Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• Islamic State militants blow up ancient Arch of Triumph in Palmyra
• Pentagon chief arrives in Europe amid Syrian, Afghan crises
• Jordanian MP says son joined IS, carried out suicide attack
• Iraqi PM opens Baghdad's fortified 'Green Zone' to public
• Assad: Russian failure in Syria would 'destroy' Mideast
• Fourteen Kurdish militants dead in clashes: local governor
• Iraq PM opens Baghdad Green Zone to traffic
• Iraqi PM opens Green Zone to all citizens
• Pro-Russian Social Democrats win Kyrgyzstan elections
• Oregon school shooting: What's different this time?
• Cameron: Britain will get more drones to fight extremists
• Assad says Russian air campaign vital to save Middle East
• Trump wants to 'sit back,' watch Russia fall into Syria 'trap'
• Middle East would be more stable if Saddam, Gaddafi still in power: Trump
• Greek coast guard recovers body of migrant baby on Kos
• Erdogan: Turkey taught world a 'lesson in humanity'
• Cameron says Russian military action in Syria a 'terrible mistake'
• 10 jihadi recruitment suspects arrested in Spain, Morocco
• Assad says Syria and allies will win, failure would be devastating
• Correction: Syria-Russia-Combatants-Glance story
• Turkey launches new overnight air raids against PKK: army
• Assad says Russian failure in Syria would 'destroy' Mideast
• U.S. reports 16 air strikes against Islamic State in Syria and Iraq
• Assad forsees success for Russia, Iran, Iraq, Syria coalition
• Is Syria's long war wearing down key Assad backer Hezbollah?
• Tip of the iceberg: No end in sight to migrant wave
• Ten suspected IS recruiters arrested in Spain, Morocco
• Spain, Morocco arrest suspected Islamic State recruiters
• Merkel says military efforts needed in Syria but will not end war
• The Great Game Comes to Syria
• EU tries to woo Erdogan in historic visit but division remains
• Mosque raided after Australia 'terrorism-linked' shooting
• In Australia, seeds of Islamic radicalism sown early
• MSF: medical giant of the humanitarian world
• Gunman in Oregon college massacre committed suicide
• Online fundraising for Oregon shooting hero nears $700,000

Islamic State militants blow up ancient Arch of Triumph in Palmyra Posted: 04 Oct 2015 04:12 PM PDT By Kinda Makieh DAMASCUS (Reuters) - Islamic State militants have blown up the Arch of Triumph, a major monument in the 2,000-year-old Roman city of Palmyra, Syria's antiquities chief said on Sunday, after they destroyed two ancient temples at the central Syrian site in recent months. Maamoun Abdulkarim told Reuters that sources in Palmyra had confirmed that the Arch of Triumph, a jewel in the exquisite collection of ruins in the oasis city, had been blown up. Islamic State militants have blown up temples at the Roman-era UNESCO World Heritage site, which it has controlled since capturing Palmyra from Syrian government forces in May and mined other monuments and historic buildings.

Pentagon chief arrives in Europe amid Syrian, Afghan crises Posted: 04 Oct 2015 03:35 PM PDT US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter arrived in Madrid on Sunday, beginning a European tour amid alarm over Russian bombardments in Syria and the refugee crisis sparked by the conflict. The five-day trip to Spain, Italy, Britain and a NATO ministerial summit in Brussels is intended to recognise the work of ally nations as they scramble to tackle the refugee crisis as well as respond to Russian aggression in eastern Ukraine. The tour comes at a fraught time for Carter, who started in the Pentagon's top job in February and who faces pressure at home over Syria and a simmering scandal involving military officials allegedly cherry-picking intelligence.

Jordanian MP says son joined IS, carried out suicide attack Posted: 04 Oct 2015 02:36 PM PDT AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — A Jordanian parliament member said he learned from Islamic State-linked media that his son carried out a suicide attack in Iraq, three months after dropping out of medical school and joining the extremist group.

