Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• State Department gets undiplomatic with Russian TV reporter
• Three Islamic State leaders killed in recent strikes: U.S. military
• IS finance chief killed in Iraq air strike: US
• Islamic extremists ignored contact attempts by wife in California shooting: sources
• Court faces dilemma following Planned Parenthood outburst
• Islamic State oil is going to Assad, some to Turkey, U.S. official says
• UK police smash fraud network linked to Syria
• Factbox: Host of 'riders' piggyback on U.S. Congress spending bill
• Syrian opposition to meet government for talks in early January
• Trump, Cruz Are Denounced in Senate for Shutting Out Muslims
• Feds Arrest 'Emir' of an ISIS-Related Recruitment Effort in Minnesota
• British soldier who lost his leg in Iraq combats Islamophobia on Facebook
• Erdogan says Turkish troops not leaving Iraq yet
• Islamic State menace rising in Africa, experts warn
• US says airstrikes killed 350 in Ramadi, Iraq, in past week
• How Minnesota Muslims are countering Islamist propaganda
• Turkish PM talks to U.S. VP Biden over Iraq soldiers row: prime ministry sources
• U.S. vice president, Turkish prime minister discuss Iraq tensions in call
• House members join Senate war authorization push
• Finland arrests twins for killing 11 in 2014 Iraq massacre
• New Jersey man pleads guilty to conspiring to support Islamic State
• Anonymous reveals the next phase in its cyber war with ISIS
• Thinking of installing solar panels? Google’s Project Sunroof expands to more states
• Cruz defends dictators, NSA limits in security speech
• U.S. wants Turkey 'to do more' to stem flow of money and fighters from Syria
• U.S. says Islamic State has made $1.5 billion from bank looting, oil sales
• First Greek 'hotspot' struggles to manage migrant flow to Europe
• Merkel's party says burqa should not be worn in Germany
• Tunisian Nobel laureates blast terror, from Tunis to Paris
• Turkey: No plans to pull out troops stationed in Iraq
• Dutch court convicts six for recruiting IS jihadists
• Man living in Iraq wins $6.4 million Oregon jackpot
• Finland arrests 2 Iraqis suspected of killing for IS
• Iraqi forces dislodge Islamic State militants from two key areas in Ramadi
• Key Syria rebel group quits opposition talks
• US keeps wraps on new commando force for Iraq
• Iran recruits Pakistani Shi'ites for combat in Syria
• IS destroys bridge as Iraqi forces close in on Ramadi
• Majority of U.S. millennials support troops to fight ISIS: poll
• US administration backs bill tightening visa-free travel

State Department gets undiplomatic with Russian TV reporter Posted: 10 Dec 2015 04:56 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S.-Russian tensions broke out in undiplomatic fashion in an unlikely place Thursday: the State Department briefing room.

Three Islamic State leaders killed in recent strikes: U.S. military Posted: 10 Dec 2015 04:38 PM PST By Idrees Ali WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria has killed the group's finance minister and two other senior leaders in air strikes in recent weeks, a U.S. military spokesman said on Thursday. Army Colonel Steve Warren told a Pentagon briefing coalition strikes had killed Abu Salah, Islamic State's financial minister, in late November.

IS finance chief killed in Iraq air strike: US Posted: 10 Dec 2015 04:19 PM PST A coalition air strike killed an Islamic State finance chief in Iraq last month, the US military said Thursday, hailing it as another scalp in its bid to shatter the extremists' financial network. Abu Saleh was killed in late November, US military spokesman Colonel Steve Warren said in a videoconference from Baghdad, calling him "one of the most senior and experienced members" of the group's financial system. "Abu Saleh was the third member of the finance network that we have killed" recently, Warren added, likening him to a finance minister for the extremist group, which has grabbed swathes of Iraq and Syria in a brutal offensive of beheadings and forced religious conversions.

