Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• Iran criticizes Saudi Arabia over execution of its citizens
• U.S. drone crashes in Kuwait: Kuwaiti defense ministry
• Report: Iran summons Saudi envoy over execution of Iranians
• More US Troops Possible in Syria, Defense Sec. Ash Carter Says
• More US troops possible in Syria: Pentagon chief
• Congress dodging war powers despite US mission in Syria
• AP Interview: US admiral sees no change in Iranian behavior
• Exclusive: Investigators '90 percent sure' bomb downed Russian plane
• After lull, U.S.-led air campaign in Syria intensifies
• Russia, Britain ramp up efforts to return stuck Egypt tourists
• Boko Haram suicide bombing 'kills two in Chad'
• Queen leads Britain in annual service honoring war dead
• Afghan official: Rival Taliban groups battle each other
• U.S., allies conduct 31 strikes against Islamic State: U.S. military
• Mustard gas in Syria: What happened to the ban on chemical weapons?
• UK 'letting down' allies by not joining IS strikes: defence chief

Iran criticizes Saudi Arabia over execution of its citizens Posted: 08 Nov 2015 12:15 PM PST Iran summoned the Saudi charge d'affaires in Tehran on Sunday to protest over the execution of three Iranians in Saudi Arabia for drug trafficking, according to the Fars news agency. The regional adversaries are at loggerheads over crises in Iraq, Syria and Yemen, as well as the disaster at the haj in September in which 465 Iranians died in a crush of pilgrims near Mecca. According to Iranian state media, the death sentences of the three men, who had been convicted of smuggling large amounts of hashish to the kingdom, were carried out in the city of Dammam earlier in the day.

U.S. drone crashes in Kuwait: Kuwaiti defense ministry Posted: 08 Nov 2015 11:51 AM PST KUWAIT (Reuters) - A pilotless U.S. military drone crashed in rural Kuwait on Sunday, causing no injuries, the small Gulf Arab state's defense ministry said in a statement. The incident occurred in Bir Mutla, the ministry said, near the Ali Al Salem air base which hosts U.S. air force personnel and planes. A close ally of the U.S. since American forces helped liberate the country after an Iraqi invasion in 1990, Kuwait has provided intelligence, funding and the use of airfields for attacks by some members of a Western-Arab coalition fighting Islamic State militants based in Syria and Iraq. ...

Report: Iran summons Saudi envoy over execution of Iranians Posted: 08 Nov 2015 11:32 AM PST TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran's semi-official ISNA news agency is reporting the country's Foreign Ministry has summoned Saudi Arabia's top envoy in Tehran over the execution of three Iranian nationals for drug trafficking by Saudi Authorities.

More US Troops Possible in Syria, Defense Sec. Ash Carter Says Posted: 08 Nov 2015 10:45 AM PST Just days after the White House announced that President Obama had authorized the deployment of a small contingent of special operations forces to the war-torn country of Syria, Secretary of Defense Ash Carter said more American troops could "absolutely" be sent into the country if the United States can find more "capable" local forces to partner with in the fight against ISIS. The White House last month announced that approximately 50 special operations forces would deploy to Syria despite the president's statements going back to 2013 that he would not commit American boots on the ground there.

More US troops possible in Syria: Pentagon chief Posted: 08 Nov 2015 10:27 AM PST More US troops could "absolutely" be deployed to Syria if Washington identifies more "capable local forces" as partners in the fight against the Islamic State jihadist group, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said in an interview aired Sunday. Carter's comments to ABC News came about a week after the White House announced the deployment of "fewer than 50" special operations personnel in the north of the war-ravaged nation, in a bid to strengthen forces battling IS fighters. "In order to have victory stick, you have to have local forces involved who can keep the peace after you've helped them win the peace," Carter said in an interview taped aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt in the South China Sea.

Congress dodging war powers despite US mission in Syria Posted: 08 Nov 2015 09:22 AM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — In the battle against the Islamic State group, members of Congress talk tough against extremism, but many want to run for cover when it comes to voting on new war powers to fight the militants, preferring to let the president own the battle.

AP Interview: US admiral sees no change in Iranian behavior Posted: 08 Nov 2015 09:13 AM PST DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran's landmark nuclear deal with world powers has done little to stop the country from pursuing activities beyond its shores that the U.S. considers destabilizing, the U.S. naval commander charged with securing the waters around the Arabian Peninsula said Sunday.

