statement. "Many manage with the help of Google Translate, which is why we have seen a five-fold increase of translations from Arabic within Germany this year.

As Europe embraces Syrians, a cooler reception for other refugees Posted: 25 Sep 2015 05:50 AM PDT Aboard the smuggling boat that Sudanese asylum seeker Napil Mahmod took from Libya in 2014 across the Mediterranean, all those who paid for passage were treated the same: the other Sudanese, Chadians, and Somalians, as well as Syrians, Eritreans, and Iraqis. While Syrians fleeing conflict today have gotten public housing and French classes, he ended up in a tent camp in northern Paris, and only has shelter over his head now because he joined a group of asylum seekers in Paris who occupied an abandoned school building here in July. According to Eurostat, Syrians represented the largest number of first-time asylum seekers in the second quarter of 2015.

U.N. sees refugee flow to Europe growing, plans for big Iraq displacement Posted: 25 Sep 2015 05:48 AM PDT By Tom Miles GENEVA (Reuters) - The United Nations said on Friday it could see no easing of the flow of refugees into Europe, with 8,000 arrivals daily, and that problems now facing governments may turn out to be only "the tip of the iceberg". Hungary, which lies in the path of the largest migration wave Europe has seen since World War Two, said it was seeking support to halt an influx from Croatia after sealing its border with Serbia by building a 3.5-metre-high steel fence. Amin Awad, regional refugee coordinator for the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR, told journalists in Geneva the body's past warnings on the scale of the problem had not been taken seriously.

Iraq's top Shi'ite cleric says snubbing reforms will revive protests Posted: 25 Sep 2015 05:19 AM PDT Iraq's most influential Shi'ite Muslim cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, reaffirmed on Friday the need for economic and administrative reforms and warned delays would spark a stronger reaction from the streets. Following large demonstrations and previous calls from Sistani for bold action, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced measures last month aimed at combating the graft and mismanagement that have denied Iraqis basic services and undermined government forces battling Islamic State militants. "Let those who stand in the way of reform and wager that demands for reform will dwindle know that reform is an absolute necessity," said Sistani through his aide Sheikh Abdulmehdi al-Karbalai.

U.S. leads 22 more air strikes against Islamic State in Iraq, Syria Posted: 25 Sep 2015 04:41 AM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and its coalition partners targeted Islamic State with 22 fresh airstrikes in Iraq and Syria on Thursday, the U.S. military said in a statement. Twenty-one of the strikes targeted the militant group in Iraq, including four strikes near Mosul and five near Ramadi that struck various units of Islamic State fighters, weapons caches, fighting positions and other targets, the statement released on Friday said. One strike in Syria hit an Islamic State crude oil collection point near Dayr Az Zawr, it said. (Reporting by Washington Newsroom)

Finnish demonstrators attack refugees with stones and fireworks Posted: 25 Sep 2015 04:03 AM PDT Demonstrators threw stones and launched fireworks at a bus full of asylum seekers arriving at a reception center in Lahti in southern Finland, late on Thursday, Finnish media reported on Friday. Between 30 and 40 demonstrators, one in a white robe like those worn by the white supremacist Ku Klux Klan in the United States, waved the Finnish flag and shouted abuse at the bus. Some demonstrators also hurled stones and let off fireworks at the vehicle carrying 40 asylum seekers, including several young children, Finnish television YLE said.

Russia could join anti-IS coalition if conditions met: report Posted: 25 Sep 2015 03:58 AM PDT MOSCOW (Reuters) - Moscow could "theoretically" join the U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State in Syria and Iraq if its conditions are met, Interfax news agency quoted Ilya Rogachev, a director at the Russian foreign ministry, as saying on Friday. Moscow wants its long-time ally Damascus to be included in the international efforts to combat IS and says any international military operation in Syria should have a United Nations mandate. (Reporting by Lidia Kelly, Writing by Gabriela Baczynska)

Two Turkish soldiers, 34 Kurdish militants killed: security sources Posted: 25 Sep 2015 03:12 AM PDT Two Turkish soldiers and 34 Kurdish insurgents have been killed in a militant attack and Turkish military operations backed by air strikes, Turkish security sources said on Friday. Southeastern Turkey has been trapped in a spiral of violence since the collapse in July of a ceasefire with the PKK, leaving efforts to find a long-term peace in tatters. Overnight on Thursday Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) fighters opened fire on troops in Sirnak province, close to Turkey's Iraq border, killing 2 soldiers.

Two soldiers, 34 Kurdish rebels killed in Turkey clashes: army Posted: 25 Sep 2015 03:08 AM PDT Two Turkish soldiers and 34 Kurdish rebels have been killed in fighting in the southeast, where scores of people have died since the July breakdown of a ceasefire, the army said Friday. The soldiers were killed in two separate attacks by the militant Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) near Beytussebap district in Sirnak province on Thursday, the army's high command said in a statement. The military responded with airstrikes on the PKK's positions, in which "34 terrorists" were killed, the statement added.

Gunmen attack Saudi police checkpoints, killing 3 Posted: 25 Sep 2015 02:44 AM PDT RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Authorities in Saudi Arabia say gunmen have opened fire at two police checkpoints in a northern province, killing at least three people.

Labour gears up for watershed conference Posted: 25 Sep 2015 02:12 AM PDT Britain's opposition Labour Party will on Sunday begin its most fractious annual conference in a generation following the recent landslide election of leftwing radical Jeremy Corbyn as its leader. Elected by Labour supporters on an anti-austerity platform, the long-time opponent of former Labour prime minister Tony Blair will take centre stage at the four-day conference in Brighton.

Rwandan rebels' verdict due in 'breakthrough' German trial Posted: 25 Sep 2015 02:11 AM PDT A German court will rule Monday on a long-running case against two Rwandan Hutu leaders accused of masterminding from their homes in Germany massacres in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The trial, hailed as a breakthrough by the United Nations, opened more than four years ago, with Ignace Murwanashyaka, head of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) and his deputy Straton Musoni charged over a litany of war crimes. The two Rwandans, who have lived in Germany for more than 20 years, were accused of "the full range of atrocities that one can imagine in a civil war", said federal prosecutor Christian Ritscher.

Militias a vital prop for Syria's beleaguered army Posted: 25 Sep 2015 12:08 AM PDT More than 150,000 trained and equipped fighters in pro-government militias have become an indispensable brace for a Syrian army beleaguered by well over four years of intractable conflict. "There are more than 25 main militias of different sizes that fight alongside the Syrian army" and number between 150,000 and 200,000 men, a security source told AFP. The most prominent is the National Defence Forces (NDF), established in 2012 after the army suffered a string of defeats in the provinces of Damascus, Homs and Aleppo.

U.S., allies review Afghan pullback options: WSJ Posted: 24 Sep 2015 05:57 PM PDT U.S. and allied defense officials, increasingly wary of White House plans to scale back the U.S. presence in Afghanistan, are reviewing new drawdown options that include keeping thousands of American troops in the country beyond the end of 2016, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday. Citing U.S. and allied officials, the Journal said U.S. Army General John Campbell, the top international commander in Afghanistan, had sent five different recommendations to the Pentagon and to North Atlantic Treaty Organization officials.

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