Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• Parliament set to vote for Syria air strikes
• US Special Operations Forces Expanding in Iraq to Battle ISIS
• Putin Isn't the Hero in Story of Russian Strategy
• Senior officer says London police could handle Paris-style attack
• Russia wants UN to tighten crackdown on terrorist financing
• British parliament set to vote for Syria air strikes
• Soldier who lost all 4 limbs hopes book inspires others
• Obama tells Russia, Turkey to focus on IS
• UN experts: Up to 3,000 Islamic State fighters in Libya
• Storehouse Tea Relocates to #TheHildebrandt Building
• U.S. deploying new force to Iraq to boost fight against Islamic State
• Anti-war protesters march in London on eve of Syria strikes vote
• U.S. says wants to keep up momentum in Syria peace talks
• 200 US special forces to fight IS jihadists in Iraq, Syria
• U.S. bombing wider Islamic State oil supply chain: Obama nominee
• US to Deploy Special Forces in Iraq
• 'Visa waiver' travelers would be fingerprinted under Senate bill
• US sending new special ops force to fight Islamic State
• Tunisia dismisses security officials after suicide bus bombing
• PM Abadi says Iraq does not need foreign ground troops
• Iraqi Shi'ite militias pledge to fight U.S. forces if deployed
• IS pushes east in Libya amid government air strikes
• More boots on the ground: Obama authorizes special ops to fight ISIS
• Senior Arab politician gunned down in Iraq's Kirkuk
• US security experts back settling Syrian refugees
• Islamic State in Libya hampered by lack of fighters: U.N. experts
• National security experts back settling Syrian refugees
• Deadly Puzzle: ISIS's American Supporters 'Defy Easy Analysis'
• UN report says IS struggling to expand in Libya
• House passes US intelligence bill with policy guidelines
• House passes intelligence bill with policy guidelines
• U.S. defense leaders back congressional war authorization vote
• Islamic State's online supporters include 300 Americans: report
• NATO allies act to strengthen Turkey's air defenses
• Diplomats: NATO to invite Montenegro to join alliance
• German cabinet approves military aid for IS fight
• Sen. Joni Ernst retires from Iowa National Guard
• Cameron says government unanimous on Syria strikes, unlike opposition
• Iraqi Sunnis accelerate push to make their voices heard
• Iraqi Kurdistan minister says no link between oil sales and Islamic State

Parliament set to vote for Syria air strikes Posted: 01 Dec 2015 05:15 PM PST Parliament is set to vote on Wednesday to approve air strikes against Islamic State militants in Syria after months of wrangling over whether enough opposition Labour MPs would back military action. Prime Minister David Cameron has said he believes British warplanes, which have been bombing Islamic State targets in Iraq for more than a year, should also be tackling the group in Syria rather than "sub-contract" UK security to other countries. The election of veteran anti-war campaigner Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader in September complicated his plans.

US Special Operations Forces Expanding in Iraq to Battle ISIS Posted: 01 Dec 2015 05:10 PM PST Defense Secretary Ash Carter told Congress today that the U.S. would establish a special operations "targeting force" in Iraq as part of the intensified military effort to fight ISIS. The special operations force would conduct raids, could free hostages held by ISIS, gather intelligence and capture ISIS leaders in both Iraq and Syria. It is part of the broader role for U.S. special operations forces that Carter said would occur in the wake of the raid in late October where U.S. special operations forces helped free 70 ISIS hostages in northern Iraq.

Putin Isn't the Hero in Story of Russian Strategy Posted: 01 Dec 2015 05:09 PM PST In 1992, in the Central Asian winter that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union, I hit upon a slightly crazy, but also most unusual, path to adventure. In fact, this moment is not unlike my winter's moment in 1992 when most of the world misunderstood the Soviet collapse for the simple reason that they did not understand the country from within.

Senior officer says London police could handle Paris-style attack Posted: 01 Dec 2015 05:07 PM PST By Michael Holden LONDON (Reuters) - London police could deal with an attack by heavily armed marauding terrorists, one of the capital's most senior officers said on Wednesday, rejecting suggestions the mostly unarmed force would struggle to cope with a Paris-style assault. Following the attacks last month when militants killed 130 people and injured hundreds more at sites across Paris, critics said police in London had neither the numbers of armed officers nor the weaponry to deal with a similar incident. Yes we do," Assistant Commissioner Patricia Gallan told reporters.