Islamic extremists ignored contact attempts by wife in California shooting: sources Posted: 10 Dec 2015 04:08 PM PST WASHINGTON/SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (Reuters) - Islamic militant groups ignored contact attempts from Pakistan-born Tashfeen Malik in the months before she and her husband killed 14 people at a California holiday party, probably because they feared getting caught in a U.S. law enforcement sting, U.S. government sources said on Thursday. Disclosures of her overtures to extremists abroad surfaced as the investigation of the Dec. 2 shooting rampage in San Bernardino, about 60 miles (100 km) east of Los Angeles, took a new turn with divers searching a small lake near the scene of the massacre. One source said investigators have little, if any, evidence that Malik or her husband, Syed Rizwan Farook, 28, had any direct contact with Islamic State, which has seized control of large swaths of Syria and Iraq and claimed responsibility for assaults in Paris last month that left 130 people dead.

Court faces dilemma following Planned Parenthood outburst Posted: 10 Dec 2015 03:51 PM PST DENVER (AP) — The man who launched a deadly attack on a Planned Parenthood clinic could push a Colorado court into a tricky decision: Was it was an act of political zealotry or mental illness?

Islamic State oil is going to Assad, some to Turkey, U.S. official says Posted: 10 Dec 2015 03:42 PM PST By Guy Faulconbridge and Jonathan Saul LONDON (Reuters) - Islamic State militants have made more than $500 million trading oil with significant volumes sold to the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and some finding its way to Turkey, a senior U.S. Treasury official said on Thursday. The United States, France, Britain and Russia have vowed to defeat Islamic State, which uses an extreme interpretation of Islam to justify attacks and brutality in large parts of Syria and Iraq that it controls. A U.S.-led coalition is bombing the hardline Sunni group, as is Assad's only big-power supporter Russia, in an attempt to kill its leaders and cripple the oil wells which the group uses to finance its rule and attacks abroad.

UK police smash fraud network linked to Syria Posted: 10 Dec 2015 03:11 PM PST Britain convicted nine men in a case of "industrial-scale fraud" on Thursday after a terrorism investigation uncovered suspect payments into an account of a person who had travelled to Syria. In a £1 million (1.4 million euro) scam, the men targeted elderly and vulnerable people in the south of England by pretending to inform them of bank fraud, then persuading them to hand over cash to "keep it safe", police said. "We uncovered this fraud after a separate terrorist investigation found suspicious payments into a bank account of an individual who is now believed to have travelled to Syria," said Richard Walton, head of the Metropolitan Police's counter-terrorism unit.

Factbox: Host of 'riders' piggyback on U.S. Congress spending bill Posted: 10 Dec 2015 02:59 PM PST (Reuters) - Trying to avert a federal government shutdown, the U.S. Congress is scrambling to complete a $1.15 trillion spending bill that could become loaded down with dozens of unrelated amendments. The following are some of the so-called riders being considered, based on discussions with lawmakers and aides, that range from ending a ban on crude oil exports to tightening screening for Syrian refugees: REPUBLICAN PROPOSALSCrude oil exports. With oil prices near seven-year lows, producers are desperate to lift a ban on U.S. crude exports.

Syrian opposition to meet government for talks in early January Posted: 10 Dec 2015 02:04 PM PST By Angus McDowall RIYADH (Reuters) - A joint team of Syria's political and armed opposition will meet the government next month for talks seeking a political solution to nearly five years of conflict, the chairman of a Saudi-hosted opposition conference said on Friday. More than 100 members of Syria's opposition parties and rebel fighting groups agreed at the end of two days of talks in Riyadh to work together to prepare for peace talks with President Bashar al-Assad's government.

Trump, Cruz Are Denounced in Senate for Shutting Out Muslims Posted: 10 Dec 2015 01:18 PM PST At a time when bipartisan agreement on anything is increasingly rare in Washington, a powerful Senate panel on Thursday gave strong bipartisan approval to an amendment expressing disapproval of any proposal, such as one recently floated by Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump, that non-citizen Muslims be denied entry to the United States on the basis of their religion.

