Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• US sends search-and-rescue aircraft, crew to Turkey
• UN leaders agree on how to defeat ISIS. Doing it is the hard part
• Taliban topples Kunduz: what that means for Afghanistan's security
• Congress: US fails to stop most people trying to join ISIS
• Hungary asks UN for global quotas on migrants
• McDonnell calls for 'free vote' on bombing Syria
• New US sanctions illustrate sprawling Islamic State network
• 30 killed in coalition strikes on IS camp in Syria on Sunday: monitor
• Senior British opposition lawmaker calls for "free vote" on bombing Syria
• Powers struggle to agree on Syria; Russia urged to strike Islamic State
• In year of diplomatic triumphs, Obama still dogged by Syria
• Two Turkish soldiers killed in PKK bomb attack: army
• Obama says Assad must go, pushes campaign against IS
• At U.N., Hungary defends blocking migrants, says fences not 'for fun'
• Japan commits $1.5bn for Middle East refugees, peace
• Pentagon seeks dialogue with Russia in Syria build-up
• Russia to propose draft UN Security Council resolution on 'battling terrorism'
• Judge considers medicating mentally ill man in terror case
• The Latest: NATO chief urges positive Russian role in Syria
• Taliban Takeover of Afghan Town Raises Questions About US Pullout
• Japan boosts support for war refugees from Syria, Iraq
• US lawmakers want terror victims paid from Iran's assets
• France calls on Russia to make 'real strike' against Islamic State
• Turkey's Erdogan says over 30 Kurdish militants killed in cross border raids on Friday
• Here Is Biden’s Big Advantage over Clinton
• Obama says fight against Islamic State group will take time
• U.S. sanctions Islamic State supporters, targets finances
• US lacks strategy to stop Americans joining jihadists: report
• In Yemen, Islamic State is struggling to claim mantle of Sunnis' champion
• Even in the U.S., Putin Is Crowned Winner in U.N. Showdown
• US widens sanctions on IS; 3 French, 4 British on list
• Trump backs Russia, Iran efforts to fight Islamic State
• UK's new Labour leader fires up faithful in 1st speech
• Mercy Corps: Understanding the Drivers of Violence
• Labour's Corbyn calls for 'end to injustice' in Britain
• Study finds increase in foreign fighters heading for Syria, Iraq
• Envoys in Bangladesh limit movements after Islamic State claims attack
• Turkey's Erdogan vows no let-up in fight against PKK
• The Latest: Croatian PM criticizes Hungary for fence plan
• 'Disaster' in Kunduz: the resurgence of the Taliban

US sends search-and-rescue aircraft, crew to Turkey Posted: 29 Sep 2015 04:24 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. aircraft and about 300 Air Force troops have begun arriving at a military base in Turkey to provide search and rescue capabilities for the fighting in Iraq and Syria.

UN leaders agree on how to defeat ISIS. Doing it is the hard part Posted: 29 Sep 2015 03:36 PM PDT President Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin dueled at the United Nations this week over how best to defeat the Islamic State. Obama's argument that "Ideology is not defeated with guns [but] … with better ideas" appeared to ring true with the leaders at the summit, as they presented their own visions of how to reverse a global rise in extremist ideology. Take our Foreign Service Exam.

Taliban topples Kunduz: what that means for Afghanistan's security Posted: 29 Sep 2015 03:16 PM PDT The Taliban's successful campaign to seize control of a major city in the far north of Afghanistan is a strong symbol of the shortcomings of the country's security forces. United States-trained Afghan troops are now engaged in a closely-watched urban battle to try to retake Kunduz, the nation's sixth-largest city and capital of Kunduz Province. After trying to topple the city on a number of occasions, the Taliban succeeded Monday.

Congress: US fails to stop most people trying to join ISIS Posted: 29 Sep 2015 02:50 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. government has largely failed to stop more than 250 Americans who have traveled overseas since 2011 to join or try to join terrorist groups, including the Islamic State group, a new congressional study concluded on Tuesday. It did not provide details on the several dozen who have sneaked back into the United States without being arrested or monitored.

Hungary asks UN for global quotas on migrants Posted: 29 Sep 2015 02:50 PM PDT Hungary called Tuesday for the United Nations to set global quotas on accepting migrants, saying it was unfair for Europe to take so many refugees fleeing Syria. Hungary, whose hardline approach on migrants has been widely criticized by other governments and rights activists, said it would make the proposal formally on Wednesday at the United Nations.

