Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• Russia defends its military action in Syria
• Russia criticizes US for seeking ouster of Syria's Assad
• US urges Russians to focus airstrikes on Islamic State
• Iran troops to join Syria war, Russia bombs group trained by CIA
• Fight for Ramadi essentially on 'pause': US official
• Russia again strikes Assad's foes, amid US concerns
• A look at combatants in the air and on the ground in Syria
• Two days of Russian air strikes on Syria
• Bahrain recalls ambassador from Iran, expels Tehran envoy
• Russia is striking same targets in Syria as US: Lavrov
• Bahrain withdraws ambassador from Iran after bomb-factory find
• US complains to Russians on their airstrikes in Syria
• The Latest: Eastern Europeans to cooperate on border control
• What is Putin thinking? Russian endgame in Syria unclear
• Iraq would welcome Russian strikes against Islamic State: Abadi
• Letter Carriers Recognized as Heroes of the Year
• The Latest: Russia says not invited to strike in Iraq
• Trump: Syrian Refugees Could Be an ISIS Ploy, Should Be Sent Back
• Russian FM says his country has not been 'invited' to carry out anti-IS airstrikes in Iraq
• Russia has sent over 50 military aircraft to Syria: ministry
• UN expects 1.4 mn migrants in Europe over next two years
• US denounces Russian airstrikes in Syria. Will they prolong the war?
• Russia says would consider any Iraqi request for air strikes against Islamic State
• Putin Admits ISIS Is Not Russia’s Only Target in Syria
• Normal ties between Iran and U.S. unlikely despite nuclear deal
• U.S. led 21 air strikes in Iraq, one in Syria against Islamic State: statement
• UNHCR plans for 1.4 million Mediterranean refugees in 2015-6
• What draws women to ISIS
• Tunisian troops block car bombs crossing Libyan border
• Commander of Syrian Kurdish militia says war could last 10 years: monitor
• God, Guns and Ganja: Colorado Is the Future of American Politics
• Kyrgyzstan set to cling to Russia in face of security threats
• Israel charges 7 Arab citizens in suspected IS-linked plot
• Tunisia seizes arms, papers with Islamic State symbol near Libyan border
• Russia and US call urgent talks after Syria strikes
• Detroit museum opening revamped Ancient Middle East gallery
• The Latest: Central African Republic asks for more help
• Star Wars spinoff directors bringing Serial to cable TV

Russia defends its military action in Syria Posted: 01 Oct 2015 05:11 PM PDT MOSCOW (AP) — Russian jets carried out a second day of airstrikes in Syria Thursday, and Sen. John McCain said that the targets included U.S.-backed rebels, as concerns grew about a conflict that has now drawn in warplanes from the world's two most powerful militaries.

Russia criticizes US for seeking ouster of Syria's Assad Posted: 01 Oct 2015 05:01 PM PDT UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Russia's foreign minister criticized the United States and other countries trying to oust Syrian President Bashar Assad on Thursday, warning that U.S.-led campaigns that got rid of Iraq's Saddam Hussein and Libya's Moammar Gadhafi brought those countries turmoil, not peace.

US urges Russians to focus airstrikes on Islamic State Posted: 01 Oct 2015 04:52 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Pentagon officials urged the Russian military on Thursday to focus its airstrikes in Syria on Islamic State fighters rather than opponents of Syrian President Bashar Assad, U.S. administration officials said.

Iran troops to join Syria war, Russia bombs group trained by CIA Posted: 01 Oct 2015 04:04 PM PDT By Laila Bassam and Andrew Osborn BEIRUT/MOSCOW (Reuters) - Hundreds of Iranian troops have arrived in Syria to join a major ground offensive in support of President Bashar al-Assad's government, Lebanese sources said on Thursday, a sign the civil war is turning still more regional and global in scope. Russian warplanes, in a second day of strikes, bombed a camp run by rebels trained by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, the group's commander said, putting Moscow and Washington on opposing sides in a Middle East conflict for the first time since the Cold War. Senior U.S. and Russian officials spoke for just over an hour by secure video conference on Thursday, focusing on ways to keep air crews safe, the Pentagon said, as the two militaries carry out parallel campaigns with competing objectives.

