Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• Reactions to Saudi, Russia deal to freeze oil output
• Iran could decide fate of first global oil deal for 15 years
• Three Americans Kidnapped in Baghdad Freed
• Obama under fire for lack of leadership over Syria
• Russia, Saudis tentatively offer to freeze oil output levels
• Canada sending military helicopters to Iraq: minister
• IS faces budget crunch, cutting perks and trimming salaries
• Saudis resume participation in anti-IS air strikes: US
• Saudi Arabia, Russia agree to freeze oil output
• Air strikes kill 15 people in Syria's northeastern city: monitor
• Satellite boosts Europe's environmental, border surveillance
• The Latest: UN Security Council concerned at Turkey attacks
• Iraq Kurds made $3.94 bn from direct oil sales in 2015
• The Fight Against ISIS Now Includes Chemical Weapons
• Turkey seeks allies' support for ground operation as Syria war nears border
• Former UN chief Boutros Boutros-Ghali dies
• ISLAMIC STATE ECONOMY CRUNCH
• Saudi Arabia took part in weekend air strikes against Islamic State Pentagon
• US confirms release of 3 Americans abducted in Baghdad
• Americans kidnapped in Iraq last month released
• Belgium charges three people in IS recruitment investigation
• U.N. staffer killed in Iraq, first since 2010
• Boutros Boutros-Ghali, first UN chief from Africa, dies
• Boutros-Ghali: veteran diplomat and UN chief vetoed by US
• Greece opens migrant 'hotspot' centers, putting islanders on edge
• Flip-Flops Built for (and From) War
• Moroccan freed from Guantanamo slams IS, reflects on torture
• Iraq ready to freeze production at January levels pending deal: source
• Saudis and Russia agree oil output freeze, Iran still an obstacle
• Iraq ready to freeze oil output at January levels pending deal - source
• Rubio challenged on immigration by voteless veteran
• Iran's Zarif tells European lawmakers Islamist militancy also their problem
• Iraqi Kurdish deputy PM says deal with Baghdad 'easy' if salaries paid
• Italy pits top sleuths against world's heritage looters
• Three Americans seized in Iraq have been released: US
• Italy launches task force to protect heritage from war and disaster
• State Department welcomes release of three Americans in Iraq: statement
• Germany shuts down Islamic center in Bremen, raids apartments
• Gloom but also hope for Libya five years after uprising

Reactions to Saudi, Russia deal to freeze oil output Posted: 16 Feb 2016 04:06 PM PST A major sticking point in sealing a deal may be Iran, which was absent from the talks and has been determined to raise production. "The details of this agreement suggest that such a freeze will have little impact on the oil market as proposed, while there remains high uncertainty that it even materializes. "This is far more of a political statement than a support for oil prices in our view, an offer that Iran has little choice but to refuse.

Iran could decide fate of first global oil deal for 15 years Posted: 16 Feb 2016 04:06 PM PST By Rania El Gamal DOHA/LONDON (Reuters) - The fate of the first global oil deal in 15 years could be decided on Wednesday when OPEC members travel to Iran to persuade the country to participate in a deal to freeze output levels, possibly by offering Tehran special terms. Dominant OPEC power Saudi Arabia and non-OPEC Russia, the world's top two producers and exporters, agreed on Tuesday to freeze production levels but said the deal was contingent on others joining in - a major sticking point with Iran absent from the talks and determined to raise production. OPEC members Qatar, Venezuela and Kuwait said they were also ready to freeze output and oil sources in Iraq - the world's fastest-growing producer in the past year - said Baghdad would abide by a global deal aimed at tackling a growing oversupply and helping prices recover from their lowest in over a decade.

Three Americans Kidnapped in Baghdad Freed Posted: 16 Feb 2016 04:00 PM PST Three American contractors who were reported missing in mid-January while working in Iraq have been freed and handed to United States diplomats, U.S. officials said today. The Department of Defense "did not play a role in their recovery," said Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook at a briefing this afternoon. "But we do want to thank the State Department and the government of Iraq for their role," he said.