Iraqi PM opens Baghdad's fortified 'Green Zone' to public Posted: 04 Oct 2015 01:33 PM PDT Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared the heavily fortified Green Zone in central Baghdad open to all citizens on Sunday, part of a reform drive prompted by protests demanding greater transparency and openness. The 10-square-kilometre (four-square-mile) Green Zone on the bank of the Tigris River has been largely off limits to ordinary Iraqis due to security concerns since the 2003 U.S. invasion that ousted Saddam Hussein. "Opening the Green Zone is one of the procedures we promised our people.

Assad: Russian failure in Syria would 'destroy' Mideast Posted: 04 Oct 2015 12:47 PM PDT Syrian President Bashar al-Assad warned the success of Russia's military intervention in his war-torn country was vital for the entire Middle East, as Moscow ramped up its bombing campaign Sunday. Russian raids against what Moscow says are Islamic State group targets took place for a fifth day despite accusations in the West that the strikes are mainly targeting moderate opponents of the regime. "The alliance between Russia, Syria, Iraq and Iran must succeed or else the whole region will be destroyed," Assad said in an interview broadcast by Iranian state television.

Fourteen Kurdish militants dead in clashes: local governor Posted: 04 Oct 2015 12:46 PM PDT Fourteen members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) were killed and three were caught in clashes in Nusaybin in Mardin province as the border town remained under curfew, a statement from Mardin's governor office said on Sunday. Turkish forces carried out air strikes on PKK targets in Hakkari province on the border with Syria, the northeastern province of Kars and in northern Iraq, the Anadolu Agency said, citing security sources. Turkey's crackdown on the PKK began in July after a two-and-a-half year ceasefire collapsed and has escalated ahead of a national election on Nov. 1.

Iraq PM opens Baghdad Green Zone to traffic Posted: 04 Oct 2015 12:37 PM PDT Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Sunday announced that Baghdad's "Green Zone" was open to the public for the first time in 12 years, albeit with many remaining restrictions. The roughly 10-square-kilometre (four square miles) heavily fortified area in the heart of Baghdad is home to the country's top political institutions and embassies. "The prime minister opened the Green Zone to public passage and people in their vehicles came in droves," a statement from Abadi's office said.

Iraqi PM opens Green Zone to all citizens Posted: 04 Oct 2015 11:52 AM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq's Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi declared the heavily fortified Green Zone in central Baghdad open to all of his citizens for the first time in 12 years Sunday amid efforts to cut spending and appease citizens who have been protesting for basic public services.

Pro-Russian Social Democrats win Kyrgyzstan elections Posted: 04 Oct 2015 11:38 AM PDT The Social Democratic Party of Kyrgyzstan, linked to pro-Moscow President Almazbek Atambayev, came out on top at Sunday's parliamentary election in the ex-Soviet state, with five other pro-Russian parties also winning seats. Results released by the country's Central Electoral Commission showed the SDPK, founded by Atambayev, won the hard-fought poll with close to 27 percent of the vote. Since no party won a majority, a pro-Russia coalition government will be formed, presaging a continuation of the in-fighting that saw four cabinets collapse in the five years of the last session.

Oregon school shooting: What's different this time? Posted: 04 Oct 2015 10:51 AM PDT Of the 294 mass shootings so far in the United States this year, the 294th, the shooting at a community college in Roseburg, Ore., that killed nine on Thursday, has prompted a public reaction that may be slightly different from the "routine" President Barack Obama angrily referred to just hours after the shooting. The routine said Mr. Obama, "is the response of those who oppose any kind of common-sense gun legislation," he said. One person who does not is Ian Mercer, the shooter's father, who said in an interview with CNN the shooting "would not have happened" if his son had not been able to amass so many guns.

Cameron: Britain will get more drones to fight extremists Posted: 04 Oct 2015 10:16 AM PDT LONDON (AP) — Britain will get 20 more drones and strengthen its special forces as Britain tries to help quell the growth of the Islamic State militant group in Syria and Iraq, Prime Minister David Cameron said Sunday.