McDonnell calls for 'free vote' on bombing Syria Posted: 29 Sep 2015 02:07 PM PDT The opposition lawmakers should be free to vote in favour of air strikes in Syria if they wish, senior Labour lawmaker John McDonnell said on Tuesday, signalling that the party may not block Prime Minister David Cameron on the issue. Cameron has said he sees a strong case for conducting British air strikes against Islamic State militants in Syria, but is keen to make sure he has enough support in parliament to gain approval. British bombing has so far only targeted Islamic State in neighbouring Iraq.

New US sanctions illustrate sprawling Islamic State network Posted: 29 Sep 2015 02:05 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. government announced sanctions Tuesday against 25 people and five groups connected to the Islamic State, disclosing intelligence that depicts a sprawling international organization with tentacles across Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

30 killed in coalition strikes on IS camp in Syria on Sunday: monitor Posted: 29 Sep 2015 02:02 PM PDT At least 30 people were killed and scores wounded in air strikes by the U.S.-led coalition on Sunday which destroyed an Islamic State training camp in eastern Syria, a monitoring group said on Tuesday. Rami Abdelrahman, head of the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said he believed the strikes were carried out by French jets. Members of the Islamic State youth wing, called the Cubs of the Caliphate, who are between 14 and 18 years old, were among those killed, the Observatory said without identifying its sources.

Senior British opposition lawmaker calls for "free vote" on bombing Syria Posted: 29 Sep 2015 02:00 PM PDT British opposition lawmakers should be free to vote in favor of air strikes in Syria if they wish, senior Labour lawmaker John McDonnell said on Tuesday, signaling that the party may not block Prime Minister David Cameron on the issue. Cameron has said he sees a strong case for conducting British air strikes against Islamic State militants in Syria, but is keen to make sure he has enough support in parliament to gain approval.

Powers struggle to agree on Syria; Russia urged to strike Islamic State Posted: 29 Sep 2015 01:39 PM PDT By John Irish and Denis Dyomkin UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - France challenged Russia to back its words with deeds over fighting Islamic State militants in Syria as major powers on Tuesday struggled to resolve differences between Moscow and the West over ending the civil war in the Middle Eastern country. After Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has sent warplanes and tanks to support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, called for a new anti-Islamic State coalition, diplomats pursued new ways to build a solid front against the militants. Ideas suggested on the sidelines of the annual United Nations General Assembly in New York included using the model of a small group of world powers that succeeded in negotiating the July 14 Iran nuclear deal, and breathing new life into a virtually moribund broader U.N. peace mechanism.

In year of diplomatic triumphs, Obama still dogged by Syria Posted: 29 Sep 2015 01:35 PM PDT NEW YORK (AP) — In a year of diplomatic breakthroughs, President Barack Obama can't escape the shadow of Syria's intractable crisis.

Two Turkish soldiers killed in PKK bomb attack: army Posted: 29 Sep 2015 01:21 PM PDT Two soldiers were killed in southeast Turkey on Tuesday in an attack on their vehicle blamed on Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) rebels, the army said. The soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb planted in the Semdinli district of Hakkari province, the army said in a statement. Separately on Tuesday, a bomb laid by PKK militants on a road in southeast Batman province went off as a police vehicle passed over it, killing a policeman and wounding eight others, state-run Anatolia news agency said.

Obama says Assad must go, pushes campaign against IS Posted: 29 Sep 2015 01:13 PM PDT US President Barack Obama said Tuesday that Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad must go if the Islamic State group is to be defeated, as he rallied world leaders to revitalize the coalition campaign against the jihadists. A day after clashing with Russian President Vladimir Putin over how to handle the crisis in Syria, Obama hosted a counter-terrorism summit at the United Nations to take stock of the one-year air war against IS fighters in Iraq and Syria.

At U.N., Hungary defends blocking migrants, says fences not 'for fun' Posted: 29 Sep 2015 01:03 PM PDT By John Irish UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Hungary's foreign minister on Tuesday rejected criticism of his country's handling of migrants fleeing to Europe from war zones and said the decision to build fences on its borders was not done "for fun," but to protect the European Union. Thousands of refugees cross the border daily to Hungary, a landlocked country of 10 million and an eastern outpost of Europe's passport-free Schengen zone, and hope to travel on to Germany or northern Europe. "This is not a refugee crisis or a migrant crisis, it's a mass popular movement with an unlimited supply of people," Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto told reporters at the United Nations on the sidelines of the annual gathering of world leaders.