Feds Arrest 'Emir' of an ISIS-Related Recruitment Effort in Minnesota Posted: 10 Dec 2015 01:10 PM PST Federal authorities have arrested a Minnesota man for allegedly leading an effort inside the United States to send others to join ISIS in Syria. He is among at least 10 youth from Minnesota who allegedly began planning to join ISIS more than a year ago. Nine have now been arrested, and one -- 18-year-old Abdi Nir -- made it to Syria, where since May 2014 he has been recruiting and assisting others inside the United States to join ISIS, authorities said.

British soldier who lost his leg in Iraq combats Islamophobia on Facebook Posted: 10 Dec 2015 01:06 PM PST Amid the cacophony of commentators and candidates clamoring to denounce Donald Trump's call to ban Muslims from entering the U.S., one of the most powerful challenges to recent anti-Muslim sentiments comes from a fed-up British soldier on Facebook.

Erdogan says Turkish troops not leaving Iraq yet Posted: 10 Dec 2015 01:01 PM PST (Reuters) - Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday said it was "out of the question for the moment" that Turkish troops would withdraw from Iraq, after Baghdad accused Ankara of sending them in without permission. The row has badly soured relations and saw the Turkish ambassador to Iraq summoned on Saturday to demand that Turkey immediately withdraw hundreds of troops deployed in recent days in northern Iraq, near the Islamic State-controlled city of Mosul. Iraq's foreign ministry said Turkish forces had entered Iraqi territory without the knowledge of Baghdad, which viewed their presence as a "hostile act".

Islamic State menace rising in Africa, experts warn Posted: 10 Dec 2015 12:51 PM PST Two African extremist movements affiliated with the Islamic State group could become a major threat on the continent if they come together and boost cooperation, US experts warn. For now, Libyan Islamist rebels that have proclaimed allegiance to IS and Boko Haram in Nigeria have traded little more than praise over the Internet, along with probably some fighters and weapons. Boko Haram has renamed itself Islamic State's West Africa Province (ISWAP).

US says airstrikes killed 350 in Ramadi, Iraq, in past week Posted: 10 Dec 2015 12:48 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. airstrikes in recent days killed an estimated 350 Islamic State fighters holed up in the western Iraqi city of Ramadi, an American military spokesman said Thursday, suggesting the extremists lost as much as half of their defending force.

How Minnesota Muslims are countering Islamist propaganda Posted: 10 Dec 2015 12:41 PM PST Abdirizak Mohamed Warsame, 20, is one of ten Minnesota men charged with conspiring to help the Islamic State. Court documents allege Warsame tried to help other members of Minnesota's Somali community travel to Syria to fight for the Islamic State. Warsame planned to enter Syria by way of Mexico.

Turkish PM talks to U.S. VP Biden over Iraq soldiers row: prime ministry sources Posted: 10 Dec 2015 12:36 PM PST ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey's Prime Minister on Thursday evening told U.S. Vice President Joe Biden by telephone that Turkey respects Iraq's sovereignty, amid a row over Turkish troops deployed in Iraqi territory, prime ministry sources said. U.S. officials requested the call, the sources said, in which Davutoglu emphasized that Ankara stands alongside Baghdad in its struggle against Islamic State. A letter expressing these sentiments was also being delivered to the Iraqi PM by a high level Turkish delegation. (Reporting by Jonny Hogg and Ercan Gurses; Editing by Toby Chopra)

U.S. vice president, Turkish prime minister discuss Iraq tensions in call Posted: 10 Dec 2015 12:36 PM PST U.S. Vice President Joe Biden spoke to Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Thursday about the fight against Islamic State and tensions between Turkey and Iraq, the White House said in a statement. "The leaders ... discussed ongoing developments in Iraq, emphasizing the importance of defusing recent tensions between Turkey and the Government of Iraq in a manner that respects Iraqi sovereignty and fully coordinates counter-ISIL efforts with the Coalition," it said, referring to Islamic State with an acronym.

House members join Senate war authorization push Posted: 10 Dec 2015 12:29 PM PST By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic and Republican members of the House of Representatives joined a Senate push on Thursday for Congress to vote on a formal authorization to use military force against Islamic State, a boost for an effort that has struggled to gain traction among lawmakers. Eight days after an attack in San Bernardino, California, by a couple who pledged loyalty to the militant group, Republican Representative Scott Rigell and Democratic Representative Peter Welch backed a proposal to formally authorize the use of military force, or AUMF, against it.