Assad says Russian air campaign vital to save Middle East Posted: 04 Oct 2015 09:07 AM PDT By Dominic Evans and Suleiman Al-Khalidi BEIRUT/AMMAN (Reuters) - President Bashar al-Assad said the success of a military campaign by Russia, Syria and its allies was vital to save the Middle East from destruction, a day after Moscow said it would step up air strikes against Islamic State targets across Syria. A year-long air campaign by Western and Arab air forces in Syria and Iraq had been counterproductive, Assad said, helping terrorism spread and win new recruits, but a coalition of Syria, Russia, Iran and Iraq could achieve real results.

Trump wants to 'sit back,' watch Russia fall into Syria 'trap' Posted: 04 Oct 2015 08:59 AM PDT Republican US presidential frontrunner Donald Trump said he would like to "sit back" and watch as Russia continues air strikes in Syria, suggesting it could be a "trap" that could bog down Moscow. In comments aired Sunday on ABC's "This Week," Trump said he would not establish a no-fly zone over Syria, as several other candidates, including Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton, have suggested. "I think what I want to do is I want to sit back and... see what happens," Trump said, before suggesting that the Soviet Union's war in the 1980s against Afghan mujahideen rebels "destroyed" the communist bloc.

Middle East would be more stable if Saddam, Gaddafi still in power: Trump Posted: 04 Oct 2015 08:49 AM PDT U.S. Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump said on Sunday the Middle East would be more stable if Muammar Gaddafi and Saddam Hussein were still in power in Libya and Iraq, saying it's "not even a contest". Trump mentioned the countries in comparison to current efforts to drive Syrian President Bashar al-Assad out of power. "You can make the case, if you look at Libya, look at what we did there, it's a mess," Trump said on NBC.

Greek coast guard recovers body of migrant baby on Kos Posted: 04 Oct 2015 08:28 AM PDT Greece's coast guard recovered the badly decomposed body of a baby on Sunday on the shore of the island of Kos, a major entry point into the European Union for thousands of migrants and refugees who cross the Aegean Sea from nearby Turkey. The infant, believed to be a boy aged between six months and one year old, dressed in green trousers and a white t-shirt, was discovered near a seaside hotel, a coast guard official said. The coast guard did not give the baby's nationality.

Erdogan: Turkey taught world a 'lesson in humanity' Posted: 04 Oct 2015 08:17 AM PDT ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey's president says his country has taught Europe and the world a lesson on humanity by hosting 2 million refugees from Syria and Iraq.

Cameron says Russian military action in Syria a 'terrible mistake' Posted: 04 Oct 2015 07:46 AM PDT By William James MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) - British Prime Minister David Cameron said on Sunday that Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin's decision to take military action in Syria to support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was a "terrible mistake". Russia has begun striking targets in Syria - a dramatic escalation of foreign involvement in the civil war which has been criticized by some as an attempt to prop up Assad, rather than its purported aim of attacking Islamic State militants. "They are backing the butcher Assad, which is a terrible mistake for them and for the world," Cameron told the BBC on the first day of his Conservative Party's annual conference in the northern English city of Manchester.

10 jihadi recruitment suspects arrested in Spain, Morocco Posted: 04 Oct 2015 06:51 AM PDT MADRID (AP) — Spanish and Moroccan police have arrested 10 people on suspicion of recruiting jihadi fighters for the Islamic State group, Spain's officials said Sunday.

Assad says Syria and allies will win, failure would be devastating Posted: 04 Oct 2015 06:46 AM PDT President Bashar al-Assad said a military campaign by Russia, Syria and its allies will decide the fate of the Middle East, and a year of U.S.-led air strikes against Islamic State militants had only helped the spread of terrorism. In an interview with Iranian television broadcast on Sunday, Assad said if Syria, Russia, Iran and Iraq unite in battling terrorism their efforts would yield practical results.

Correction: Syria-Russia-Combatants-Glance story Posted: 04 Oct 2015 06:43 AM PDT BEIRUT (AP) — In a story Oct. 1 about the combatants in Syria, The Associated Press reported erroneously that the Syrian province of Raqqa borders Iraq. Raqqa borders Deir el-Zour province, which borders Iraq.

