Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• Turkey sacks top police brass after Ankara attacks
• With Syrian airstrikes, Putin casts Russia as everything US is not
• UN urges Iraq's feuding Kurds to respect democracy
• US Deploying 300 Troops to Cameroon to Help Fight Boko Haram
• Judge orders mentally ill man medicated in terrorism case
• Russia, US nearing deal on crowded Syria skies
• US, Russia could sign Syria air-safety pact in 'coming days': official
• Iraq says assault to retake IS-held Ramadi looming
• Clinton debate boost may keep Biden on 2016 sidelines
• US warns of rise of Islamist extremism, anti-Semitism
• Total back in French court over Iraq oil-for-food corruption
• Lavrov says Russia helping fight against militants in Iraq
• Is Sanders Too Soft on Defense for Mainstream Democrats?
• Germany open to including Turkey on EU list of 'safe countries': official
• US, Russia to hold talks on crowded Syria skies
• Five Key Lines Hillary Clinton Landed in the Debate
• Award-winning Iranian filmmaker gets 6-year prison sentence
• Cathay suspends flights over Iran after missile warning
• Nigeria's Boko Haram urges Somali Shabab: join Islamic State
• Four ways Hillary Clinton boxed out Joe Biden in Democratic debate
• Foreign toll figures show hajj tragedy deadliest in history
• Religious freedom facing increased threats, US report finds
• Turkey warns US, Russia over support for Syrian Kurds
• Analysis: Clinton's strong debate may comfort supporters
• Turkish PM sees Islamic State or PKK links to Ankara bombing
• Cathay Pacific avoids flying over Iran after missile warning
• The Most Repeated Words in Last Nights’ Debate and What They Mean for 2016
• Ten Kurdish militants killed as PKK ceasefire call fails to halt clashes
• Islamic State hit by 18 U.S.-led air strikes: statement
• Finland lowers asylum seeker forecast to 30,000-35,000
• Big influx of migrants brings challenges for German schools
• A $70 oil floor? Fat chance, but OPEC price plan may be first step
• German, Iranian FMs to meet regional actors in Tehran
• Russia's Lavrov says so far only Syria requested direct military assistance
• Iraqi army, militia forces launch assault to retake Baiji from Islamic State
• Migrants' rights in short supply in squalid French camp
• Iranian MPs arrive in Damascus before joint offensive
• Egypt's last Islamists standing offer "polite" opposition
• Little US protection anticipated for Syrian rebels

Turkey sacks top police brass after Ankara attacks Posted: 14 Oct 2015 04:13 PM PDT Turkey on Wednesday sacked Ankara's top police chief and two other officials as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan admitted security shortcomings over a double suicide bombing in the capital that killed 99. There has been growing anger against Erdogan and the government for alleged security lapses over the worst attack in modern Turkey's history in which two suicide bombers blew themselves up in a crowd of peace activists on Saturday. Announcing the first dismissals in the wake of the disaster, the interior ministry said Ankara police chief Kadri Kartal as well the head of the city's police intelligence and security departments had been removed from their posts.

With Syrian airstrikes, Putin casts Russia as everything US is not Posted: 14 Oct 2015 04:02 PM PDT In short, he wants to make Russia appear decisive by comparison, giving regional governments a choice in whom they want as a partner, several analysts suggest. Recommended: Sochi, Soviets, and tsars: How much do you know about Russia? "To America's partners in the region, starting with Egypt, who are questioning the depth of the US commitment, he is making a stark comparison: Russian reliability vs. American indecision," says Nikolas Gvosdev, a professor of national security studies and expert in US-Russia relations at the Naval War College in Newport, R.I.

UN urges Iraq's feuding Kurds to respect democracy Posted: 14 Oct 2015 03:34 PM PDT Political parties in Iraq's Kurdish region, whose president's mandate expired in August, should respect democratic principles, the top UN envoy said Wednesday. Jan Kubis' warning came after a week that saw protests against regional president Massud Barzani turn violent and the leading opposition party kicked out of government. What started as demonstrations over unpaid salaries in regions dominated by the opposition to Barzani's Kurdistan Democratic Party escalated into protests demanding he step down.