Japan commits $1.5bn for Middle East refugees, peace Posted: 29 Sep 2015 12:55 PM PDT Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe committed $1.5 billion Tuesday to help refugees from Syria and Iraq, and to support peace building efforts in the wider Middle East to stem the crisis. The package includes $810 million to assist refugees from, and people displaced within Syria and Iraq -- triple the amount Japan provided last year -- and $750 million for peace building in the Middle East and Africa.

Pentagon seeks dialogue with Russia in Syria build-up Posted: 29 Sep 2015 12:55 PM PDT Defense Secretary Ashton Carter on Tuesday told the Pentagon to communicate with Russia about coalition activity in Syria, in a bid to avoid accidents as Moscow builds a military presence in the war-torn country. The Pentagon says Russia has in recent weeks sent bombers, fighter jets, at least 500 troops and a slew of other military hardware to the Latakia region in northwestern Syria. Defense officials have stressed the need for "deconfliction" of coalition and Russian forces, meaning communicating about whose aircraft are where to reduce the risk of accidents.

Russia to propose draft UN Security Council resolution on 'battling terrorism' Posted: 29 Sep 2015 12:35 PM PDT Russia on Wednesday will propose a United Nations Security Council resolution on fighting "terrorism", deputy foreign minister Mikhail Bogdanov was quoted as saying by RIA Novosti news agency. Russian President Vladimir Putin at his speech to the UN General Assembly on Monday urged its members to unite to fight IS and proposed a Security Council resolution on a coalition to include Assad and Iran.

Judge considers medicating mentally ill man in terror case Posted: 29 Sep 2015 12:33 PM PDT RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A shackled man who shouted incoherently for several minutes before being carried from the courtroom by federal marshals Tuesday might be forcibly medicated so he can go on trial for trying to join al-Qaida-linked fighters in Syria, depending on how a federal judge rules.

The Latest: NATO chief urges positive Russian role in Syria Posted: 29 Sep 2015 12:13 PM PDT UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The latest developments from the annual U.N. gathering of world leaders at which they're tackling major crises like the refugee issue and crises in Syria, Yemen and elsewhere:

Taliban Takeover of Afghan Town Raises Questions About US Pullout Posted: 29 Sep 2015 11:45 AM PDT The takeover of the Afghan city of Kunduz by Taliban forces was a major setback for Afghanistan's defense forces, marking the first time that the Taliban was able to take a major city since it was overthrown in 2001. The initial pullback by Afghan troops in Kunduz also highlights the potential risks involved with the scheduled pullout of all American and NATO training troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2016. Col. Brian Tribus, a spokesman for U.S. Forces in Afghanistan, noted that the airstrikes launched Tuesday, a day after the Taliban take over, was in keeping with the Resolute Support mission.

Japan boosts support for war refugees from Syria, Iraq Posted: 29 Sep 2015 11:45 AM PDT Japan's prime minister said on Tuesday that his country would provide $1.56 billion to assist Syrians and Iraqis displaced by conflict and for building peace across the Middle East and Africa. Shinzo Abe told the United Nations General Assembly that Japan would boost its assistance for refugees and internally displaced people from Syria and Iraq this year to about $810 million, three times the amount provided last year. In addition to that aid, Japan will spend $2 million in new assistance measures to Lebanon and $2.5 million in humanitarian assistance for countries adjacent to the European Union dealing with an influx of migrants, including Serbia and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

US lawmakers want terror victims paid from Iran's assets Posted: 29 Sep 2015 11:26 AM PDT US Republicans said Tuesday they were introducing legislation that would use frozen Iranian assets to pay American victims of Iranian terrorism before billions of dollars are returned to Tehran as part of the nuclear deal. Congressional Republicans are furious over President Barack Obama's landmark accord with world powers that aims to rein in Iran's nuclear program, in exchange for an easing of sanctions that have crippled the Islamic republic's economy. The bill will be introduced this week, according to its sponsor, House Republican Pat Meehan.

France calls on Russia to make 'real strike' against Islamic State Posted: 29 Sep 2015 11:11 AM PDT By John Irish NEW YORK (Reuters) - France's foreign minister took a swipe at Russia on Tuesday saying that Moscow has talked a lot about striking Islamic State, but if it wanted to prove its real intentions in Syria then it should stop "media strikes" and carry out real ones. "The international community has hit Daesh (Islamic State). France has hit Daesh, Bashar al-Assad very little, and the Russians not at all.