Russia wants UN to tighten crackdown on terrorist financing Posted: 01 Dec 2015 05:04 PM PST UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Russia hopes to circulate a draft resolution to the Security Council very soon that will tighten the U.N. crackdown on the financing of terrorist groups including the Islamic State extremist group, the country's U.N. ambassador said Tuesday.

British parliament set to vote for Syria air strikes Posted: 01 Dec 2015 04:44 PM PST Britain's parliament is set to vote on Wednesday to approve air strikes against Islamic State militants in Syria after months of wrangling over whether enough opposition Labour lawmakers would back military action. Prime Minister David Cameron has said he believes British warplanes, which have been bombing Islamic State targets in Iraq for more than a year, should also be tackling the group in Syria rather than "sub-contract" UK security to other countries. The election of veteran anti-war campaigner Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader in September complicated his plans.

Soldier who lost all 4 limbs hopes book inspires others Posted: 01 Dec 2015 04:38 PM PST AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — A soldier who lost all four limbs during an explosion in Afghanistan hopes to inspire others with his story of how he recovered from his injuries and got on with his life partly by helping other amputees.

Obama tells Russia, Turkey to focus on IS Posted: 01 Dec 2015 04:34 PM PST US President Barack Obama led calls Tuesday for Turkey and Russia to end their dispute over the downing of a Russian fighter jet and focus instead on the real enemy -- Islamic State jihadists. It came as Obama's Pentagon chief said the US would increasingly rely on special operations forces to battle IS fighters in Iraq and Syria, where the extremists have seized huge swathes of territory including oil fields used to fund their activities. The US president said he was sure that Russia would soon change tack in Syria and back a political solution to the bloody conflict after years of supporting long-time ally President Bashar al-Assad, who Washington insists must step down.

UN experts: Up to 3,000 Islamic State fighters in Libya Posted: 01 Dec 2015 04:25 PM PST UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The Islamic State group has between 2,000 and 3,000 fighters in Libya and has demonstrated its intention to control more territory in the strategically located North African country — but it is only one player among multiple warring factions, United Nations experts said in a report Tuesday.

Storehouse Tea Relocates to #TheHildebrandt Building Posted: 01 Dec 2015 04:25 PM PST CLEVELAND, Dec. 1, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Storehouse Tea, Northeast Ohio's premier hand crafter of Organic and Fair Trade loose leaf tea has joined the growing group of artisan food producers at the historic Hildebrandt Building. "It's a beautiful thing to watch our refugee employees assemble the Back to Jerusalem teas to help other refugees in Iraq," said Paula Hershman, President and founder of Storehouse Tea. Storehouse Tea is Northeast Ohio's premier hand crafter of Certified Organic and Certified Fair Trade loose leaf teas. Offering more than 50 varieties, Storehouse Tea is committed to bringing its customers the finest organic teas from around the world.

U.S. deploying new force to Iraq to boost fight against Islamic State Posted: 01 Dec 2015 04:16 PM PST By Phil Stewart and Yeganeh Torbati WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States said on Tuesday it was deploying a new force of special operations troops to Iraq to conduct raids against Islamic State there and in neighboring Syria, a ratcheting up of Washington's campaign against the group that met a cool reaction in Iraq. U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said the deployment of the new "specialized expeditionary targeting force" was being carried out in coordination with Iraq's government and would aid Iraqi government security forces and Kurdish peshmerga forces.

Anti-war protesters march in London on eve of Syria strikes vote Posted: 01 Dec 2015 04:09 PM PST Thousands of protesters gathered in central London on Tuesday in an effort to stop Britain joining air strikes on Islamic State targets in Syria, a day before a parliamentary vote on the move. A crowd of around 4,000 marched from parliament to the headquarters of the ruling Conservative party and main opposition Labour party nearby, in the second major London protest on the issue in four days. "We're here to say one simple thing: 'Don't bomb Syria.

U.S. says wants to keep up momentum in Syria peace talks Posted: 01 Dec 2015 04:01 PM PST By Louis Charbonneau and Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United States on Tuesday voiced the hope that momentum in talks aimed at hammering out a peace plan to end Syria's nearly five-year civil war could continue, and said the next meeting of major world powers could take place this month in New York. "There is significant enthusiasm to keep the momentum going, particularly with regard to thinking through whether local ceasefires might be possible on an expedited basis," U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power told reporters. The first two rounds of talks on Syria among major Western and Middle Eastern powers were held in Vienna.