Turkey launches new overnight air raids against PKK: army Posted: 04 Oct 2015 06:36 AM PDT Turkish warplanes struck Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) targets in northern Iraq and eastern Turkey overnight, in a new air operation against the Kurdish militant group, the army said Sunday. Turkish F-16 fighters hit 17 PKK positions in northern Iraq, destroying shelters used by the militant group, the army said on its website, listing three locations. The strikes are the latest in an air campaign aimed at crippling the PKK, which has staged a string of attacks in Turkey since a two-year-old ceasefire fell apart in late July.

Assad says Russian failure in Syria would 'destroy' Mideast Posted: 04 Oct 2015 06:24 AM PDT Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said in comments broadcast on Sunday that the success of Russia's military intervention in his country's civil war was vital for the whole Middle East. "The alliance between Russia, Syria, Iraq and Iran must succeed or else the whole region will be destroyed," he said in an interview broadcast by Iranian state television. Russia on Wednesday launched air strikes in Syria in a move Moscow insists is aimed at fighting the Islamic State group.

U.S. reports 16 air strikes against Islamic State in Syria and Iraq Posted: 04 Oct 2015 05:38 AM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and its allies carried out 16 air strikes against Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq on Saturday, a U.S. military statement said. Three of the six strikes in Syria struck targets near the town of Hasaka, said the statement issued on Sunday. Islamic State fighters, weapons and buildings were hit in 10 strikes near several Iraqi cities, including Kirkuk, Falluja and Ramadi, it added.

Assad forsees success for Russia, Iran, Iraq, Syria coalition Posted: 04 Oct 2015 05:12 AM PDT DUBAI (Reuters) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said a coalition of Iran, Iraq, Russia and Syria had to prevail in his country's civil war or else Syria might not survive, Iranian state television reported. Speaking in Arabic through a Farsi interpreter, Assad said he was confident about the efficiency of the coalition and that the chances of it succeeding were big. If it was not successful, it could lead to the destruction of Syria. (Reporting by Sami Aboudi and Firouz Sedarat, Writing by WIlliam Maclean; Editing by Alison Williams)

Is Syria's long war wearing down key Assad backer Hezbollah? Posted: 04 Oct 2015 05:00 AM PDT It was May 26, 2000, and Sheikh Nasrallah was in the southern Lebanese town of Bint Jbeil, a few miles north of the Israeli border, to mark a stunning and unprecedented military achievement. The last Israeli troops had left their posts in south Lebanon just two days before. Recommended: Do you understand the Syria conflict?

Tip of the iceberg: No end in sight to migrant wave Posted: 04 Oct 2015 04:33 AM PDT ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) — One month after the body of 3-year-old Aylan Kurdi washed up on a Turkish beach — and a week after the European Union agreed to secure its borders — the migrant crisis has largely fallen off the front pages and reporters are going home.

Ten suspected IS recruiters arrested in Spain, Morocco Posted: 04 Oct 2015 04:11 AM PDT Police have arrested 10 people in Spain and Morocco for allegedly recruiting and indoctrinating fighters for the Islamic State group, the Spanish interior ministry announced Sunday. The suspects were part of a "network of recruitment, indoctrination and sending foreign fighters to fight for Daesh (Islamic State) in the regions of Syria and Iraq under its control," the ministry said in a statement. The statement said arrests "in the last few hours" were part of a joint operation between the two countries in the Spanish cities of Toledo, Badalona, Xeraco, and in Casablanca, Morocco.

Spain, Morocco arrest suspected Islamic State recruiters Posted: 04 Oct 2015 03:40 AM PDT Spain said it and Morocco arrested 10 people on Sunday suspected of recruiting fighters for Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. Suspects were detained in the Spanish cities of Toledo and Badalona, the small coastal town of Xeraco in Spain's Valencia region and the Moroccan city of Casablanca, Spain's interior ministry said. "Those arrested belong to a network of people that recruited, indoctrinated and sent foreign fighters to join Daesh," it added, using a name for Islamic State.

Merkel says military efforts needed in Syria but will not end war Posted: 04 Oct 2015 02:58 AM PDT German Chancellor Angela Merkel told a German radio station that military efforts were necessary in Syria even though they would not put and end to the four-year-old civil war there. Merkel said she had spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin about the conflict in Syria on the sidelines of a meeting in Paris on Friday with him and the leaders of France and Ukraine. Merkel also said it would be necessary to involve the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in talks.