Turkey's Erdogan says over 30 Kurdish militants killed in cross border raids on Friday Posted: 29 Sep 2015 10:50 AM PDT By Tulay Karadeniz ANKARA (Reuters) - President Tayyip Erdogan said the Turkish military had killed more than 30 Kurdish militants on Friday in a cross-border operation he described as part of the rebels' "last struggle". "More than 30 terrorists have been killed," Erdogan said, adding that security forces were continuing with operations inside and outside of the country. "These will continue for now but you should know that this is their last struggle." On Tuesday afternoon two armed servicemen were killed and three injured by an improvised explosive device in the southeastern province of Hakkari, the military said in a statement blaming the PKK.

Here Is Biden’s Big Advantage over Clinton Posted: 29 Sep 2015 10:48 AM PDT With the first Democratic presidential campaign slated for Oct. 13 , Vice President Joseph Biden has just about run out of time before deciding whether to enter the race at the last minute and challenge Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders for the 2016 nomination. While there are plenty of advisers and supporters waiting in the wings for a positive signal from Biden, he doesn't minimize the challenge of raising big money and organizing a sophisticated national campaign organization to take on Clinton's gold-plated campaign organization.

Obama says fight against Islamic State group will take time Posted: 29 Sep 2015 10:42 AM PDT UNITED NATIONS (AP) — President Barack Obama on Tuesday pledged all possible tools — military, intelligence and economic — to defeat the Islamic State group, but acknowledged the extremist group has taken root in Syria and Iraq, is resilient and continues to expand.

U.S. sanctions Islamic State supporters, targets finances Posted: 29 Sep 2015 10:34 AM PDT By David Alexander WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States tightened financial pressure on Islamic State on Tuesday, slapping sanctions on more than 30 leaders, supporters and affiliates around the world to squeeze the militant group Washington is having trouble defeating. The Treasury Department designated 15 people as Islamic State supporters for providing technical, logistic or financial backing, working as political leaders or recruiting foreign fighters. The designations allow the government to freeze their assets and bars U.S. citizens from dealing with them.

US lacks strategy to stop Americans joining jihadists: report Posted: 29 Sep 2015 10:27 AM PDT Nearly 30,000 foreigners -- including at least 4,500 Westerners -- have traveled to Iraq and Syria to fight with jihadists since 2011 and the United States is failing to stop Americans from joining them, a report warned Tuesday. "The US government lacks a national strategy for combating terrorist travel and has not produced one in nearly a decade," states the report, which was compiled by a task force for the US House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee. "The unprecedented speed at which Americans are being radicalized by violent extremists is straining federal law enforcement's ability to monitor and intercept suspects," the report said.

In Yemen, Islamic State is struggling to claim mantle of Sunnis' champion Posted: 29 Sep 2015 10:19 AM PDT As the so-called Islamic State attempts to gain attention and support in Yemen with deadly sectarian attacks, it faces a series of obstacles that could prevent it from replicating its success in Iraq and Syria. After directing a series of bombings, IS recorded its boldest attack last Thursday: Suicide bombers struck a Shiite mosque in Sanaa, the capital, during Eid prayers, one of the largest gatherings of prayer-goers on the Islamic calendar. The attack, which claimed 30 lives, was not IS's largest in Yemen.

Even in the U.S., Putin Is Crowned Winner in U.N. Showdown Posted: 29 Sep 2015 09:58 AM PDT "Vladimir Putin Steals Barack Obama's Thunder on the World Stage," read one headline. "At the U.N., Putin Checkmates Obama on Ukraine, Syria, ISIS," went one more. Now, Putin can presumably order up whatever headline he wants from TASS, Sputnik or Russia Today – all of which are government-controlled and have English-language versions meant to spread the Kremlin's message abroad.

US widens sanctions on IS; 3 French, 4 British on list Posted: 29 Sep 2015 09:32 AM PDT The United States took aim at the Islamic State jihadist group Tuesday with 35 terror and sanctions designations targeting new IS affiliates, including three French nationals and four Britons. The announcement came as dozens of international leaders gathered for a summit focusing on the IS threat on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York. "The fight against ISIL is a global fight, and that makes not only US actions important, but UN actions and actions by countries around the world in order to really be able to disrupt the network for ISIL," said a senior official in the administration of President Barack Obama, using the US designation for the Islamic State group.