200 US special forces to fight IS jihadists in Iraq, Syria Posted: 01 Dec 2015 03:34 PM PST The United States will increasingly rely on special operations troops to battle Islamic State jihadists in Iraq and Syria, US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said Tuesday, while calling on international powers to beef up their own efforts. Speaking to lawmakers in the House Armed Services Committee, the Pentagon chief said he was deploying a "specialized expeditionary targeting force" to Iraq to work alongside local Iraqi and Kurdish peshmerga forces battling the IS group. The jihadists captured vast areas of territory and several key cities across Iraq and Syria last year, and the United States and its allies have been struggling to defeat them ever since.

U.S. bombing wider Islamic State oil supply chain: Obama nominee Posted: 01 Dec 2015 03:21 PM PST By Timothy Gardner WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has stepped up the bombing of the Islamic State militant group's oil operations including drilling and trucking to go beyond hitting mostly mobile refineries, President Barack Obama's nominee for Assistant Secretary of State for energy said on Tuesday. "What you've seen over the last few weeks is a stepped up approach that is not only more bombings, but a different kind of bombing," Amos Hochstein, currently energy envoy at the department, told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. About 43 percent of Islamic State's oil revenue has been affected by U.S.-led strikes over the past month, U.S. General Joe Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in testimony to a separate congressional panel.

US to Deploy Special Forces in Iraq Posted: 01 Dec 2015 03:21 PM PST U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter announced today that the U.S. will be sending a specialized force aimed at conducting raids to Iraq. Carter said that the new force will be stationed in Iraq but would be positioned to conduct operations in Syria if necessary. The following visualizations show the number of troops stationed in Iraq over time, U.S. Military Troop Strength and number of troops stationed abroad in 2015.

'Visa waiver' travelers would be fingerprinted under Senate bill Posted: 01 Dec 2015 03:14 PM PST Travelers to the United States from "visa waiver" nations would have to provide fingerprints and photos under a U.S. Senate bill to intensify scrutiny of foreigners, one of several border-tightening measures offered since the Paris attacks. The measure is the latest to propose tightening U.S. border control since the Nov. 13 shootings and bombings in France by Islamic State militants that left 130 people dead, triggering a wave of fear across the United States. The bill was introduced on Tuesday by a bipartisan group of senators led by Democrat Dianne Feinstein and Republican Jeff Flake.

US sending new special ops force to fight Islamic State Posted: 01 Dec 2015 03:13 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military will deploy a new special operations force to Iraq to step up the fight against Islamic State militants who are unleashing violence and are determined to hold territory they have seized in Iraq and Syria, Defense Secretary Ash Carter told Congress on Tuesday.

Tunisia dismisses security officials after suicide bus bombing Posted: 01 Dec 2015 02:47 PM PST Tunisia's government on Tuesday dismissed five senior officials, including the interior ministry's top security chief, a week after a suicide bombing killed 12 presidential guards in an attack in the center of the capital. Tunisia, mostly a haven of stability since its 2011 revolt against autocrat Zine Abidine Ben Ali, is increasingly being challenged by Islamist militants and authorities have kept a state of emergency in place since the Nov. 24 attack. The prime minister's office said that the secretary of state for security "has been relieved of his post" and the interior ministry said four other senior officials were dismissed.

PM Abadi says Iraq does not need foreign ground troops Posted: 01 Dec 2015 02:08 PM PST BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said on Tuesday his country did not need foreign ground troops, after the United States said it was sending an elite special unit to help combat Islamic State. "The Iraqi government stresses that any military operation or the deployment of any foreign forces - special or not - in any place in Iraq cannot happen without its approval and coordination and full respect of Iraqi sovereignty," Abadi said in a statement. (Reporting By Stephen Kalin; Editing by Ruth Pitchford)

Iraqi Shi'ite militias pledge to fight U.S. forces if deployed Posted: 01 Dec 2015 02:08 PM PST Powerful Iraqi Shi'ite Muslim armed groups on Tuesday pledged to fight any U.S. forces deployed in the country after the United States said it was sending an elite special unit to help combat Islamic State. Defense Secretary Ash Carter offered few details on the new "expeditionary" group, but said it would be larger than the roughly 50 U.S. special operations troops being sent to Syria to fight the ultra-hardline Sunni militants there. A U.S. defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the new force will be based in Iraq.

