Yahoo! News: Iraq

---

• Pentagon releases photos tied to Afghan, Iraq detainee abuse
• U.S. Goods Exports To The Arab World Dipped In 2015
• Pentagon releases vetted batch of detainee abuse photos
• Despite Libya urgency, hurdles to quick action against Islamic State
• Twitter suspends over 125,000 accounts for 'promoting terrorist acts'
• Pentagon releases photos of alleged detainee abuse
• Will Bernie Sander’s Foreign Policy Stumbles Derail His Campaign?
• US releases photos of alleged detainee abuse
• Australian foreign minister met Assange lawyers, offers consular assistance
• NATO says Russian air strikes 'undermining' Syria peace efforts
• Sanders vs. Clinton: Why 2016 is not a rerun of 2008
• Hotel fire in Iraqi Kurdish region kills 19
• AP FACT CHECK: Clinton, Sanders missteps
• Canada to boost troops in anti-ISIS mission, keep some planes: source
• Pentagon welcomes Saudi anti-IS troop proposal
• Governor says 19 killed in hotel fire in Irbil, Iraq
• How Saudi Arabia’s Troops Could Swing the Fight Against ISIS
• Unwelcome Refugees
• Thousands flee as Russian-backed offensive threatens to besiege Aleppo
• Channing Tatum, Joseph Gordon-Levitt Team for Musical Comedy
• The Latest: UN says 20,000 Syrians at Turkey border crossing
• The number of unemployed millennials is shrinking
• Timeline of WikiLeaks founder's extradition fight
• Assange hails 'victory' from embassy balcony after UN panel ruling
• