Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• Massive year-end spending bill includes cybersecurity act
• US Congress set to rein in visa-free travel
• US says Turkey must pull unauthorized forces from Iraq
• Four Turkish troops wounded in IS attack on Iraqi camp
• Massive spending and tax deal at a glance
• Two dozen Qatari hunters kidnapped in Iraq
• US calls on Turkey to pull unauthorized forces from Iraq
• The Latest: UN's Ban calls for global solution to migration
• U.S. spending bill tightens visa waiver program
• IS attack kills 3 Iraqi fighters, wounds 4 Turkish trainers
• Iraq Kurds say repelled major IS offensive
• Everybody Wins Something in the $1.1 Trillion Omnibus Spending Bill
• Efforts to deal with migrant crises at 'a breaking point': UN
• Here Are the Sharpest Attacks on President Obama From GOP Debate
• Iraq approves $88.2 bn budget for 2016
• AP FACT CHECK: Republican debaters go astray
• FBI: Calif. shooters privately discussed commitment to jihad
• US withdrawing 12 warplanes from Turkish air base
• Report and denial that Iranian commander met Putin in Moscow
• Cruz, Rubio clash sharply on national security, immigration
• Carter in Iraq to seek new ways to battle Islamic State
• Catholic patriarch urges end to Israeli-Palestinian violence
• No evidence California attackers were part of terrorist cell-FBI head
• IS fires rockets at Iraq base where Turkish troops stationed: sources
• U.S. defense chief Carter, in Baghdad, seeks to step up Islamic State fight
• US to pull some warplanes out of Turkey
• Four Turkish soldiers injured in Islamic State attack: officials
• Gunmen kidnap at least 26 Qatari nationals in Iraqi desert: officials
• Confusion clouds Saudi Arabia's anti-IS coalition
• Amid battle with IS, Iraq parliament approves next budget
• Iraqi official: Gunmen abduct up to 26 Qatari hunters
• West Point ushers in new era for women in military with first female commandant
• 'Penetrate the internet,' and other strange ideas from last night's Republican debate
• Italy to send troops near Iraq combat zone to protect dam workers
• US defence chief reviews anti-IS war in Baghdad
• Gunmen kidnap at least 26 Qatari hunters in Iraq
• Amnesty accuses Turkey of abusing, forcibly deporting refugees
• Why the Ted Cruz-Marco Rubio debate mattered most
• Qatar confirms citizens kidnapped in Iraq, working for their release

Massive year-end spending bill includes cybersecurity act Posted: 16 Dec 2015 04:45 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — A massive year-end spending measure moving through Congress includes a provision that will encourage companies to share cyber threat information with the government while providing them with liability protections for not acting on information received.

US Congress set to rein in visa-free travel Posted: 16 Dec 2015 03:10 PM PST The US Congress struck a sprawling spending deal overnight that included a measure tightening the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) by excluding certain travelers deemed by Washington to be a risk. The text, which is expected to be voted on within days, includes legislation adopted by the House of Representatives last week which excludes citizens from VWP countries who are also dual nationals from Iran, Iraq, Syria and Sudan. It would also exclude anyone from the 38 participating nations, mainly in Europe and largely US allies and stable democracies, who has traveled to those four countries, or to a country Washington has listed as supporting terrorism, since March 2011.

US says Turkey must pull unauthorized forces from Iraq Posted: 16 Dec 2015 02:56 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States ramped up pressure Wednesday on Turkey to pull unauthorized troops from Iraq, aiming to defuse a dispute that has rankled relations between two countries central to the fight against the Islamic State group.

Four Turkish troops wounded in IS attack on Iraqi camp Posted: 16 Dec 2015 01:56 PM PST Four Turkish soldiers were wounded Wednesday when Islamic State (IS) jihadists fired mortars on a training camp near the Iraqi city of Mosul, Turkish officials said. "We offer condolences to our Iraqi martyr brothers' families and the Iraqi people, and wish the injured a speedy recovery," the Turkish foreign ministry said in a statement.