US Deploying 300 Troops to Cameroon to Help Fight Boko Haram Posted: 14 Oct 2015 03:30 PM PDT The White House informed Congress today that is has begun to deploy 300 armed U.S. Forces personnel to Cameroon as part of an effort to bolster that central African country's fight against the violent extremist group Boko Haram.

Judge orders mentally ill man medicated in terrorism case Posted: 14 Oct 2015 02:30 PM PDT RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina man accused of trying to join al-Qaida-linked fighters in Syria should be forcibly injected with anti-psychotic medication to see if that will make him competent to face trial, a federal judge ruled.

Russia, US nearing deal on crowded Syria skies Posted: 14 Oct 2015 02:14 PM PDT Fighting was also reported on the ground in the northern city of Aleppo, where jihadists from the Islamic State group were advancing against rebels. Russia's air campaign, launched September 30, has raised fears of a confrontation with the US-led coalition that has been bombing IS in Syria and Iraq for more than a year. "Positions became closer on key provisions of the future document," Russia's defence ministry said.

US, Russia could sign Syria air-safety pact in 'coming days': official Posted: 14 Oct 2015 01:36 PM PDT The United States and Russia could soon sign a pact establishing safety protocols in the skies above Syria as both powers carry out separate bombing campaigns, a US defense official said Wednesday. "We are nearing completion of a memorandum of agreement that would set up procedures to enhance air safety," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The official's comments came shortly after Russia and the United States held a third round of video talks to decide rules so pilots don't inadvertently fly into each other.

Iraq says assault to retake IS-held Ramadi looming Posted: 14 Oct 2015 01:17 PM PDT Iraqi forces have made significant advances around Ramadi, and an operation is looming to retake the city, captured by the Islamic State jihadist group in May, officers said Wednesday. A similar advance was also reported on the Baiji front, with Iraqi forces retaking parts of the country's largest refinery and pushing north. "Great people, the hour of victory against the Daesh (IS) criminal gangs has come," said the Joint Operations Command for Anbar province, of which Ramadi is the capital.

Clinton debate boost may keep Biden on 2016 sidelines Posted: 14 Oct 2015 01:05 PM PDT Hillary Clinton bested her challengers in the campaign's first Democratic presidential debate, but her biggest accomplishment may have been to neutralize a potential rival who was not even on stage: Joe Biden. Analysts and observers said Clinton delivered a commanding performance Tuesday in the party's two-hour Las Vegas showdown, reasserting her control of the presidential race after months of slipping poll numbers. For months Biden has been weighing whether to jump in.

US warns of rise of Islamist extremism, anti-Semitism Posted: 14 Oct 2015 12:21 PM PDT The United States released a bleak report on the state of religious freedom around the world Wednesday, decrying jihadist attacks on Middle East minorities and a rise in European anti-Semitism. In its annual survey of religious discrimination, the State Department said that, while many governments had worked harder to end abuses, extremist non-state actors like the Islamic State group are on the rise.

Total back in French court over Iraq oil-for-food corruption Posted: 14 Oct 2015 11:59 AM PDT French energy giant Total was back in a Paris court Wednesday facing renewed efforts to prosecute it for corruption linked to the UN's "oil-for-food" programme established for Iraq during Saddam Hussein's rule. More than a dozen defendants, including Total, its former chief executive and a former French minister were cleared of corruption in 2013 after an eight-year investigation. Saddam forced foreign companies involved in the programme to pay a 10 percent surcharge -- accounted for as "transport costs" or "after-sales service" -- which in reality went to the regime's coffers.