IS pushes east in Libya amid government air strikes Posted: 01 Dec 2015 01:49 PM PST The Islamic State group is pushing eastward from its Libyan stronghold toward an oil hub but the government is trying to prevent this with air strikes, a senior officer said Tuesday. In Paris, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said the situation in the North African country will be "the big issue in the coming months", noting how "terrorism constantly mutates". IS, which already controls large swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria, has exploited the chaos that spread across Libya after veteran dictator Moamer Kadhafi was toppled and killed in a 2011 uprising.

More boots on the ground: Obama authorizes special ops to fight ISIS Posted: 01 Dec 2015 01:46 PM PST In the wake of the Paris attacks, Hillary Clinton delivered a speech in New York last week where she spoke for an hour but her message was short: "The time for delay is over. Recommended: How much do you know about the Islamic State? Obama famously called the Paris attacks an "act against humanity" and offered France air support and military intelligence.

Senior Arab politician gunned down in Iraq's Kirkuk Posted: 01 Dec 2015 01:24 PM PST The most senior Arab member of the Kirkuk provincial council was gunned down Tuesday in the northern Iraqi city, officials said, a killing likely to stoke tensions in the province. Gunmen sprayed Mohammed Khalil al-Juburi's car with bullets in central Kirkuk, the provincial capital, killing him and wounding his wife, a police colonel said. Khalid al-Mufraji, a member of the Iraqi federal parliament, also confirmed Juburi's death and the wounding of his wife.

US security experts back settling Syrian refugees Posted: 01 Dec 2015 12:58 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — Former top national security officials from Republican and Democratic administrations urged Congress on Tuesday to continue allowing the resettlement of Syrian and Iraqi refugees in the United States.

Islamic State in Libya hampered by lack of fighters: U.N. experts Posted: 01 Dec 2015 12:57 PM PST By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - A bid by Islamic State to expand its territory in Libya has been hampered by a lack of fighters and the militant group is struggling to win local support because it is viewed as an "outsider," according to a report by United Nations experts. Islamic State in Libya has between 2,000 and 3,000 fighters and is the only affiliate known to have received support and guidance from the extremist group's stronghold in Syria and Iraq, said the U.N. experts, who monitor Islamic State (ISIL) and al Qaeda-linked groups for the U.N. Security Council. In a 24-page report circulated to reporters on Tuesday, they said most Islamic State fighters are in the city of Sirte and while the group has "clearly demonstrated" its intention to control more territory in Libya, it seems "limited in its ability" to expand quickly.

National security experts back settling Syrian refugees Posted: 01 Dec 2015 12:49 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — Former top national security officials from Republican and Democratic administrations urged Congress on Tuesday to continue allowing the resettlement of Syrian and Iraqi refugees in the United States.

Deadly Puzzle: ISIS's American Supporters 'Defy Easy Analysis' Posted: 01 Dec 2015 12:45 PM PST The average age of those arrested and several killed in violent confrontations with law enforcement was 26 -- but some who became radicalized and enamored by ISIS were in their teens and some were pushing retirement age, the study by the Program on Extremism found. The pool of Americans supporting ISIS is not only unprecedented in the number of terrorism arrests since the 9/11 attacks in 2001, but includes women, who account for 14 percent of the arrests in a startling new trend largely unseen in U.S. counter-terrorism. The ISIS "caliphate," which tries to appear as a legitimate state, is "emboldening individuals and groups" to travel or support the group inside the U.S. homeland, said LAPD chief of counter-terrorism Michael Downing at a discussion of the report in Washington.

UN report says IS struggling to expand in Libya Posted: 01 Dec 2015 12:35 PM PST The Islamic State group has no more than 2,000 to 3,000 fighters in Libya and is struggling to expand its foothold in the north African country, a UN report said Tuesday. The jihadist group, which controls large swaths of territory in Syria and Iraq, still poses a threat to Libya but the report cited several weaknesses in its operations in what has been widely viewed as an IS rear base. "ISIL is only one player among multiple warring factions in Libya and faces strong resistance from the population as well as difficulties in building and maintaining local alliances," said the report by a sanctions monitoring team.

House passes US intelligence bill with policy guidelines Posted: 01 Dec 2015 12:26 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — The House has passed a bill authorizing a 7 percent spending increase for US intelligence agencies and pressing President Barack Obama to produce a strategy to defeat the Islamic State.