Finland arrests twins for killing 11 in 2014 Iraq massacre Posted: 10 Dec 2015 12:26 PM PST Finnish police have arrested twin brothers on suspicion of killing 11 people during a 2014 massacre in Iraq claimed by the Islamic State group, officials said on Thursday. The pair, 23-year-old twins from Iraq, were arrested on Tuesday near Forssa, a town in southwestern Finland. "The men are suspected of murdering by gunfire 11 unarmed and defenceless prisoners," the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said in a statement.

New Jersey man pleads guilty to conspiring to support Islamic State Posted: 10 Dec 2015 12:22 PM PST A New Jersey man pleaded guilty on Thursday to conspiring to support Islamic State, the latest conviction in a series of U.S. prosecutions against so-called "lone wolf" sympathizers of the militants who control parts of Iraq and Syria. Nader Saadeh, 20, is among six young men in New York and New Jersey arrested by federal authorities since June as part of a broader investigation. Last week's shooting rampage in San Bernardino, California, by a married couple who authorities believe acted in the name of Islamic State has stoked concern in the United States that other radicalized individuals could be inspired by the group to carry out similar attacks.

Anonymous reveals the next phase in its cyber war with ISIS Posted: 10 Dec 2015 11:30 AM PST To call the Anonymous cyber war on ISIS ineffectual would be an understatement. First the hacking group provided Twitter with several "wildly inaccurate" lists of supposedly ISIS-related accounts. They then frightened Americans by claiming that a series of coordinated attacks (which never came to fruition) would take place in late November. Despite what seemed to be good intentions, the group simply wasn't doing any good. But despite some notable failures, Anonymous might finally have a plan we can all get on board with. DON'T MISS: When did Apple products get so… ugly? Earlier this week, one of the hacktivists of Anonymous released a message on Ghostbin calling for everyone to stand against ISIS on Friday, December 11th by helping to "troll" the terrorist group. As the writer points

Thinking of installing solar panels? Google’s Project Sunroof expands to more states Posted: 10 Dec 2015 11:24 AM PST If you've been thinking about soaking up the sun and providing your home with some energy, it won't be quite as easy as slapping some solar panels on your roof. There are a few things to consider — like whether or not your house even gets enough sunlight to make the investment worth it. Google's Project Sunroof was designed to give homeowners a quick and easy answer to some of the questions they might have about solar panels, like how much they cost and if installing them will save money. The tool, which uses Google Earth's high-resolution aerial mapping technology, launched in August and has now expanded to several more states. Metro areas in California, North Carolina, Nevada, Massachusetts, Arizona, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, and Colorado are now covered by the service. Most of these states made the Solar Energies Industry Association's list of the Top 10 Solar States in 2014. Related:  Iraq is planning a solar powered skyscraper that's 1,000 feet taller than the Burj Khalifa When residents in these states enter their addresses into the tool, it uses data to figure out "how much sunlight your roof gets, the orientation, shade from trees and nearby buildings, and local weather patterns — essentially creating a solar score for every rooftop that it maps," Carl Elkin, the engineering lead for the project, writes in a blog about the expansion. I tried it out with my cousin's address in Phoenix. She gets 2,133 hours of usable sunlight per year (since often-rainy Oregon isn't covered by the tool, I'll just have to assume that's more than Portland), which makes her seem like a good candidate for solar. The tool also shows how much money she'll save, depending on whether she leases or buys the panels, or if she takes out a loan to cover the cost. Putting up the estimated $11,000 (after incentives) will end up saving her about $11,000 over 20 years. Leasing will only save her $1,000 over the same time period, though she wouldn't have to pay anything up front. Of course, for a lot of people, the benefits of going solar aren't all about the savings.