Massive spending and tax deal at a glance Posted: 16 Dec 2015 01:52 PM PST A divided Congress has reached agreement on a $1.1 trillion spending bill to fund the government for the 2016 budget year and extend $680 billion in tax cuts for businesses and individuals. President Barack ...

Two dozen Qatari hunters kidnapped in Iraq Posted: 16 Dec 2015 12:54 PM PST At least 26 Qatari hunters have been captured in the southern Iraqi desert near Saudi Arabia during a hunting trip, according to officials. The group of Qataris wasn't following government-prescribed safety protocols and had wandered to al-Muthana, an unsecured area on the border of Saudi Arabia, Iraqi officials said.

US calls on Turkey to pull unauthorized forces from Iraq Posted: 16 Dec 2015 12:42 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States is accusing Turkey of sending reinforcements to a training camp in Iraq without permission from Iraq's government.

The Latest: UN's Ban calls for global solution to migration Posted: 16 Dec 2015 12:39 PM PST COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — The latest news on the mass movement of asylum-seekers and migrants to Europe. All times local:

U.S. spending bill tightens visa waiver program Posted: 16 Dec 2015 12:32 PM PST By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Citizens of 38 countries, including many in Europe, will face new restrictions on travel to the United States under changes to the "visa waiver" program tucked into a massive spending bill unveiled in the U.S. Congress on Wednesday. U.S. officials have been eyeing the visa waiver program, which allows citizens of close allies to enter the country without being screened, since last month's Islamic State attacks in Paris. Several of the attackers held European passports that would have allowed them to easily enter the United States under the existing system.

IS attack kills 3 Iraqi fighters, wounds 4 Turkish trainers Posted: 16 Dec 2015 12:29 PM PST IRBIL, Iraq (AP) — Islamic State militants on Wednesday attacked a training camp in Iraq for fighters battling the extremist group, killing three Iraqi Sunni fighters and wounding 10 people, including four of their Turkish trainers, officials said.

Iraq Kurds say repelled major IS offensive Posted: 16 Dec 2015 12:26 PM PST Iraqi Kurdish peshmerga forces repelled a multi-pronged offensive by the Islamic State group in the northern province of Nineveh on Wednesday, officials said. One of the targeted areas included a base housing Turkish soldiers that has been at the heart of a bitter dispute between Baghdad and Ankara. Peshmerga forces repelled coordinated attacks by IS in Nawaran, Bashiqa, Tal Aswad, Khazr and Zardik, the Kurdistan Regional Security Council (KRSC) said.

Everybody Wins Something in the $1.1 Trillion Omnibus Spending Bill Posted: 16 Dec 2015 12:11 PM PST It's a good thing Paul Ryan grew a beard because he's playing Santa Claus this year by giving out $1.1 trillion in "gifts for just about everyone" wrapped up in a massive Omnibus bill. The Republican House Speaker from Wisconsin unveiled a spending package that breaks a yearlong impasse between the White House and congressional Republicans over spending policy heading into the 2016 presidential and congressional campaigns. It is laden with increased funding for military readiness, anti-terrorism activities and economic development and job training funding for both rural and urban areas.

Efforts to deal with migrant crises at 'a breaking point': UN Posted: 16 Dec 2015 11:57 AM PST Humanitarian organisations attempting to help the soaring numbers of people fleeing conflicts and natural disasters around the world are at "a breaking point," UN refugee chief Antonio Guterres warned on Wednesday. "In the last few years, we have seen a staggering escalation of displacement caused both by conflict and by natural hazards," Guterres told a conference in Geneva on the root causes of displacement. Conflicts and serious crises are raging in 27 countries, and six of them -- the Central African Republic, Burundi, Nigeria, South Sudan, Syria and Yemen -- have spilled over to surrounding regions, bringing the total number of countries currently in peril to a staggering 37, the UN said earlier this month.