The Great Game Comes to Syria Posted: 04 Oct 2015 01:00 AM PDT As Putin heads to the U.N. General Assembly, OZY's spy-in-residence, John McLaughlin, breaks down Russia's moves in Syria.

EU tries to woo Erdogan in historic visit but division remains Posted: 04 Oct 2015 12:44 AM PDT By Robin Emmott BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan makes a long-awaited trip to Brussels on Sunday, officially a two-day state visit to Belgium, that will be dominated by EU meetings over Europe's migration crisis and the fight against Islamic State militants in Syria. Moscow's commencement of bombing raids in Syria could bring Russian warplanes to the very borders of the NATO country, now itself being used as a base for U.S. and allied air strikes. Tensions over Turkey's stalled EU bid, a Turkish government corruption scandal and a canceled visit by Erdogan as prime minister in 2011 meant the red carpet welcome has been put off again and again for the leader who the West worries is becoming increasingly authoritarian after 13 years in power.

Mosque raided after Australia 'terrorism-linked' shooting Posted: 03 Oct 2015 11:44 PM PDT An Australian mosque reportedly visited by a 15-year-old boy before he shot dead a civilian police employee in an "act of terrorism" has been raided, police said on Sunday. New South Wales state police said the mosque in the western Sydney suburb of Parramatta -- close to the scene of the double shooting on Friday afternoon -- was raided with the consent of religious leaders. "NSW Police yesterday executed a warrant at a mosque in Parramatta," police said in a statement Sunday.

In Australia, seeds of Islamic radicalism sown early Posted: 03 Oct 2015 10:55 PM PDT By Morag MacKinnon SYDNEY (Reuters) - The Australian government's focus on national security and the war on terror to tackle Islamic extremism, rather than social cohesion and inclusion, has helped create an environment for radicalized Muslim youth to emerge in disproportionate numbers, experts say. Authorities in Australia are grappling with a rise in violence perpetrated by teenagers at home as well as battling to halt the flow of those who are attempting to travel to Syria to fight with Islamic extremists. The murder of a police accountant in Sydney on Friday by a boy of Iraqi-Kurdish descent is the latest in a spate of attacks linked to Islamic extremism.

MSF: medical giant of the humanitarian world Posted: 03 Oct 2015 09:31 PM PDT Doctors Without Borders (MSF), whose Kunduz hospital in Afghanistan was hit by a suspected US air strike on Saturday, is one of the largest medical charities in the world, counting more than 36,000 volunteers working in 60 countries. MSF was founded on December 21, 1971 when a team of French medics and journalists, including humanitarian icon Bernard Kouchner, denounced what they described as a genocide in secessionist Biafra, in Nigeria. The non-profit provides emergency medical care in war zones, during epidemics and in the wake of natural disasters, and is a self-governed group of 24 associations worldwide, based in Switzerland.

Gunman in Oregon college massacre committed suicide Posted: 03 Oct 2015 09:28 PM PDT By Courtney Sherwood and Emily Flitter ROSEBURG, Ore. (Reuters) - The gunman who killed his English professor and eight others at an Oregon community college committed suicide after a shootout with police who arrived within five minutes and exchanged fire with him almost immediately, authorities said. Investigators had previously said the 26-year-old shooter was killed by the officers who raced to the rampage at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, which ranks as the deadliest among dozens of U.S. mass shootings in the past two years. Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin told a news conference on Saturday the state medical examiner had determined that the gunman, Christopher Harper-Mercer, took his own life.

Online fundraising for Oregon shooting hero nears $700,000 Posted: 03 Oct 2015 05:44 PM PDT Chris Mintz, 30, is credited with likely saving the lives of fellow students when he prevented the 26-year-old gunman from entering a classroom at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg before police arrived. More than $680,000 was raised from just over 20,000 donors in one day, according to the GoFundMe site set up by Mintz's cousin, Derek Bourgeois.

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