Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• Business Highlights
• Report: Soviet nuclear weapons could be smuggled to extremists in the Middle East
• Boko Haram says leader Shekau is alive in new video
• Battling IS, Iraqi Kurdish fighters exposed to mustard gas
• Four and a half years of conflict in Syria
• Cholera cases in Iraq top 1,200: ministry
• Editorial Roundup: Excerpts from recent editorials
• Italy considering more active anti-Islamic State in Iraq
• Iran lobbied for Russian campaign in Syria , officials say
• Why do extremists drive Toyotas?, asks US
• Russia's expanding air campaign in Syria
• Putin to Obama: I’ll Take Out ISIS Targets for the U.S.
• Why do extremists drive Toyotas?, US asks
• Russia fires cruise missiles from warships into Syria
• Where did ISIS get all those Toyotas? US Treasury investigates.
• IS executed 70 Sunni tribesmen in Iraq's Anbar: elder, UN
• Russia backs Syrian forces in major assault on insurgents
• Hollande, Merkel call for 'more Europe' to fight crises afflicting EU
• U.S.-led coalition aircraft re-routed to avoid Russians: Pentagon
• Russia says no official request from Iraq to strike Islamic State
• PM vows to fight 'so hard' to get better EU deal for Britain
• Top 3 destabilizing themes in the global marketplace: Ian Bremmer
• Why to extremists drive Toyotas?, US asks
• Kurds say blood tests show Islamic State used mustard gas in Iraq
• The Latest: UK wants UN vote soon on refugee smuggling
• Forces engaged in Syria's war
• Arab coalition faces new IS foe in Yemen conflict
• Erdogan irate as Putin tears up Turkey's Syria blueprint
• Britain's Cameron attacks 'terrorist-sympathising' Labour leader
• Doctors group: Don't brush aside Afghan hospital attack as 'mistake'
• Half of Czechs oppose taking in war refugees: survey
• French govt starts anti-jihadi ad campaign to counter IS
• Iraq leans toward Russia in war on Islamic State
• Russian warships launch rockets on Islamic State in Syria
• Jennifer Aniston, Jack Huston join 'The Yellow Birds'
• Is Putin’s Next Step to Intervene in Iraq?
• Fifty Injured Veterans Cycling Through Birmingham on Journey to Recovery
• Greek police say break migrant smuggler ring, arrest 12 people
• Iraq forces retake areas around Ramadi

Business Highlights Posted: 07 Oct 2015 03:09 PM PDT ___ Auto experts: Top managers probably knew of VW cheating Auto industry insiders strongly suspect the emissions cheating scandal at Volkswagen is much wider and reaches higher up the corporate ladder ...

Report: Soviet nuclear weapons could be smuggled to extremists in the Middle East Posted: 07 Oct 2015 02:27 PM PDT US and Eastern European authorities have caught smugglers trying to sell nuclear material from former Soviet Union countries, including smugglers looking to sell to the Islamic State group. The Associated Press reports that smugglers from Eastern Europe are trying to put radioactive material into the hands of violent groups that hate America. An investigator, who helped wiretap conversations among smugglers, says one middleman from a former Soviet country insisted the nuclear material go to Arab buyers.

Boko Haram says leader Shekau is alive in new video Posted: 07 Oct 2015 02:04 PM PDT Boko Haram said in a new video on Wednesday that its elusive leader Abubakar Shekau was alive and still in charge of the Nigeria-based Islamist group whose six-year insurgency has killed thousands. "Our leader, Abubakar Shekau is alive and remains our leader," declared a gun-wielding man surrounded by dozens of fighters in the 17-minute video in Arabic and Hausa that was posted on social media. "Our allegiance remains with (Abu Bakr) al-Baghadadi," added the man who has appeared in previous Boko Haram videos, referring to the leader of the Islamic State group that has seized large swathes of Syria and Iraq.

Battling IS, Iraqi Kurdish fighters exposed to mustard gas Posted: 07 Oct 2015 01:51 PM PDT IRBIL, Iraq (AP) — Several Iraqi Kurdish troops tested positive for mustard gas after battles this summer with the Islamic State group in northern Iraq, a spokesman for the paramilitary group said Wednesday.