Fight for Ramadi essentially on 'pause': US official Posted: 01 Oct 2015 03:45 PM PDT The fight to retake Ramadi from Islamic State jihadists has been on an "operational pause" and Iraqi troops weren't trained to deal with the group's battlefield techniques, a US official said Thursday. US military spokesman Colonel Steve Warren, speaking via video from Baghdad, told reporters that the effort had been delayed in part because of record summer temperatures but also because of the way IS fighters had defended the city, which they seized in mid-May. Iraq had planned to quickly retake Ramadi, but Warren acknowledged the fight had been tough.

Russia again strikes Assad's foes, amid US concerns Posted: 01 Oct 2015 03:29 PM PDT Russian jets unleashed a new wave of strikes against opponents of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Thursday, as Moscow and Washington discussed how to keep out of each other's way. It was the second day of Russian raids in Syria, and came on the eve of talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his French counterpart Francois Hollande in Paris. Russia's defence ministry said its air force struck five Islamic State group targets, although Western officials expressed concern that they are hitting opposition rebel fighters.

A look at combatants in the air and on the ground in Syria Posted: 01 Oct 2015 02:33 PM PDT BEIRUT (AP) — Russia is the latest country to enter Syria's complex conflict that killed 250,000 people and displaced half of the country's prewar population since March 2011. Here is a look at the combatants:

Two days of Russian air strikes on Syria Posted: 01 Oct 2015 01:32 PM PDT Beirut (AFP) - A snapshot of developments since the announcement of Russia's first air strikes on Syria, an intervention the West says is directed more at regime opponents than Islamic State jihadists.

Bahrain recalls ambassador from Iran, expels Tehran envoy Posted: 01 Oct 2015 12:16 PM PDT Bahrain recalled its ambassador from Iran on Thursday and ordered Tehran's envoy to leave within 72 hours, claiming interference in its affairs, the official BNA news agency reported. The Gulf kingdom of Bahrain, with a majority Shiite Muslim population ruled by a Sunni dynasty, has suffered from unrest since a pro-democracy uprising in 2011. Bahrain frequently accuses predominantly Shiite Iran of meddling in its affairs.

Russia is striking same targets in Syria as US: Lavrov Posted: 01 Oct 2015 12:06 PM PDT Russia is striking the same Islamic State and Al-Nusra front targets in Syria as the United States, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Thursday, after reports its jets hit moderate rebels. "We see eye to eye with the coalition on this one," Lavrov told a news conference at UN headquarters.

Bahrain withdraws ambassador from Iran after bomb-factory find Posted: 01 Oct 2015 11:45 AM PDT Bahrain said on Thursday it had recalled its ambassador to Iran, a day after it said security forces had discovered a large bomb-making factory and arrested a number of suspects linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guards. Bahrain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it had also declared the Iranian charge d'affaires in Bahrain a "persona non grata" and gave him 72 hours to leave the country. In a statement on its website, the ministry said the decision to recall its ambassador had come "in light of continued Iranian meddling in the affairs of the kingdom of Bahrain ... in order to create sectarian strife and to impose hegemony and control".

US complains to Russians on their airstrikes in Syria Posted: 01 Oct 2015 11:31 AM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. officials complained to the Russian military on Thursday that Russian airstrikes in Syria are targeting areas of the country where few, if any, Islamic State fighters are operating, a White House spokesman said.

The Latest: Eastern Europeans to cooperate on border control Posted: 01 Oct 2015 10:01 AM PDT ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) — The latest developments in the hundreds of thousands of refugees and other migrants passing through Europe on their way west. All times local.

What is Putin thinking? Russian endgame in Syria unclear Posted: 01 Oct 2015 10:00 AM PDT The picture in Syria right now is concerning. Russian airstrikes are expected to turn up the dial of Syria's civil conflict, intensifying the chaos that has uprooted millions and split the nation into warring cantons, while complicating Washington's efforts to find a political solution. The possibility of United States and Russian warplanes operating for different purposes in the same space is similarly unsettling.

Iraq would welcome Russian strikes against Islamic State: Abadi Posted: 01 Oct 2015 09:39 AM PDT Iraq's government would welcome Russian air strikes against Islamic State and was receiving information from both Syria and Russia on the militant group, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said on Thursday. The United States has led air strikes against Islamic State in Iraq for more than a year, but Baghdad has repeatedly bemoaned the lack of engagement and air support for Iraqi forces trying to regain territory against the group.

Letter Carriers Recognized as Heroes of the Year Posted: 01 Oct 2015 09:02 AM PDT WASHINGTON, Oct. 1, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Letter carriers who helped save a woman who had been shot, got residents out of burning homes or rescued the unconscious driver of a submerged car will be honored Oct. 8. In just his fourth week on the job, Carmichael, CA, letter carrier Scott Gallegos risked his life on the route to save a woman who had been shot by a man who then engaged police in a five-hour standoff. Gainesville, FL, letter carrier and former Marine Alan Symonette, who extracted a driver whose car had plunged into a pond and was filling with water, is the Eastern Region Hero.

The Latest: Russia says not invited to strike in Iraq Posted: 01 Oct 2015 09:01 AM PDT MOSCOW (AP) — The latest developments as Russia and other nations counter Islamic State militants in Syria. All times local:

Trump: Syrian Refugees Could Be an ISIS Ploy, Should Be Sent Back Posted: 01 Oct 2015 09:00 AM PDT Immigrants from Mexico aren't the only people who would be deported under a Donald Trump administration: migrants fleeing the violence in Iraq and Syria would get the boot, too. "I'm putting the people on notice that are coming here from Syria as part of this mass migration," Trump said Wednesday night during a campaign event in New Hampshire. Related: Kerry Wants to Accept More Syrian Refugees, but Will Congress Allow It?

Russian FM says his country has not been 'invited' to carry out anti-IS airstrikes in Iraq Posted: 01 Oct 2015 08:49 AM PDT UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Russian FM says his country has not been 'invited' to carry out anti-IS airstrikes in Iraq.

Russia has sent over 50 military aircraft to Syria: ministry Posted: 01 Oct 2015 08:28 AM PDT Russia has sent more than 50 military aircraft as well as marines, paratroopers and special forces into Syria, where it has launched air strikes against Islamic State militants, the defence ministry said on Thursday. "More than 50 warplanes and helicopters are part of the Russian airforce striking Islamic State targets in Syria," defence ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov told the Interfax news agency.

UN expects 1.4 mn migrants in Europe over next two years Posted: 01 Oct 2015 08:07 AM PDT The UN refugee agency said Thursday it expects 700,000 migrants and refugees to reach Europe via the Mediterranean this year and projected at least the same amount again in 2016. "UNHCR's response is now based on the assumption that up to 700,000 people will seek safety and international protection in Europe in 2015, and possibly even higher numbers in 2016," the agency said, issuing a revised funding appeal. UNHCR spokesman Adrian Edwards confirmed that the figures specifically referred to people expected to seek refuge by crossing the Mediterranean.

US denounces Russian airstrikes in Syria. Will they prolong the war? Posted: 01 Oct 2015 07:47 AM PDT Russia's first two days of military bombing strikes in Syria have sowed divisiveness as US and allied officials say Moscow appears to have hit targets unrelated to the Islamic State and may have hit antigovernment rebels. US officials insisted yesterday that uncoordinated US and Russian strikes inside Syria may prolong the war and make any peace settlement more difficult. Recommended: How much do you know about the Islamic State?