Lavrov says Russia helping fight against militants in Iraq Posted: 14 Oct 2015 11:33 AM PDT Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday Moscow was helping the fight against Islamist insurgents in Iraq with the consent of the Baghdad government. "It is necessary to support the cooperation between the Iraqi government and the Iraqi Kurdistan in the fight against terrorism, but we are doing it with the consent of the government," he said. Lavrov, speaking at the Barents Euro-Arctic Council in Oulu, Finland, also said a new intelligence center in Baghdad currently staffed by Russian, Iraqi, Iranian and Syrian officials remained open to all interested parties.

Is Sanders Too Soft on Defense for Mainstream Democrats? Posted: 14 Oct 2015 10:45 AM PDT The self-described Democratic socialist has startled the political world with his strong challenge to former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, largely on the strength of his populist salvos against Wall Street and repeated demands for income equality for the middle class. It didn't help that he was bracketed on the debate stage by Clinton, the hawkish former secretary of state, and former Sen. Jim Webb of Virginia, a decorated Marine and one-time Navy Secretary who repeatedly boasted of his military experience.

Germany open to including Turkey on EU list of 'safe countries': official Posted: 14 Oct 2015 10:43 AM PDT The German government is willing to support an EU proposal to put Turkey on a list of "safe countries" whose citizens have little chance of being granted asylum in Europe, a senior official in Berlin told Reuters on Wednesday. European leaders meet in Brussels on Thursday to discuss strategies for dealing with tide of refugees trying to enter Europe. The agenda includes increasing cooperation with Turkey and other countries bordering Syria to try to keep millions of refugees in the region.

US, Russia to hold talks on crowded Syria skies Posted: 14 Oct 2015 10:25 AM PDT The United States and Russia were to hold new talks Wednesday on avoiding incidents in the skies of Syria, as regime forces launched heavy attacks against rebels near Damascus. Fighting was also reported in the northern city of Aleppo, where jihadists from the Islamic State group were making advances against rebel fighters. Russia's air campaign, launched September 30, has raised fears of a military incident with the US-led coalition that has been bombing IS in Syria and Iraq for more than a year.

Five Key Lines Hillary Clinton Landed in the Debate Posted: 14 Oct 2015 10:20 AM PDT Five candidates may have participated in the first 2016 Democratic presidential debate last night, but Hillary Clinton commanded center stage in more ways than one. Flanked by former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb, Sen. Bernie Sanders, former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley and former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee, Clinton was poised and at ease, deftly parrying their criticisms and questions from CNN's moderators. Here are five Clinton lines that mattered last night and could still matter as the campaign heats up.

Award-winning Iranian filmmaker gets 6-year prison sentence Posted: 14 Oct 2015 10:16 AM PDT DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — An award-winning Iranian filmmaker whose work focuses on the travails of modern life and political expression in the Islamic Republic has been sentenced to six years in prison and to 223 lashes over his films.

Cathay suspends flights over Iran after missile warning Posted: 14 Oct 2015 10:11 AM PDT Cathay Pacific said Wednesday it had suspended flights over Iran and the Caspian Sea after an aviation safety body issued a warning about Russian missiles being fired at Syria, while some European airlines have also taken measures. The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) took action to avoid a repeat of the tragedy involving Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, which was shot down over war-torn eastern Ukraine last year, killing all 298 people on board.

Nigeria's Boko Haram urges Somali Shabab: join Islamic State Posted: 14 Oct 2015 10:11 AM PDT MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AP) — Nigeria's Boko Haram extremists are urging Somalia's al-Shabab rebels to join them in pledging allegiance to the leader of the Islamic State group, and thus abandon al-Qaida.

Four ways Hillary Clinton boxed out Joe Biden in Democratic debate Posted: 14 Oct 2015 09:45 AM PDT If Joe Biden was waiting for signs of weakness during Tuesday night's debate to spur him into the 2016 race, it was a long night for the vice president. Not only was the first Democratic presidential debate substantive, lively, and well-articulated, Mr. Biden was not the dominating presence some expected. In fact, over the course of the entire debate, about two full hours, no one even mentioned Biden.