Four and a half years of conflict in Syria Posted: 07 Oct 2015 01:25 PM PDT Syria has been wracked by a devastating civil war for four and a half years. Peaceful pro-reform protests against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, which began on March 15, 2011, were met with repression, prompting an armed uprising that later descended into a nationwide conflict. Many groups have joined the multi-fronted war, which took a new twist a week ago when Russia, an ally of the regime, intervened with air strikes.

Cholera cases in Iraq top 1,200: ministry Posted: 07 Oct 2015 12:52 PM PDT The number of confirmed cases of cholera in Iraq has risen to 1,201, the health ministry said Wednesday of an outbreak that started along the Euphrates river last month. "There are 1,201 confirmed cases as of October 7, 2015," the health ministry said in a statement, adding that most patients had recovered. Health Minister Adela Hmoud is holding consultations with the regional office of the World Health Organization (WHO) to enhance cooperation in responding to the outbreak, the statement said.

Editorial Roundup: Excerpts from recent editorials Posted: 07 Oct 2015 12:46 PM PDT Excerpts from recent editorials in newspapers in the United States and abroad:

Italy considering more active anti-Islamic State in Iraq Posted: 07 Oct 2015 12:20 PM PDT ROME (AP) — Italy is considering playing a more active role in Iraq combating the Islamic State group but no decision has been made.

Iran lobbied for Russian campaign in Syria , officials say Posted: 07 Oct 2015 11:58 AM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — Iran played an integral role leading up to Russia's move to launch its air campaign in Syria and play a stronger role in Iraq, with one of Tehran's most powerful generals meeting for three hours with President Vladimir Putin to push for intervention, Iraqi government officials tell The Associated Press.

Why do extremists drive Toyotas?, asks US Posted: 07 Oct 2015 11:54 AM PDT Toyota has spoken with U.S. officials about the prominent use of its vehicles by militants in Syria, Iraq and Libya. Toyota trucks are conspicuous in extremist propaganda and are often what carry Islamic ...

Russia's expanding air campaign in Syria Posted: 07 Oct 2015 11:44 AM PDT After a week of intense bombing in Syria Russia says it has struck over 100 targets in the war-torn country, almost all belonging to Islamic State jihadists. As troops supporting President Bashar al-Assad forces reportedly launch a major ground operation under Russian air cover, what do we know about the Kremlin's controversial campaign? Russia's defence minister said Wednesday that in the eight days since it launched the strikes on September 30 it has hit 112 targets around Syria.

Putin to Obama: I’ll Take Out ISIS Targets for the U.S. Posted: 07 Oct 2015 11:43 AM PDT Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to intervene in the ongoing civil war in Syria has been accompanied by a major public relations push in the Russian media. From weather reports assessing the conditions for bombing in Syria to social media posts from the military highlighting the Russian military's attacks on the enemies of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, the multiple state-run media outlets that dominate the Russian news media have been feeding the country a steady diet of stories about Russian military might. On Wednesday, the Russian people got a look at what is believed to be the first use of Russia's new Kalibr-NK cruise missile, and Putin used the occasion to tweak the U.S. and its allies, which have been bombing targets in Syria for months, offering to destroy ISIS facilities for them.

Why do extremists drive Toyotas?, US asks Posted: 07 Oct 2015 11:42 AM PDT NEW YORK (AP) — Toyota has spoken with U.S. officials about the prominent use of its vehicles by militants in Syria, Iraq and Libya.

Russia fires cruise missiles from warships into Syria Posted: 07 Oct 2015 11:36 AM PDT DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Russian warships in the Caspian Sea fired cruise missiles Wednesday as Syrian government troops launched a ground offensive in central Syria in the first major combined air-and-ground assault since Moscow began its military campaign in the country last week.

Where did ISIS get all those Toyotas? US Treasury investigates. Posted: 07 Oct 2015 11:30 AM PDT In 2012, President Obama compared ISIS to Al Qaeda's jayvee team, muddying the true extent and ability of the group. Widespread videos posted online through IS-linked websites and social media accounts show caravans of Toyotas, many of which have been outfitted with artillery, and many of which appear to be brand new. Both Toyota Hilux pickups and Toyota Land Cruisers "have become fixtures in videos of the ISIS campaign in Iraq, Syria and Libya, with their truck beds loaded with heavy weapons and cabs jammed with terrorists," says ABC News.