Obama under fire for lack of leadership over Syria Posted: 16 Feb 2016 03:55 PM PST The United States is coming under increasingly bitter criticism for its perceived lack of leadership over Syria as the country's brutal civil conflict heads toward new levels of intensity. Washington appears unable or unwilling to prevent its ally Turkey from bombing Kurdish fighters inside Syria, its critics say. In the eyes of his detractors, President Barack Obama is guilty of refusing to engage in Syria by doing exactly what he said he would do when he was elected in 2008: pulling America out of Middle Eastern wars, after the Iraq debacle, and "pivot" US foreign policy towards Asia.

Russia, Saudis tentatively offer to freeze oil output levels Posted: 16 Feb 2016 03:44 PM PST Oil powerhouses Russia and Saudi Arabia joined Qatar and Venezuela in pledging Tuesday to cap their crude output if other producers do the same, aiming to halt a slide that has pushed oil prices to their ...

Canada sending military helicopters to Iraq: minister Posted: 16 Feb 2016 01:59 PM PST A week after announcing the withdrawal of fighter jets from Iraq, Canada's defense minister on Tuesday said it is swapping in four armored tactical Griffon helicopters to ferry special forces. "The Griffon helicopters are being deployed for the safety of our troops in northern Iraq," Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan told parliament. In place of the six F-18 fighter jets, Ottawa last week said it would triple the number of special forces training Kurdish militia in northern Iraq to about 210.

IS faces budget crunch, cutting perks and trimming salaries Posted: 16 Feb 2016 01:16 PM PST BEIRUT (AP) — Faced with a cash shortage in its so-called caliphate, the Islamic State group has slashed salaries across the region, asked Raqqa residents to pay utility bills in black market American dollars, and is now releasing detainees for a price of $500 a person.

Saudis resume participation in anti-IS air strikes: US Posted: 16 Feb 2016 01:13 PM PST Washington (AFP) - Saudi Arabia has resumed participation in air strikes by a US-led coalition against the Islamic State group in Syria, the Pentagon said Tuesday.

Saudi Arabia, Russia agree to freeze oil output Posted: 16 Feb 2016 01:05 PM PST Top global producers Saudi Arabia and Russia agreed Tuesday to freeze oil output in a bid to shore up prices after a 70 percent drop due to chronic oversupply. Saudi Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi said the move -- conditional on other major producers joining in -- was designed to stabilise the market following the dramatic price fall since mid-2014. Further talks involving Iran and Iraq are to be held in Tehran on Wednesday.

Air strikes kill 15 people in Syria's northeastern city: monitor Posted: 16 Feb 2016 12:53 PM PST U.S.-led air strikes killed at least 15 people on Tuesday when they hit a bakery in the city of Shadadi in northeastern Syria near the border with Iraq, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Rami Abdulrahman, who runs the British-based monitoring group, said all of those killed were civilians who gathered outside the bakery at dawn to buy bread. "They carried out several air strikes inside Shadadi and around it.

Satellite boosts Europe's environmental, border surveillance Posted: 16 Feb 2016 12:53 PM PST BERLIN (AP) — A European satellite designed to monitor environmental changes will also be able to provide early warnings of possible migrant flows at a time when governments on the continent are grappling with an unprecedented influx of people fleeing conflict and poverty elsewhere in the world.

The Latest: UN Security Council concerned at Turkey attacks Posted: 16 Feb 2016 12:43 PM PST BEIRUT (AP) — The latest on the civil war in Syria (all times local):

Iraq Kurds made $3.94 bn from direct oil sales in 2015 Posted: 16 Feb 2016 12:14 PM PST Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region announced on Tuesday that it made over $3.94 billion last year from direct oil export sales that the country's federal government considers illegal. The region is facing a financial crisis despite the substantial oil revenues, and has announced that its employees will not be paid their full salaries until further notice and that months of wage arrears will be considered loans to the government. The Kurdistan region "achieved revenues of US $3,949,697,778" from June 24 to December 31, "a substantial increase on the amount received from Baghdad during the first half of the year," it said in a statement.

The Fight Against ISIS Now Includes Chemical Weapons Posted: 16 Feb 2016 12:07 PM PST One of the greatest fears about the Islamic State's march across Iraq and parts of Syria in 2014 was that undisclosed or unsecured chemical weapons would fall into the terror group's hands, adding a horrifying weapon to their arsenal and posing new dangers to allies in Middle East and the U.S. homeland. On Monday, a diplomat with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, the world's leading chemical arms watchdog, told Reuters that lab tests confirmed mustard gas was used last August in the Iraqi city of Erbil, after approximately 35 Kurdish troops fell ill on the battlefield. The OPCW concluded in October that mustard gas was used last year in neighboring Syria, making this the second such instance.