Foreign toll figures show hajj tragedy deadliest in history Posted: 14 Oct 2015 09:38 AM PDT Dubai (AFP) - The death toll from last month's hajj stampede has risen to at least 1,636, according to tallies given by foreign officials, making it the deadliest incident in the pilgrimage's history.

Religious freedom facing increased threats, US report finds Posted: 14 Oct 2015 09:29 AM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — The Islamic State led a campaign of attacks last year by militant extremist groups on religious freedom in large swaths of the world, the State Department said in a report Wednesday, pointing to increasing threats to religious minorities in the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

Turkey warns US, Russia over support for Syrian Kurds Posted: 14 Oct 2015 09:17 AM PDT Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Wednesday warned the United States and Russia against "unacceptable" military and political support for Syrian Kurdish forces fighting the Islamic State (IS) group in Syria. Turkey earlier summoned US and Russian envoys to warn against supplying arms and support for Syrian Kurdish forces fighting the Islamic State (IS) group in Syria.

Analysis: Clinton's strong debate may comfort supporters Posted: 14 Oct 2015 08:46 AM PDT LAS VEGAS (AP) — Forceful and confident in her first 2016 debate, Hillary Rodham Clinton may have heartened jittery Democrats who've spent the summer worrying that her mishandling of the email controversy demonstrates fundamental problems with her campaign and political skills.

Turkish PM sees Islamic State or PKK links to Ankara bombing Posted: 14 Oct 2015 08:30 AM PDT By Samia Nakhoul and Nick Tattersall ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told Reuters on Wednesday some of the suspects in suicide bombings that killed 97 people in Ankara had spent months in Syria and that they could be linked to Islamic State or to Kurdish militants. "We are working on (investigating) two terrorist organizations, Daesh (Islamic State) and PKK, because we have certain evidence regarding the suicide bombers having links with Daesh, but also some linkages with PKK groups," Davutoglu said in an interview in Istanbul.

Cathay Pacific avoids flying over Iran after missile warning Posted: 14 Oct 2015 07:50 AM PDT HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong airline Cathay Pacific said Wednesday it has stopped flying over Iran and the Caspian Sea following an air safety agency warning about Russian missiles fired at Syria.

The Most Repeated Words in Last Nights’ Debate and What They Mean for 2016 Posted: 14 Oct 2015 07:13 AM PDT The first Democractic debate set up some of the keywords to expect in 2016's election cycle.

Ten Kurdish militants killed as PKK ceasefire call fails to halt clashes Posted: 14 Oct 2015 06:46 AM PDT Turkish security forces killed ten Kurdish militants during ground and air operations in southeastern Turkey on Tuesday, the military said, days after the insurgents called a unilateral ceasefire. The outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) ordered its forces on Saturday to halt all actions in Turkey, following a bomb blast that killed 97 people at a peace rally in Ankara. Three militants were killed in clashes during an operation by the military in Hakkari province, close to Turkey's Iran and Iraq borders, the military said in a statement on Wednesday.

Islamic State hit by 18 U.S.-led air strikes: statement Posted: 14 Oct 2015 06:19 AM PDT The United States and its allies carried out 18 air strikes on Islamic State targets in Iraq and Syria on Tuesday, the Joint Command Task Force said on Wednesday. Sixteen of the attacks were in Iraq, hitting tactical units, vehicles, fighting positions, weapons, buildings and an explosives cache near eight cities, the task force said in a statement. In Syria, the latest round of daily attacks struck two tactical units, a vehicle and a building near the cities of Al Hawl and Ar Raqqa, according to the statement.

Finland lowers asylum seeker forecast to 30,000-35,000 Posted: 14 Oct 2015 05:45 AM PDT Finland on Wednesday lowered its estimate for the number of asylum seekers expected to arrive in the country this year to 30-35,000 from its previous estimate of 50,000. The Interior Ministry said the decrease was due to its measures to control immigration, such as opening a registration center in northern Finland for those crossing over from Sweden. The Finnish government last month suspended decision-making on asylum claims by Iraqis and Somalis, saying it might tighten guidelines for granting people asylum after reassessing the security situation in both countries.