IS executed 70 Sunni tribesmen in Iraq's Anbar: elder, UN Posted: 07 Oct 2015 11:29 AM PDT The Islamic State group executed 70 members of a Sunni tribe allied to the government in western Iraq earlier this week, a tribal leader and the United Nations said Wednesday. The victims, members of the Albu Nimr tribe, were executed on Sunday in the Tharthar area north of Ramadi, the capital of the western Anbar province, tribal elder Naim Gaoud told AFP. Hatem al-Gaoud, another clan member reached by phone, said IS had trapped dozens of tribe members in the Khanzir area of Tharthar since the jihadist group launched its major offensive in Iraq last year.

Russia backs Syrian forces in major assault on insurgents Posted: 07 Oct 2015 10:59 AM PDT By Sylvia Westall and Dominic Evans BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian troops and militia backed by Russian warplanes mounted what appeared to be their first major coordinated assault on Syrian insurgents on Wednesday and Moscow said its warships fired a barrage of missiles at them from the Caspian Sea, a sign of its new military reach. The combined operation hit towns close to the main north-south highway that runs through major cities in the mainly government-held west of Syria, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based group which tracks the conflict via a network of sources within the country. Ground attacks by Syrian government forces and their militia allies using heavy surface-to-surface missile bombardments hit at least four insurgent positions and there were heavy clashes, the head of the Observatory, Rami Abdulrahman, said.

Hollande, Merkel call for 'more Europe' to fight crises afflicting EU Posted: 07 Oct 2015 10:55 AM PDT In a highly unusual joint address at the EU Parliament in Strasbourg today, the leaders of France and Germany appealed for "more Europe" in the face of pressures mounting in the European Union – a sign of the fragile spot the 28-member bloc finds itself in the midst of a tumultuous period. Amid the uncertain forces unleashed by the collapse of the Soviet Union, the address by then French President François Mitterrand and particularly West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl was credited with speeding up the construction and enlargement of the modern EU.

U.S.-led coalition aircraft re-routed to avoid Russians: Pentagon Posted: 07 Oct 2015 10:53 AM PDT U.S.-led coalition aircraft bombing Islamist militants in Syria were re-routed at least once in the last six days to avoid a close encounter with Russian planes, a Pentagon spokesman said on Wednesday. The United States and its allies have been waging a year-long air campaign against Islamic State in Syria and across the border in neighboring Iraq. Russia launched air strikes in Syria last month, and has largely focused on hitting other rebel groups opposed to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Russia says no official request from Iraq to strike Islamic State Posted: 07 Oct 2015 10:37 AM PDT MOSCOW (Reuters) - Moscow has not received any official request from Baghdad for Russian air strikes against Islamic State in Iraq, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday. The head of the Iraqi parliament's defense and security committee said on Wednesday that Iraq may request Russian air strikes against Islamic State on its soil soon and wants Moscow to have a bigger role than the United States in the war against the militant group. (Reporting by Katya Golubkova; Editing by Gareth Jones)

PM vows to fight 'so hard' to get better EU deal for Britain Posted: 07 Oct 2015 09:48 AM PDT By Elizabeth Piper and Kylie MacLellan MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) - Prime Minister David Cameron said on Wednesday he would fight hard in his talks to change Britain's relationship with the European Union, calling the 28-member bloc "too big, too bossy and too interfering". In a speech aimed at calming Eurosceptic members of his ruling Conservative Party, Cameron also tried to shape his vision for his second term - to tackle poverty, inequality and offer security to build a "greater Britain".

Top 3 destabilizing themes in the global marketplace: Ian Bremmer Posted: 07 Oct 2015 09:43 AM PDT Russia's involvement in Syria, the refugee crisis in Europe, and the technological revolution are the top three things on the mind of Ian Bremmer, president of the Eurasia Group as well as foreign affairs columnist and editor-at-large at Time.

Why to extremists drive Toyotas?, US asks Posted: 07 Oct 2015 09:40 AM PDT NEW YORK (AP) — Toyota has spoken with U.S. officials about the prominent use of its vehicles by militants in Syria, Iraq and Libya.