Trump backs Russia, Iran efforts to fight Islamic State Posted: 29 Sep 2015 09:12 AM PDT Leading Republican U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump on Tuesday said he supported Russian efforts to fight Islamic State militants in the Middle East, including Syria. Asked whether he backed those like Russia who supported Syrian President Bashar al Assad or those who see him as the source of Syria's current crisis, Trump told NBC's "Today" program: "I side with the group that says 'if Russia wants to go and fight ISIS, you should let them', as opposed to saying 'we're jealous, we don't want you to do that'." Trump, who is leading public opinion polls among those seeking the Republican Party's bid to win the White House in the 2016 election, said the United States should support those who want to destroy the militant group that has taken over swaths of Syria as well as neighboring Iraq.

UK's new Labour leader fires up faithful in 1st speech Posted: 29 Sep 2015 08:48 AM PDT He smiled, he poked fun at himself, he wore a tie and even told a few jokes. Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn used his first conference speech — a nationally televised event Tuesday — to try to soften ...

Mercy Corps: Understanding the Drivers of Violence Posted: 29 Sep 2015 08:34 AM PDT WASHINGTON, Sept. 29, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Relatively large numbers of Jordanians have been drawn to violent causes in Syria and Iraq, with some estimating the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan contributes more fighters per capita to ISIS and Al-Qaeda than any other country. Understanding the reasons why Jordanians are choosing to fight for violent extremist groups could go a long way toward helping to prevent future recruitment. A new research brief by the global organization Mercy Corps finds some rather surprising justifications behind the movement.

Labour's Corbyn calls for 'end to injustice' in Britain Posted: 29 Sep 2015 08:31 AM PDT In his first speech as leader at the party's annual conference in Brighton, Corbyn said he wanted "a kinder politics, a more caring society". "Under my leadership, Labour will be challenging austerity. It will be unapologetic about reforming our economy to challenge inequality and protect workers better," Corbyn told cheering delegates.

Study finds increase in foreign fighters heading for Syria, Iraq Posted: 29 Sep 2015 08:05 AM PDT By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Nearly 30,000 people, including more than 250 Americans, have left their countries to join militant Islamists fighting in Syria and Iraq, many with the Islamic State, according to a congressional study of the issue released on Tuesday. Thirty thousand doubles the total estimated number of such fighters a year ago, when authorities also said about 100 Americans had joined, or tried to join the fighting in Syria and Iraq.

Envoys in Bangladesh limit movements after Islamic State claims attack Posted: 29 Sep 2015 07:42 AM PDT By Ruma Paul DHAKA (Reuters) - Western embassies in Bangladesh have restricted their diplomats' movements amid concern more foreigners would be targeted after an Italian was shot dead in the first attack in the country claimed by Islamic State. Police in the Bangladeshi capital arrested two suspected recruiters for Islamic State this year. Attacks on foreigners are rare in Bangladesh, despite a rising tide of Islamist violence over the past year that has seen four online critics of religious militancy hacked to death, among them a U.S. citizen of Bangladesh origin.

Turkey's Erdogan vows no let-up in fight against PKK Posted: 29 Sep 2015 06:55 AM PDT Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed Tuesday there would be no let-up in operations against Kurdish rebel strongholds, after a cross-border raid this week killed more than 30 militants. Erdogan said the military killed more than 30 Kurdish fighters in a cross-border raid overnight in northern Iraq where outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants are holed up, but the presidency later said in a statement he was referring to an operation on September 25.

The Latest: Croatian PM criticizes Hungary for fence plan Posted: 29 Sep 2015 06:33 AM PDT PARIS (AP) — The latest developments as European governments struggle to cope with tens of thousands of people trekking across Europe to find safety. All times local:

'Disaster' in Kunduz: the resurgence of the Taliban Posted: 29 Sep 2015 06:19 AM PDT The Taliban's lightning seizure of Kunduz is an unnerving victory for a group which many had believed was fraying and a disaster in symbolic terms for Afghanistan and its Western allies, analysts warn. By Tuesday Afghan troops backed by US air support had launched a counter-offensive. "It is a disaster for the Ghani government," Pakistani militancy expert and author Ahmed Rashid told AFP, describing Kabul as "totally disorganised".

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