Here Are the Sharpest Attacks on President Obama From GOP Debate Posted: 16 Dec 2015 11:55 AM PST If you watched last night's Republican presidential debate in Las Vegas, you might think President Obama is running for a third term. Sen. Ted Cruz alone mentioned Obama by name a whopping 15 times, while front-runner Donald Trump named him just once. Marco Rubio, on the other hand, mentioned Obama once by name but referenced the president nine times.

Iraq approves $88.2 bn budget for 2016 Posted: 16 Dec 2015 11:55 AM PST Iraq's parliament adopted Wednesday a 2016 budget of $88.2 billion, based on projected oil prices of $45 per barrel, according to a copy received by AFP. The budget includes oil production the federal government does not now control and envisions a rise in oil prices, meaning revenue may fall short of projections. The 105.8 trillion dinars ($88.2 billion at the 1,200 dinars/dollar rate in use within Iraq) was little changed from the 106 trillion dinars the cabinet proposed last month.

AP FACT CHECK: Republican debaters go astray Posted: 16 Dec 2015 11:53 AM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — The vast complexities of a dangerous world were cast in too-simple terms in the latest Republican presidential debate.

FBI: Calif. shooters privately discussed commitment to jihad Posted: 16 Dec 2015 11:27 AM PST NEW YORK (AP) — The husband-and-wife team who killed 14 people and wounded 21 others this month in San Bernardino, California, communicated privately about jihad and martyrdom before they were married, but there is no evidence to suggest the couple revealed those thoughts publicly on social media, the FBI director said Wednesday.

US withdrawing 12 warplanes from Turkish air base Posted: 16 Dec 2015 11:26 AM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. is withdrawing a dozen warplanes from a Turkish air base, barely a month after they arrived to help Turkey protect its air space and to conduct strikes against Islamic State targets in Syria and Iraq, officials said Wednesday.

Report and denial that Iranian commander met Putin in Moscow Posted: 16 Dec 2015 11:22 AM PST By Bozorgmehr Sharafedin DUBAI (Reuters) - An Iranian news agency said on Wednesday the commander of foreign operations for Tehran's elite Revolutionary Guards had met Russian President Vladimir Putin last week, but his spokesman flatly denied the report. Fars news agency said General Qassem Soleimani, who visited Moscow in July to aid in planning the Russian military intervention in Syria, was back there last week for talks with Putin and senior military and security officials.

Cruz, Rubio clash sharply on national security, immigration Posted: 16 Dec 2015 11:21 AM PST LAS VEGAS (AP) — Sens. Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio clashed sharply over national security and immigration in Tuesday's Republican presidential debate, thrusting their evolving feud to the forefront of the GOP race. Front-runner Donald Trump stood firmly behind his provocative call for banning Muslims from the United States, saying, "We are not talking about religion, we are talking about security."

Carter in Iraq to seek new ways to battle Islamic State Posted: 16 Dec 2015 11:13 AM PST BAGHDAD (AP) — Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Wednesday he came away from meetings with Iraqi leaders with no agreement on the use of Apache attack helicopters or additional military advisers in the battle to retake the key city of Ramadi from Islamic State militants.

Catholic patriarch urges end to Israeli-Palestinian violence Posted: 16 Dec 2015 10:41 AM PST The head of the Roman Catholic Church in the Holy Land called Wednesday in his Christmas message for Israel and the Palestinians to halt a wave of deadly violence while denouncing extremist attacks worldwide. Fouad Twal, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, said the situation necessitated "moderate celebrations" as Bethlehem, the city neighbouring Jerusalem where biblical tradition says Jesus Christ was born, prepared for its Christmas events.

No evidence California attackers were part of terrorist cell-FBI head Posted: 16 Dec 2015 10:25 AM PST By Joseph Ax NEW YORK (Reuters) - There is no evidence a married couple who killed 14 people in California this month were part of a terrorist cell, the head of the FBI said on Wednesday, confirming that investigators believe the pair were inspired but not directed by Islamic State. The Islamist militant group has "revolutionized" terrorism by seeking to inspire such small-scale attacks, FBI Director James Comey said, noting the group uses social media, encrypted communications and slickly produced propaganda to recruit followers around the world.