Cruz defends dictators, NSA limits in security speech Posted: 10 Dec 2015 11:09 AM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — Taking on critics in his own party, Republican presidential contender Ted Cruz on Thursday defended Middle East dictators as useful allies against Islamic extremists during a Washington address decrying political correctness and stricter gun laws as an impediment to national security.

U.S. wants Turkey 'to do more' to stem flow of money and fighters from Syria Posted: 10 Dec 2015 11:07 AM PST The United States wants Turkey to do more to stem the flow of cash and money which is crossing the border from militants in Syria and Iraq, senior U.S. Treasury official Adam Szubin said on Thursday. "We are looking to the Turks to do more," Szubin, acting Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence with the U.S. Treasury, said in London.

U.S. says Islamic State has made $1.5 billion from bank looting, oil sales Posted: 10 Dec 2015 10:36 AM PST Islamic State militants have looted up to $1 billion from bank vaults in Syria and Iraq and has made at least another half a billion dollars from black market oil sales, senior U.S. Treasury official Adam Szubin said on Thursday. "ISIL has made more than $500 million from black market oil sales," Szubin, acting Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence with the U.S. Treasury, said in remarks prepared for delivery. "It has looted between $500 million and $1 billion from bank vaults captured in Iraq and Syria," Szubin said.

First Greek 'hotspot' struggles to manage migrant flow to Europe Posted: 10 Dec 2015 10:33 AM PST Reuters was given access to the reception center on condition it did not photographs or use the full names of asylum seekers to protect their identities. More than 750,000 of the 900,000 migrants who have arrived in Europe this year landed in Greece, 60 percent on Lesbos. The so-called "hotspot" is one of five such centers Greece has promised the European Union it will establish on its islands by the end of the year, part of measures to manage the refugee crisis.

Merkel's party says burqa should not be worn in Germany Posted: 10 Dec 2015 10:21 AM PST Under pressure to toughen their stance on migrants, German Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives called on Thursday for an effective ban on the burqa, saying the full body covering worn by some Muslim women should not be worn in public. In its main resolution for a looming party congress in the city of Karlsruhe that is shaping up as a test of Merkel's authority, the leadership of her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) resisted calls by some members for an "Obergrenze", or cap on the number of refugees entering Germany. Roughly one million asylum seekers, many from Muslim countries like Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, are expected to arrive in Germany this year, far more than in any other European country.

Tunisian Nobel laureates blast terror, from Tunis to Paris Posted: 10 Dec 2015 10:18 AM PST Tunisia's National Dialogue Quartet on Thursday urged the international community to make the fight against terrorism an "absolute priority", as it was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize at a ceremony in Oslo. "Today, we are in a great need of dialogue between civilisations, and peaceful coexistence... Today, we need to make the fight against terrorism an absolute priority," said Houcine Abassi, secretary general of the Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT), one of the four members of the Quartet.

Turkey: No plans to pull out troops stationed in Iraq Posted: 10 Dec 2015 09:38 AM PST ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Turkey has no intention of pulling out troops that are stationed in Iraq as part of a training mission to help combat the Islamic State group.

Dutch court convicts six for recruiting IS jihadists Posted: 10 Dec 2015 09:01 AM PST A Dutch court on Thursday convicted six men of belonging to a network recruiting young Muslims to join the Islamic State jihadist group, handing them jail terms of up to six years. Three other defendants received lesser sentences for other terror-related charges including a woman, who was jailed for seven days for posting a message on social media deemed as incitement. "The criminal organisation aimed to incite and recruit 'brothers' to travel to fight in Syria and financed them to that end," Judge Rene Elkerbout said at a heavily-fortified courthouse on the outskirts of Amsterdam.

Man living in Iraq wins $6.4 million Oregon jackpot Posted: 10 Dec 2015 08:50 AM PST An Oregon Lottery winner took more than three months to claim his $6.4 million Megabucks jackpot.

Finland arrests 2 Iraqis suspected of killing for IS Posted: 10 Dec 2015 08:19 AM PST HELSINKI (AP) — Finnish police said they have arrested two Iraqi brothers believed to have been members of the Islamic State group in Iraq and suspected of fatally shooting "11 unarmed and defenseless prisoners" in June 2014.