Big influx of migrants brings challenges for German schools Posted: 14 Oct 2015 05:17 AM PDT BERLIN (AP) — Fadi and Fadiya started school in Berlin last month not knowing a word of German.

A $70 oil floor? Fat chance, but OPEC price plan may be first step Posted: 14 Oct 2015 04:01 AM PDT HOUSTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - The safe money for oil traders is betting that Venezuela's plan to resurrect OPEC's old price band mechanism, attempting to set a $70 floor for the battered market, will be doomed from the start.

German, Iranian FMs to meet regional actors in Tehran Posted: 14 Oct 2015 03:46 AM PDT BERLIN (AP) — The foreign ministers of Germany and Iran will take part in a conference Saturday in Tehran to discuss the situation in Syria and Iran's future role in the region following the nuclear agreement.

Russia's Lavrov says so far only Syria requested direct military assistance Posted: 14 Oct 2015 03:35 AM PDT MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia has not received requests for direct military support from countries other than Syria, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday, adding any such requests will be decided on by President Vladimir Putin if and when they arrive. Lavrov said Russia was closely following the situation in Iraq as well as Afghanistan, but that so far only Syria had asked for direct support. (Reporting by Gabriela Baczynska; Editing by Christian Lowe)

Iraqi army, militia forces launch assault to retake Baiji from Islamic State Posted: 14 Oct 2015 03:21 AM PDT The Iraqi army and volunteer militia fighters, who are mostly Shi'ite, launched an assault on Wednesday to retake the city of Baiji in northern Iraq from Islamic State militants, an Iraqi military spokesman said. Baiji is near the country's largest oil refinery and is only 150 km (90 miles) away from Mosul, Iraq's second largest city which fell to the hardline Sunni militants of Islamic State in June 2014. The Hashid Shaabi militiamen and Iraqi army soldiers began their assault from the south on Wednesday and managed to fight their way into the center of the city, military spokesman Colonel Mohammed al-Asadi said.

Migrants' rights in short supply in squalid French camp Posted: 14 Oct 2015 03:13 AM PDT PARIS (AP) — They are in the wrong place for the wrong reasons.

Iranian MPs arrive in Damascus before joint offensive Posted: 14 Oct 2015 02:20 AM PDT A delegation of Iranian lawmakers arrived in Damascus on Wednesday in the build-up to a joint operation against insurgents in northwest Syria, and said U.S.-led efforts to fight rebels had failed. The visit, led by the chairman of the Iranian parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, Alaeddin Boroujerdi, came as Iranian troops prepared to bolster a Syrian army offensive that two senior officials told Reuters would target rebels in Aleppo. The attack, which the officials said would be backed by Russian air strikes, underlined the growing involvement in the civil war of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's two main allies, which has alarmed a U.S.-led coalition opposed to the president that is bombing Islamic State militants.

Egypt's last Islamists standing offer "polite" opposition Posted: 14 Oct 2015 01:14 AM PDT By Ahmed Aboulenein ALEXANDRIA, Egypt (Reuters) - On the campaign trail ahead of Egypt's parliamentary elections, the heavily bearded leader of the ultra-conservative Nour Party praises Islam's Prophet Mohammad for cleaning up politics, and promises to do the same. In reality, Younes Makhyoun has more pressing priorities -- surviving the fiercest crackdown on political Islam in the country of its birth. "Our philosophy is to avoid confrontation," Makhyoun told supporters in the Mediterranean port of Alexandria, the country's second city.

Little US protection anticipated for Syrian rebels Posted: 14 Oct 2015 12:29 AM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — The Russian military intervention to prop up Syria's government has brought new scrutiny of the CIA's secret support to Syrian rebels fighting Bashar Assad. But how far is the U.S. willing to go to empower its proxies to take on Vladimir Putin's allies?

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