IS fires rockets at Iraq base where Turkish troops stationed: sources Posted: 16 Dec 2015 09:59 AM PST Islamic State militants fired rockets on Wednesday at a base in northern Iraq where Turkish troops are stationed, and Turkish forces returned fire, Kurdish military sources and Turkish officials told Reuters. The officials said four Turkish soldiers were injured in the attack which was part of a broader offensive by the insurgents on Kurdish positions around the Islamic State stronghold of Mosul. Kurdish official Hemin Hawrami said on Twitter that Kurdish peshmerga forces had repelled multiple attacks on Wednesday by the militants, who deployed nine car bombs and eight suicide attacks.

U.S. defense chief Carter, in Baghdad, seeks to step up Islamic State fight Posted: 16 Dec 2015 09:54 AM PST By Yeganeh Torbati BAGHDAD (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter and Iraqi leaders on Wednesday discussed the idea of greater U.S. contributions to the fight against Islamic State, including an offer of attack helicopters to help retake territory from the insurgent group. Carter said Washington is willing to do more to support Iraqi security forces as they battle Islamic State and eventually set their sights on Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city that has been under the jihadists' control since June 2014.

US to pull some warplanes out of Turkey Posted: 16 Dec 2015 08:48 AM PST A dozen US warplanes that were stationed in Turkey in support of the fight against Islamic State jihadists are being withdrawn from the region, the Pentagon said Wednesday. The announcement came a day after US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter visited Incirlik, and after President Barack Obama said the United States would intensify its fight against the IS group.

Four Turkish soldiers injured in Islamic State attack: officials Posted: 16 Dec 2015 08:26 AM PST Four Turkish soldiers were injured in an attack by Islamic State militants at a base in northern Iraq on Wednesday, officials said. The Turkish troops returned fire on the militants, the officials said. The attack on the base where the troops are stationed was part of a broader offensive Islamic State is waging against Kurdish positions north of the city of Mosul, Kurdish military sources told Reuters.

Gunmen kidnap at least 26 Qatari nationals in Iraqi desert: officials Posted: 16 Dec 2015 08:25 AM PST By Ahmed Rasheed BAGHDAD (Reuters) - About 100 gunmen kidnapped at least 26 Qataris from their desert hunting camp in Iraq near the Saudi border in the early hours of Wednesday, the regional governor and police officials said. Two police officers in Samawa confirmed the kidnappings and said Iraqi security forces had launched a wide-scale search for the Qataris in the area, a largely desolate expanse where armed militia groups predominate. Hunters from various rich Gulf states often make trips to Iraq's southern desert at this time of year.

Confusion clouds Saudi Arabia's anti-IS coalition Posted: 16 Dec 2015 08:24 AM PST By Angus McDowall RIYADH (Reuters) - Some key members of the 34-nation anti-Islamic State coalition announced by Saudi Arabia have a fundamental question: just what is it? Indonesia did not know it was going to be a military alliance, which it does not want to join. "We look forward to learning more about what Saudi Arabia has in mind in terms of this coalition," U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said on Tuesday.

Amid battle with IS, Iraq parliament approves next budget Posted: 16 Dec 2015 08:09 AM PST Iraq's parliament on Wednesday approved next year's budget of nearly 106 trillion Iraqi dinars, or about $89.7 billion, even as the country is embroiled in a costly war against the militant Islamic State ...

Iraqi official: Gunmen abduct up to 26 Qatari hunters Posted: 16 Dec 2015 08:03 AM PST BAGHDAD (AP) — In a remote desert area in southern Iraq, unidentified gunmen driving in SUVs raided a camp for falconry hunters on Wednesday, abducting up to 26 Qataris, Iraqi officials said.

West Point ushers in new era for women in military with first female commandant Posted: 16 Dec 2015 07:45 AM PST In West Point's history, there have been 75 commandants for the Corps of cadets: military leaders who direct future officers' famously rigorous training and discipline. "Diana's operational and command experiences will bring a new and diverse perspective to West Point's leadership team," acting Army Secretary Eric Fanning said in a statement. The high-profile appointment comes amid a major sea change in the US military, less than two weeks after the Pentagon announced that female soldiers would be eligible for combat roles.