Iraqi forces dislodge Islamic State militants from two key areas in Ramadi Posted: 10 Dec 2015 07:57 AM PST Iraqi security forces have made advances on two fronts in the city of Ramadi, clearing Islamic State militants from a key military command base and a sprawling neighborhood on its western edge, army officials said. Capture of the sprawling western Ramadi district of al-Taamim and the Anbar Operations Command headquarters on Wednesday could advance government efforts to retake Ramadi which fell to Islamic State in May. "Army troops and counter-terrorism forces launched simultaneous offensives from the northern and western fronts and succeeded in making a striking advance," joint operations spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Rasool told Reuters. The center of Ramadi remains under Islamic State control, but Rasool said the militants, which Iraqi intelligence estimates number between 250 and 300 fighters, are losing the initiative and suffering food and ammunition shortages after government forces cut their last supply line into the city last month.

Key Syria rebel group quits opposition talks Posted: 10 Dec 2015 07:54 AM PST One of Syria's main rebel groups, Ahrar al-Sham, on Thursday pulled out of opposition talks aimed at forging a united front ahead of potential discussions with President Bashar al-Assad's regime. It named the Syria-based National Coordination Committee for Democratic Change, which is generally tolerated by the regime and participated in talks organised by Moscow on the conflict in 2014 and 2015. Allied with the Qaeda-affiliated Al-Nusra Front, Ahrar al-Sham said it "rejects the outcomes" of the meeting which "did not affirm the identity of our Muslim people" in Syria.

US keeps wraps on new commando force for Iraq Posted: 10 Dec 2015 07:54 AM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — The commando force that President Barack Obama is dispatching to Iraq to conduct clandestine raids against the Islamic State group does not fit neatly into a picture of the U.S. military strategy for defeating the extremist army.

Iran recruits Pakistani Shi'ites for combat in Syria Posted: 10 Dec 2015 07:49 AM PST By Babak Dehghanpisheh BEIRUT (Reuters) - For years, websites linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guard have posted articles eulogizing Shi'ite fighters who die in Syria. The men were part of the Zeinabiyoun, a unit of Pakistani fighters named for a granddaughter of the prophet Mohammad buried in the shrine, the latest contingent in an Iranian drive to recruit Shi'ites from the region to fight in Syria. While there has been no official announcement of their total numbers, a regional source familiar with the issue said there were hundreds of Pakistanis fighting in Syria, many stationed around the shrine of Mohammad's granddaughter Zeinab.

IS destroys bridge as Iraqi forces close in on Ramadi Posted: 10 Dec 2015 07:23 AM PST BAGHDAD (AP) — Besieged Islamic State militants in the Iraqi city of Ramadi destroyed a lock on the Euphrates River that served as a bridge as government forces on Thursday sought to cement their gains around the militant-held city west of Baghdad.

Majority of U.S. millennials support troops to fight ISIS: poll Posted: 10 Dec 2015 07:02 AM PST A majority of U.S. young adults support sending ground troops to fight Islamic State militants, though fewer than one in five would be willing to serve themselves, according to a Harvard University poll released on Thursday. Some 60 percent of respondents aged 18 to 29 told Harvard's Institute of Politics they either "strongly" or "somewhat" supported sending ground troops to combat militants who have seized territory in Syria and Iraq, as well as orchestrated or inspired deadly attacks in California. Despite their support for sending troops, 85 percent of respondents told pollsters they would "definitely" or "probably" not be willing to join the military.

US administration backs bill tightening visa-free travel Posted: 10 Dec 2015 06:17 AM PST The US administration backs a bill that would make it harder for visitors to Iraq, Syria and countries listed as supporting terrorism to travel visa-free to the United States, the State Department said Wednesday. The House of Representatives voted 407 to 19 on Tuesday in support of the Visa Waiver Program Improvement Act of 2015, a measure the White House supports on the heels of deadly attacks in Paris that were conducted by extremists who could have traveled to the United States without a visa.

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