Turkey seeks allies' support for ground operation as Syria war nears border Posted: 16 Feb 2016 12:03 PM PST By Tulay Karadeniz, Ece Toksabay and Humeyra Pamuk ANKARA/ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey, Saudi Arabia and some European allies want ground troops deployed in Syria as a Russian-backed government advance nears NATO's southeastern border, Turkey's foreign minister said, but Washington has so far ruled out a major offensive. Syrian government forces made fresh advances on Tuesday, as did Kurdish militia, both at the expense of rebels whose positions have been collapsing in recent weeks under the Russian-backed onslaught. The offensive, supported by Iranian-backed Shi'ite militias as well as Russian air strikes, has brought the Syrian army to within 25 km (15 miles) of Turkey's frontier, while Kurdish fighters, regarded by Ankara as hostile insurgents, have extended their presence along the border.

Former UN chief Boutros Boutros-Ghali dies Posted: 16 Feb 2016 11:43 AM PST Former UN secretary-general Boutros Boutros-Ghali, who led the world body during one of its most difficult periods, with failed missions in Rwanda and Bosnia, died Thursday in Cairo. The Egyptian diplomat became the first secretary-general from Africa in 1992, but his tenure ended abruptly five years later when the United States vetoed his second term. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon described Boutros-Ghali as a respected statesman and scholar of international law who brought "formidable experience and intellectual power" to the top UN job.

ISLAMIC STATE ECONOMY CRUNCH Posted: 16 Feb 2016 11:33 AM PST Map locates airstrikes in Syria and Iraq that have had an impact on the Islamic State economy.; 3c x 3 1/2 inches; 146 mm x 88 mm;

Saudi Arabia took part in weekend air strikes against Islamic State Pentagon Posted: 16 Feb 2016 11:27 AM PST Saudi Arabia participated in air strikes as part of a U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State militants over the weekend, a U.S. Department of Defense spokesman said on Tuesday. U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter, who has been under pressure to shore up support from Sunni Arab allies to fight Islamic State last week welcomed a commitment from Saudi Arabia to expand its role in air strikes. Saudi Arabia has concentrated its military efforts over the last year on the conflict in Yemen, where it is leading a coalition of mainly Gulf Arab forces battling Houthi fighters who control the capital, Sanaa.

US confirms release of 3 Americans abducted in Baghdad Posted: 16 Feb 2016 11:16 AM PST BAGHDAD (AP) — The three Americans who were abducted in Baghdad last month have been freed, the State Department said Tuesday, and Iraqi officials said they have been handed over to the U.S. Embassy in good health.

Americans kidnapped in Iraq last month released Posted: 16 Feb 2016 11:15 AM PST BAGHDAD/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Three U.S. citizens who were kidnapped in Baghdad last month have been released with the help of the Iraqi government, the State Department said on Tuesday. Unknown gunmen seized the trio from a private apartment in the capital's southeasterly Dora district in mid-January and were thought to be held by an Iranian-backed Shi'ite militia, though Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi later dismissed the likelihood of Iranian involvement. "We sincerely appreciate the assistance provided by the government of Iraq, and its whole-of-government effort to bring about the safe release of these individuals," State Department spokesman Mark Toner said in a statement.

Belgium charges three people in IS recruitment investigation Posted: 16 Feb 2016 11:00 AM PST Belgian prosecutors have charged three of 10 people detained earlier on Tuesday on suspicion of operating a recruitment ring for militant group Islamic State. Belgium has been at the heart of investigations into the Nov. 13 attacks in Paris in which 130 people were killed as four of the suicide bombers had either been living in Belgium or were Belgian-Moroccans. The country has one of the highest per capita rates of participation in militant groups such as Islamic State in Syria and Iraq.

U.N. staffer killed in Iraq, first since 2010 Posted: 16 Feb 2016 10:29 AM PST A local U.N. staffer in Iraq was killed after he was abducted from the eastern province of Diyala last April, the United Nations said on Tuesday. Amer al-Kaissy, the Diyala representative for the U.N. mission, was found dead in November near the city of Baquba with a gunshot wound suggesting he had been executed, a statement said. Several Iranian-backed Shi'ite militias operate in Diyala, which lies between Baghdad and Iran.