Exclusive: Investigators '90 percent sure' bomb downed Russian plane Posted: 08 Nov 2015 09:03 AM PST By Ahmed Mohamed Hassan and Michael Georgy CAIRO (Reuters) - Investigators of the Russian plane crash in Egypt are "90 percent sure" the noise heard in the final second of a cockpit recording was an explosion caused by a bomb, a member of the investigation team told Reuters on Sunday. The Airbus A321 crashed 23 minutes after taking off from the Sharm al-Sheikh tourist resort eight days ago, killing all 224 passengers and crew. Islamic State militants fighting Egyptian security forces in Sinai said they brought it down.

After lull, U.S.-led air campaign in Syria intensifies Posted: 08 Nov 2015 08:39 AM PST By David Alexander WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S.-led air campaign against Islamic State militants in Syria, which ground to a near halt in late October, has intensified in recent days. Coalition forces carried out 56 strikes against Islamic State in Syria in the eight days from Oct. 30 to Nov. 6 after going the previous eight days with only three strikes, according to U.S. military figures. The United States and its allies carried out a dozen strikes in Syria on Saturday, the U.S. military said in a statement on Sunday.

Russia, Britain ramp up efforts to return stuck Egypt tourists Posted: 08 Nov 2015 07:58 AM PST Moscow and London ramped up efforts Sunday to bring home thousands of tourists stranded in Egypt's Sharm el-Sheikh resort following the crash of a Russian airliner in the Sinai Peninsula. Britain and the United States, as well as international investigators, suspect a bomb exploded on board the Russian Airbus after it took off from the Red Sea resort last Saturday en route to Saint Petersburg, killing all 224 people on board. The Islamic State group's branch in the Sinai has claimed responsibility, but Egyptian officials insist there is no evidence yet of an attack on the plane.

Boko Haram suicide bombing 'kills two in Chad' Posted: 08 Nov 2015 06:11 AM PST N'Djamena (AFP) - A twin suicide bombing by women attackers in the flashpoint area of Lake Chad on Sunday killed two people and wounded 14 others, a security source in the Chadian capital N'Djamena said. "The two women suicide bombers and two civilians died in the blast," the source told AFP on condition of anonymity, adding that "14 others were injured" in the attack blamed on Nigeria's Boko Haram group on Ngouboua village near the Nigerian border. The village has suffered repeated attacks by Boko Haram jihadists since they first launched operations in Chad in February.

Queen leads Britain in annual service honoring war dead Posted: 08 Nov 2015 06:10 AM PST LONDON (AP) — Across Britain, people paused for a moment's silent reflection Sunday to remember the country's war dead as Queen Elizabeth II led an annual service in the capital.

Afghan official: Rival Taliban groups battle each other Posted: 08 Nov 2015 06:00 AM PST KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AP) — Taliban insurgents loyal to rival leaders have been fighting in a southeastern province of Afghanistan, where about 50 men on both sides have been killed in two days, an Afghan official said Sunday.

U.S., allies conduct 31 strikes against Islamic State: U.S. military Posted: 08 Nov 2015 05:54 AM PST The United States and its allies conducted 31 strikes against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria on Saturday, the U.S. military said in a statement on Sunday. The attacks included 12 against fighting units and an Islamic State supply cache in Syria and 19 in Iraq.

Mustard gas in Syria: What happened to the ban on chemical weapons? Posted: 08 Nov 2015 05:40 AM PST At least two people were exposed to mustard gas in Syria in August and one of the two, an infant, died. Evidence of chemical weapons was found in Marea, a northern town in Syria, where Islamic State insurgents were fighting another rebel group, according to a confidential report by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). It is the first time chemical weapons have been found in Syria since 2014, when Syria agreed to clear out any remaining stash of chemical weapons, including sulfur mustard.

UK 'letting down' allies by not joining IS strikes: defence chief Posted: 08 Nov 2015 05:21 AM PST The head of Britain's armed forces on Sunday said the country was "letting down" allies by not participating in air strikes against Islamic State group jihadists in Syria. Britain is part of a coalition hitting IS targets in Iraq, but its parliament has yet to be convinced of the need to join air strikes in neighbouring Syria and an influential committee of MPs recently advised against action. "To an extent yes, we are letting our allies down by not being a full player," General Nicholas Houghton, the chief of the defence staff, told Sky News on Sunday.

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