Kurds say blood tests show Islamic State used mustard gas in Iraq Posted: 07 Oct 2015 08:59 AM PDT By Isabel Coles and Babak Dehghanpisheh ERBIL (Reuters) - Islamic State fighters fired mortar rounds containing mustard agent at Kurdish peshmerga fighters in northern Iraq during clashes in August, the Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs, which oversees Kurdish armed forces there, said on Wednesday. It did not say if any of the peshmerga had died as a result of the attack or how severely they had been wounded. Mustard gas, which can burn skin and mucus tissue and cause severe respiratory problems, is banned under the Chemical Weapons Convention, an arms treaty intended to stop the use of chemical weapons.

The Latest: UK wants UN vote soon on refugee smuggling Posted: 07 Oct 2015 08:54 AM PDT BRUSSELS (AP) — The latest developments as hundreds of thousands of people seeking safety make an epic trek through Europe. All times local.

Forces engaged in Syria's war Posted: 07 Oct 2015 08:24 AM PDT Russian missile strikes and bombing raids in Syria add yet another element to a complex war sparked by anti-government protests that erupted in March 2011. It now controls about a third of Syrian territory, with the rest divided among Islamic State jihadists, Al-Qaeda-linked groups, mainstream rebels and Kurdish forces. - Some 150,000 to 200,000 men belong to pro-regime militias, mostly the 90,000-strong National Defence Forces, set up in 2012.

Arab coalition faces new IS foe in Yemen conflict Posted: 07 Oct 2015 07:38 AM PDT An unprecedented attack on Yemen's government claimed by the Islamic State jihadist group has raised a fresh challenge for the Saudi-led coalition backing the embattled president, analysts say. IS bombings on Tuesday hit the government's temporary headquarters in the southern city of Aden and military installations used by the coalition which is fighting Shiite Huthi rebels, killing more than 15 people. The IS, which controls swathes of Syria and northern Iraq, has previously carried out several deadly attacks and suicide bombings against the Huthis.

Erdogan irate as Putin tears up Turkey's Syria blueprint Posted: 07 Oct 2015 07:10 AM PDT The Russian air campaign in Syria has thrown an immense obstacle in the way of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's vision for the future of the country, enraging the Turkish leader and leaving Ankara increasingly sidelined. Russia's air strikes are aimed at propping up the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, the very ruler who Turkey has for years insisted must be ousted if there is to be any solution to the Syrian crisis. Further increasing the tensions, Russian warplanes have twice violated the air space of NATO member Turkey over the Syrian border in the last days.

Britain's Cameron attacks 'terrorist-sympathising' Labour leader Posted: 07 Oct 2015 06:57 AM PDT British Prime Minister David Cameron on Wednesday accused Labour opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn of "terrorist-sympathising" as he outlined his government's programme in the time left before he steps down by 2020. Corbyn described the killing of Osama bin Laden in a 2011 television debate as "a tragedy" saying: "There was no attempt whatsoever that I can see to arrest him, to put him on trial, to go through that process. "This was an assassination attempt, and is yet another tragedy, upon a tragedy, upon a tragedy," Corbyn said at the time.

Doctors group: Don't brush aside Afghan hospital attack as 'mistake' Posted: 07 Oct 2015 06:45 AM PDT International aid group Doctors Without Borders has called for an independent investigation into possible war crimes following the US airstrike on an Afghan hospital that left 22 people dead last weekend. "It is unacceptable that the bombing of a hospital and the killing of staff and patients can be dismissed as collateral damage or brushed aside as a mistake," Joanne Liu, international president of Doctors Without Borders, said at a news conference in Geneva Wednesday. Doctors Without Borders, known as MSF by its French initials, called on the International Humanitarian Fact-Finding Commission, an additional protocol set up under the Geneva Convention, to investigate the attack.

Half of Czechs oppose taking in war refugees: survey Posted: 07 Oct 2015 06:29 AM PDT Half of Czechs are against accepting any refugees from war zones, a survey showed on Wednesday, underlining the deep opposition in the Czech Republic and central Europe to policies opening the door to growing numbers of asylum seekers. Central European states have stressed the need to secure the EU's outer borders to stem the flow into Europe this year of hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing conflicts in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. The government has opposed European Union plans to distribute asylum seekers around the EU, and most of the Czech political class, including openly anti-immigration President Milos Zeman, has shared this position.