Russia says would consider any Iraqi request for air strikes against Islamic State Posted: 01 Oct 2015 07:30 AM PDT MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday it would consider any request from the Iraqi government to conduct air strikes against Islamic State inside Iraq, but said it had not yet received such an appeal, the RIA Novosti news agency reported. It cited the foreign ministry as saying it would evaluate the "political and military" logic of such a move if a request was forthcoming. (Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin; Editing by Andrew osborn)

Putin Admits ISIS Is Not Russia’s Only Target in Syria Posted: 01 Oct 2015 06:45 AM PDT After days of insisting that its military presence in Syria is dedicated to the destruction of the terror group ISIS, Russian officials on Thursday admitted that airstrikes by its warplanes, which began Wednesday and continued overnight into Thursday, are targeting more than just the so-called Islamic State. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday that Russia was coordinating with the regime of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad to identify targets as the Syrian Army struggles to maintain control of the parts of the country that have not been overrun by ISIS or occupied by rebel groups fighting Assad's forces. "Russia's air forces will be operating in Syria as long as the Syrian army pushes ahead with the offensive," Peskov said, according to the state-run TASS news service.

Normal ties between Iran and U.S. unlikely despite nuclear deal Posted: 01 Oct 2015 05:44 AM PDT By Parisa Hafezi and Lesley Wroughton UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Iran is unlikely to normalize relations with the United States despite a landmark nuclear deal reached with America and other major powers and the first handshake between a U.S. president and a high-ranking Iranian official in more than 30 years. Pragmatist President Hassan Rouhani, whose 2013 election paved the way for Iran's diplomatic thaw with the West, has signaled his willingness to improve ties with "the Great Satan" and to discuss the regional crisis with the United States.

U.S. led 21 air strikes in Iraq, one in Syria against Islamic State: statement Posted: 01 Oct 2015 05:14 AM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and its allies on Wednesday targeted Islamic State with one air strike in Syria and another 21 in Iraq, the Combined Joint Task Force leading the operation said. In a statement released on Thursday, the task force said one strike near Mar'a, Syria destroyed two excavators used by the militant group. In Iraq, the strikes hit targets near nine cities, including Ramadi, Kirkuk, Falluja and Baiji, it said. (Reporting by Washington Newsroom)

UNHCR plans for 1.4 million Mediterranean refugees in 2015-6 Posted: 01 Oct 2015 05:12 AM PDT The U.N. refugee agency expects at least 1.4 million refugees to flee to Europe across the Mediterranean this year and next, according to a document seen by Reuters on Thursday, a sharp rise from initial estimates of 850,000. "UNHCR is planning for up to 700,000 people seeking safety and international protection in Europe in 2015," reads the document, a revision to the agency's existing appeal for funds. "... It is possible that there could be even greater numbers of arrivals in 2016, however, planning is based for the moment on similar figures to 2015." UNHCR launched the appeal on Sept. 8 with preliminary plans for 400,000 refugee arrivals in 2015 and 450,000 in 2016.

What draws women to ISIS Posted: 01 Oct 2015 05:00 AM PDT The sophisticated campaign to draw new recruits to the Islamic State organization isn't just focusing on encouraging Muslim men to emigrate to war-torn Syria and Iraq. In increasing numbers, young Western women are leaving home for a life of adventure, religious devotion, and cloistered housework in the IS group's self-proclaimed caliphate. For 20-year-old Hoda Muthana of Birmingham, Ala., it was the opportunity to join a community of like-minded women and men helping to build what they believe is a pure Islamic utopia in the Middle East.

Tunisian troops block car bombs crossing Libyan border Posted: 01 Oct 2015 04:08 AM PDT By Tarek Amara TUNIS (Reuters) - Tunisian troops stopped two bomb-laden cars crossing from Libya and seized arms and documents bearing the symbol of Islamic State, as security tightened following two major attacks this year, the government said on Thursday. Last month, Tunisian authorities had warned of possible car bombings in Tunis and banned traffic in parts of the city after getting intelligence reports about potential attacks in the capital. Authorities said three suspect vehicles were tracked on Wednesday after crossing the border and troops opened fire to stop them.