Boutros Boutros-Ghali, first UN chief from Africa, dies Posted: 16 Feb 2016 10:20 AM PST CAIRO (AP) — Boutros Boutros-Ghali, a veteran Egyptian diplomat who helped negotiate his country's landmark peace deal with Israel but then clashed with the United States when he served a single term as U.N. secretary-general, died Tuesday. He was 93.

Boutros-Ghali: veteran diplomat and UN chief vetoed by US Posted: 16 Feb 2016 10:14 AM PST Egyptian Boutros Boutros-Ghali, who died aged 93, was the only UN secretary general to be refused a second term when he fell foul of Washington despite the backing of the 14 other states in the Security Council. The veteran diplomat, who died in a Cairo hospital, headed the world body between 1992 and 1996, when crises in Somalia, Rwanda, the Middle East and the former Yugoslavia posed massive challenges for United Nations peacekeeping operations. Boutros-Ghali himself felt Washington's veto was to punish him for pushing UN members to pay their membership arrears -- an issue on which the US, which pays 25 percent of the UN budget, had long been a culprit.

Greece opens migrant 'hotspot' centers, putting islanders on edge Posted: 16 Feb 2016 10:01 AM PST It is here, on a disused army base near the village of Pyli, that the European Union wants Greece to build one of five new migration centers, known as "hotspots." The centers, placed on a chain of Aegean islands which lie just a few miles from the coast of Turkey, are meant to enable genuine refugees from places like Syria to be resettled in the EU, while economic migrants from countries such as Pakistan and Bangladesh would be sent home. At the moment the kids can walk to school on their own but we worry that that will all change," says Anna Karagiannis Chatzisevastou, a mother of five. The country is already in a horrible economic crisis.

Flip-Flops Built for (and From) War Posted: 16 Feb 2016 10:00 AM PST How one veteran and his team created a company from a piece of footwear.

Moroccan freed from Guantanamo slams IS, reflects on torture Posted: 16 Feb 2016 09:59 AM PST SAFI, Morocco (AP) — As a prisoner in Guantanamo, Younis Chekkouri learned about the new group of Islamic extremists advancing through Syria and Iraq.

Iraq ready to freeze production at January levels pending deal: source Posted: 16 Feb 2016 09:38 AM PST BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq is ready to commit to freezing its oil production at January levels if a deal is reached among OPEC and non-OPEC countries, an Iraqi oil ministry source said on Tuesday.

Saudis and Russia agree oil output freeze, Iran still an obstacle Posted: 16 Feb 2016 09:38 AM PST By Rania El Gamal and Tom Finn DOHA (Reuters) - Top oil exporters Russia and Saudi Arabia agreed on Tuesday to freeze output levels but said the deal was contingent on other producers joining in - a major sticking point with Iran absent from the talks and determined to raise production. The Saudi, Russian, Qatari and Venezuelan oil ministers announced the proposal after a previously undisclosed meeting in Doha. It could become the first joint OPEC and non-OPEC deal in 15 years, aimed at tackling a growing oversupply of crude and helping prices recover from their lowest in over a decade.

Iraq ready to freeze oil output at January levels pending deal - source Posted: 16 Feb 2016 09:38 AM PST Iraq is ready to commit to freezing its oil production at January levels if a deal is reached among OPEC and non-OPEC countries, an Iraqi oil ministry source said on Tuesday. "Iraq is with any decision that contributes to propping up oil prices," the source said. Top oil exporters Russia and Saudi Arabia have agreed to freeze output levels but said the deal was contingent on other producers joining in - a major sticking point with Iran absent from the talks and determined to raise production.

Rubio challenged on immigration by voteless veteran Posted: 16 Feb 2016 09:33 AM PST Jose Ruben Guerrero is a former US Marine, a self-described "conservative immigrant" who thinks White House hopeful Marco Rubio would earn his vote in November -- if he had a vote, that is. Guerrero is a legal resident of the United States who came to the country with his Mexican parents when he was a few months old, before they overstayed their visas.