French govt starts anti-jihadi ad campaign to counter IS Posted: 07 Oct 2015 05:54 AM PDT PARIS (AP) — A new French government ad campaign features mourning families to discourage young people from joining extremists in Syria — an attempt at a counter-narrative against an Islamic State publicity machine that churns out huge amounts of propaganda.

Iraq leans toward Russia in war on Islamic State Posted: 07 Oct 2015 05:47 AM PDT By Ahmed Rasheed and Saif Hameed BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq may request Russian air strikes against Islamic State on its soil soon and wants Moscow to have a bigger role than the United States in the war against the militant group, the head of parliament's defense and security committee said on Wednesday. "In the upcoming few days or weeks, I think Iraq will be forced to ask Russia to launch air strikes, and that depends on their success in Syria," Hakim al-Zamili, a leading Shi'ite politician, told Reuters in an interview. The comments were the clearest signal yet that Baghdad intends to lean on Russia in the war on Islamic State after U.S.-led coalition airstrikes produced limited results.

Russian warships launch rockets on Islamic State in Syria Posted: 07 Oct 2015 05:36 AM PDT Four Russian warships in the Caspian Sea launched 26 rockets at Islamic State in Syria which hit their targets, Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and President Vladimir Putin said in a joint television appearance on Wednesday. Russia started its air campaign in Syria saying it would target militant group Islamic State.

Jennifer Aniston, Jack Huston join 'The Yellow Birds' Posted: 07 Oct 2015 05:18 AM PDT Jack Huston of "Boardwalk Empire" and "Ben-Hur" has come on board contemporary war drama "The Yellow Birds" with Jennifer Aniston also accepting a pivotal role in the film.

Is Putin’s Next Step to Intervene in Iraq? Posted: 07 Oct 2015 05:15 AM PDT Russian officials on Tuesday agreed to restart meetings with the U.S. military in an effort to establish a system that will prevent the two countries' forces currently fighting in Syria from coming into accidental conflict. The Kremlin has, in the past week, made several suggestive comments about its willingness to extend its involvement in the Middle East beyond Syrian and into Iraq. On Tuesday, the speaker of the Russian Federation Council, Valentina Matviyenko became the latest to suggest Russia might intervene in Iraq as well.

Fifty Injured Veterans Cycling Through Birmingham on Journey to Recovery Posted: 07 Oct 2015 05:14 AM PDT Participants often find Soldier Ride to be a life-changing experience as they connect with fellow veterans. Aimed at facilitating camaraderie and healing through various physical health and wellness activities, the three-day cycling event is often an introductory program for WWP veterans. Soldier Ride presented by USAA is also being supported across the country by U-HAUL, a founding partner of Soldier Ride, and TREK, both proud supporters of WWP.

Greek police say break migrant smuggler ring, arrest 12 people Posted: 07 Oct 2015 05:01 AM PDT Officers arrested 12 people from Pakistan, Egypt, Iraq and Syria in raids on apartments and other locations across Athens early on Sunday and confiscated hundreds of fake identity cards, passports and other documents, the force said. The smugglers were divided into six units which helped migrants travel from Turkey via the Greek island of Kos on to Macedonia and Italy on planes, buses and trains, the statement said. Police attached an organisation chart of at least 30 suspects, plus an unknown number of associates in Turkey, drawn up after what they called one of their biggest operations against people smugglers.

Iraq forces retake areas around Ramadi Posted: 07 Oct 2015 04:49 AM PDT Iraqi forces have retaken several areas north and west of Ramadi as efforts to close in on the Anbar provincial capital seized by jihadists in May intensify, officials said Wednesday. An operation involving 2,000 troops backed by air strikes from the US-led coalition led to the recapture of several neighbourhoods from the Islamic State group. A brigadier general from the Anbar operations command said those included Zankura, Albu Jleib, Al-Adnaniyah and parts of Albu Risha and an area known as Kilometre 5.

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