House passes intelligence bill with policy guidelines Posted: 01 Dec 2015 12:17 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — The House has passed a bill authorizing a 7 percent spending increase for intelligence agencies and presses President Barack Obama to produce a strategy to defeat the Islamic State.

U.S. defense leaders back congressional war authorization vote Posted: 01 Dec 2015 12:16 PM PST By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter and the top U.S. military officer, Marine Corps General Joseph Dunford, said on Tuesday Congress should debate and vote on a formal authorization to use military force against Islamic State. Both told a House of Representatives hearing such a vote would aid the fight against the Islamist group, which has seized swathes of territory in Syria and Iraq, although they stressed they did not feel the administration was legally required to obtain such an authorization.

Islamic State's online supporters include 300 Americans: report Posted: 01 Dec 2015 12:08 PM PST Active online supporters of the Syria-based Islamic State movement now include about 300 people identifiable as Americans, said a study by academic experts published on Tuesday. George Washington University's Program on Extremism said in the study that the number of other Americans who passively "consume" Islamic State propaganda runs to "several thousand," though they are not necessarily active supporters of the group. Twitter is the "platform of choice" most widely used by the active core of American supporters of Islamic State, it said.

NATO allies act to strengthen Turkey's air defenses Posted: 01 Dec 2015 12:07 PM PST By Robin Emmott, Sabine Siebold and Arshad Mohammed BRUSSELS (Reuters) - NATO allies plan to send patrol aircraft and missiles to strengthen Ankara's air defenses on its border with Syria, officials said on Tuesday, following Turkey's shooting-down of a Russian bomber. As NATO countries seek to reassure Ankara over the fallout of Russia's incursions into its air space, a decision by Germany and the United States to remove their Patriot missile batteries from Turkey left other allies to fill the gap.

Diplomats: NATO to invite Montenegro to join alliance Posted: 01 Dec 2015 11:26 AM PST BRUSSELS (AP) — Foreign ministers from NATO countries were expected to invite Montenegro to join the military alliance despite Russia's objection to the move, diplomats said, the latest sign of discord between the West and Moscow even as they both battle the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq.

German cabinet approves military aid for IS fight Posted: 01 Dec 2015 11:07 AM PST The German cabinet on Tuesday approved a mandate offering military assistance to back the international fight against the Islamic State jihadist group following the Paris attacks. The package, which still requires parliamentary approval, covers Tornado reconnaissance jets, a naval frigate and up to 1,200 troops following a French request, the government said in a statement. "The German contribution serves the fight against terrorism under the auspices of the alliance against IS and is aimed at supporting in particular France, Iraq and the international alliance in its fight against IS," the mandate says.

Sen. Joni Ernst retires from Iowa National Guard Posted: 01 Dec 2015 10:05 AM PST DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — U. S. Sen. Joni Ernst has retired from the Iowa Army National Guard.

Cameron says government unanimous on Syria strikes, unlike opposition Posted: 01 Dec 2015 09:30 AM PST By Elizabeth Piper and William James LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister David Cameron said on Tuesday his government had unanimously agreed a motion on air strikes against militants in Syria, portraying the ruling party as united on an issue that has split the Labour opposition. Cameron wants to launch the strikes as soon as possible against Islamic State in Syria, convinced Britain can no longer "sub-contract" its security to other countries after the group said it was behind last month's Paris attacks. New Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn accused Cameron of rushing to war, and appealed to those Labour lawmakers who favour the motion to "think again ... and please cast your vote against supporting this government's military endeavours in Syria".

Iraqi Sunnis accelerate push to make their voices heard Posted: 01 Dec 2015 09:06 AM PST DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A group of prominent Iraqi exiles is making a renewed push to unify the country's disaffected Sunni Arab minority into a cohesive political coalition and say their support is vital for beating back the Islamic State group.

Iraqi Kurdistan minister says no link between oil sales and Islamic State Posted: 01 Dec 2015 09:06 AM PST The Iraqi Kurdish minister for natural resources said on Tuesday reports that the regional government was helping smuggle oil from fields controlled by Islamic State militants were "wild imagination and unsubstantiated". Speaking at a conference in London, Ashti Hawrami reiterated comments made in a statement by the Kurdistan Regional Government's ministry of natural resources on Monday that every drop of oil flowing through its system was accounted for. U.S. defense officials estimate Islamic State was earning about $47 million per month from oil sales prior to October.

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