Commander of Syrian Kurdish militia says war could last 10 years: monitor Posted: 01 Oct 2015 03:57 AM PDT The commander of the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia has said the involvement of big powers in Syria means its civil war could continue for 10 years. Sipan Hemo, whose group has ousted Islamic State from swathes of the northeast this year, was speaking to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights on Tuesday, the day before Russia launched its first air strikes inside Syria, the monitoring group said on Thursday. Russia had already alarmed Western powers with a military build-up to prop up its ally, President Bashar al-Assad, as the United States leads its own aerial campaign against the Islamist militants in Syria and Iraq, in some cases giving the YPG air support.

God, Guns and Ganja: Colorado Is the Future of American Politics Posted: 01 Oct 2015 03:26 AM PDT Colorado is home to gun-huggers and pot smokers, pro-lifers and atheists—but running for the middle ground.

Kyrgyzstan set to cling to Russia in face of security threats Posted: 01 Oct 2015 02:58 AM PDT By Olga Dzyubenko BISHKEK (Reuters) - Pro-Russian parties look set to retain their dominance when Kyrgyzstan elects a new parliament on Sunday, but the apparent stability masks ethnic tensions and rising Islamist radicalism in the former Soviet republic. The mostly Muslim country of six million people has swung closer to Moscow and further away from the West: under a deadline set by its parliament, the United States last year shut down an airbase in Kyrgzystan that had served U.S. operations in Afghanistan since 2001. Russia retains a military airbase in the Central Asian state, fearing an advance of militant Islam in the region.

Israel charges 7 Arab citizens in suspected IS-linked plot Posted: 01 Oct 2015 01:49 AM PDT JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel says it has indicted seven Arab citizens on suspicion of setting up an Islamic State cell in the country and planning to attack police and army bases.

Tunisia seizes arms, papers with Islamic State symbol near Libyan border Posted: 01 Oct 2015 01:42 AM PDT Tunisian troops seized arms and documents bearing the symbol of Islamic State from two cars near the Libyan border, as security tightened following two major attacks this year, officials said on Thursday. "Troops seized 10 Kalashnikovs, rocket-propelled grenades, explosives, Libyan telephones cards and documents" in Wednesday's incident, an official in Tunisia's Interior Ministry told Reuters. In March, Islamist gunmen killed 21 tourists in an attack at the Bardo Museum in Tunis, and 38 foreigners were killed in an assault on a Sousse beach hotel in June.

Russia and US call urgent talks after Syria strikes Posted: 30 Sep 2015 10:38 PM PDT United Nations (United States) (AFP) - Russia and United States agreed to call urgent military talks to head off the risk of clashes between their forces, after Moscow's dramatic entrance into the Syrian war.

Detroit museum opening revamped Ancient Middle East gallery Posted: 30 Sep 2015 09:48 PM PDT DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Institute of Arts is reopening its revamped Ancient Middle East gallery, which includes art from the ancient empires of Assyria, Babylonia Persia and others.

The Latest: Central African Republic asks for more help Posted: 30 Sep 2015 06:53 PM PDT UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The latest developments from the annual meeting of the United Nations General Assembly, where world leaders are grappling with a multitude of global crises, including the fight against terrorism — the Islamic State in particular — and easing the refugee crisis in the Middle East and North Africa (all times local):

Star Wars spinoff directors bringing Serial to cable TV Posted: 30 Sep 2015 06:00 PM PDT The men behind the upcoming Han Solo film have found inspiration for another project in the most unlikely of places: a podcast. Most notable for their work on The Lego Movie and Fox's The Last Man on Earth, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller have optioned the rights to Sarah Koenig and Julie Snyder's explosive podcast series, Serial. The podcast debuted in Oct. 2014 as a spinoff of NPR's popular series, This American Life, and was essentially a multi-part, in-depth investigation into the 1999 murder of 18-year-old Baltimore teen Hae Min Lee.

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