Iran's Zarif tells European lawmakers Islamist militancy also their problem Posted: 16 Feb 2016 09:00 AM PST By Gabriela Baczynska and Clement Rossignol BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told European Union lawmakers on Tuesday militant Islam was also a European problem as he defended Iran's involvement in Syria's civil war on the side of President Bashar al-Assad. European parliamentarians quizzed Zarif about alleged human rights violations in Iran, Iranian defense spending and nuclear activity and Tehran's stance on Middle East conflicts that have killed hundreds of thousands of people and driven millions from their homes, spurring a large influx of refugees into Europe. Radicalized European citizens, often with Muslim immigrant backgrounds, have gone to Syria and Iraq to fight for Islamic State, which claimed responsibility for the shooting and bombing rampage in Paris that killed 130 people in November.

Iraqi Kurdish deputy PM says deal with Baghdad 'easy' if salaries paid Posted: 16 Feb 2016 08:57 AM PST The deputy prime minister of Iraqi Kurdistan said a dispute with Baghdad over oil sales could easily be resolved if the federal government agreed to cover the region's bloated public payroll, including the salaries of its armed forces. Hit hard by the global slump in oil prices, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) can no longer afford its own payroll, costing 875 billion Iraqi dinars ($800 million) per month. "If Baghdad pays the full salaries of people who receive salaries from the government in the Kurdistan region, including the peshmerga, we can easily and naturally agree with it," said Qubad Talabani on his official Facebook page.

Italy pits top sleuths against world's heritage looters Posted: 16 Feb 2016 08:51 AM PST Italy unveiled a 60-strong task force of art detectives and restorers on Tuesday, ready to protect the world's crisis-hit heritage sites for UNESCO in a cultural version of the UN's famous Blue Helmets. The task force, dubbed "cultural peacekeepers", will be dispatched -- when logistically possible -- to assess the damage to globally-prized monuments or works in the wake of conflicts, earthquakes, floods or other disasters. The main aim is to stop the looting and selling of heritage by militants to fund "terrorist activities", UNESCO said.

Three Americans seized in Iraq have been released: US Posted: 16 Feb 2016 08:32 AM PST Three Americans who were kidnapped in the Iraqi capital Baghdad last month have been released, the State Department said Tuesday. "We sincerely appreciate the assistance provided by the government of Iraq, and its whole-of-government effort to bring about the safe release of these individuals," deputy spokesman Mark Toner said in a statement. Toner specifically thanked Iraq's security forces, defense ministry and intelligence service for their role in securing the Americans' release.

Italy launches task force to protect heritage from war and disaster Posted: 16 Feb 2016 08:26 AM PST Italy launched a United Nations-backed task force on Tuesday with a mission to protect monuments and cultural sites threatened by conflict and natural disaster around the world. Home to 51 sites deemed important to global heritage by U.N. cultural body UNESCO, Italy has volunteered a team of military police and civilian experts to share their experience with countries whose own artistic sites might be at risk. Archaeological sites in Italy have been plundered so extensively that its police force has a corps dedicated to tracking down treasures that are often smuggled abroad.

State Department welcomes release of three Americans in Iraq: statement Posted: 16 Feb 2016 08:11 AM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department on Tuesday welcomed the release of three Americans who were reported missing in Iraq in January, crediting the Iraqi government with helping secure their return. "We sincerely appreciate the assistance provided by the government of Iraq, and its whole-of-government effort to bring about the safe release of these individuals," State Department spokesman Mark Toner said in a statement. (Reporting by Doina Chiacu)

Germany shuts down Islamic center in Bremen, raids apartments Posted: 16 Feb 2016 07:58 AM PST The northern German city-state of Bremen shut down an Islamic cultural center on Tuesday after police raided it and the apartments of 12 of its members on suspicion of associations with Islamist militants. Bremen Interior Minister Ulrich Maeurer said The Islamic Association Bremen was closely linked to a similar cultural organization that was banned after some of its members joined the Islamic State (IS) insurgent group in Syria. Police also searched a car repair shop in Delmenhorst, just outside Bremen.

Gloom but also hope for Libya five years after uprising Posted: 16 Feb 2016 07:55 AM PST The Islamic State (IS) group has exploited the chaos engulfing the oil-rich North African nation since the 2011 revolution to gain a foothold and expand its influence. "The Islamic State likely sees Libya as the most favourable country in which to establish a regional hub of its caliphate," Ludovico Carlino of the IHS Jane's think-tank said. With a port and airport, there are growing fears that IS -- which seized large parts of Syria and Iraq in 2014 -- may try to use Sirte as a base from which to attack Europe.

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