'Penetrate the internet,' and other strange ideas from last night's Republican debate Posted: 16 Dec 2015 07:41 AM PST Last night's Republican debate is over, and we're now a safe enough distance to look back. The debate was nominally focused on national security, which means we heard discussion on shutting down the internet, monitoring the internet, warrants — or lack of them — for internet-connected phones, and shouting about who wants to expand the Patriot Act the most. Donald Trump, after earlier comments on "closing that internet up," clarified that he was only looking to close "areas" of the internet.

Italy to send troops near Iraq combat zone to protect dam workers Posted: 16 Dec 2015 07:40 AM PST By Steve Scherer ROME (Reuters) - Italy will deploy 450 troops near the front line with Islamic State militants in Iraq to protect workers carrying out repairs to the Mosul hydro-electric dam, the country's biggest, Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said on Wednesday. Renzi, who has refused overtures from the French and Americans to join in air strikes on Islamic State (IS) in Syria, said the dam project was a concrete way to safeguard civilians and oppose Islamist militants. An Italian company, the Trevi Group, is finalizing a contract with the Iraqi government to make badly needed upgrades to the 3.6-km (2.2-mile) long Mosul dam, which has suffered from structural flaws since it was built in the 1980s.

US defence chief reviews anti-IS war in Baghdad Posted: 16 Dec 2015 07:25 AM PST US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter held talks in Baghdad Wednesday to review progress in the war against the Islamic State group. Carter, who on Tuesday visited a Turkish base that has become a key hub for air raids against the jihadists, met Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and Defence Minister Khaled al-Obeidi.

Gunmen kidnap at least 26 Qatari hunters in Iraq Posted: 16 Dec 2015 07:24 AM PST Turkey, which like Qatar is at odds with various Iraqi groups over regional issues, had 18 of its citizens abducted in Iraq in early September. Dozens of gunmen "kidnapped 27 Qatari hunters... when they were in a camp near the Bassiyah area," Faleh al-Zayadi, the governor of Muthanna province where they were seized, told AFP. "All of those kidnapped are Qatari and a number of members of the ruling family in Qatar are among them," Zayadi said, adding that the kidnappers used more than 50 vehicles mounted with machineguns.

Amnesty accuses Turkey of abusing, forcibly deporting refugees Posted: 16 Dec 2015 06:11 AM PST Turkish authorities have since September been detaining scores of refugees, including from Iraq and Syria, and abusing and pressuring them to return home in breach of international law, Amnesty International said Wednesday. The government angrily rejected Amnesty's accusations, saying it "categorically denied" that any Syrian refugee in Turkey had been forced to return to their conflict-torn home. The rights group also warned that the European Union (EU), which in November reached a deal with Turkey to stem the flow of refugees into Europe, was in danger of being complicit in "serious human rights violations".

Why the Ted Cruz-Marco Rubio debate mattered most Posted: 16 Dec 2015 06:02 AM PST In the final Republican presidential debate of 2015, no subplot mattered more than the growing feud between Sens. Senator Cruz, surging in the polls, is an anti-GOP-establishment outsider – like front-runner Donald Trump – but with stronger conservative bona fides than Mr. Trump and significant appeal among evangelicals. Senator Rubio, now polling third nationally, represents a kinder, gentler face of Republicanism, one with a more collegial relationship with fellow senators than Cruz and more potential to attract swing voters in the general election.

Qatar confirms citizens kidnapped in Iraq, working for their release Posted: 16 Dec 2015 05:59 AM PST Qatar's foreign ministry said on Wednesday it was working with the Iraqi government to secure the release of a group of its citizens who were kidnapped while on a hunting trip in southern Iraq, state news agency QNA said. The statement, cited by QNA, said the citizens had entered Iraq with an official permit from the Iraqi interior ministry.

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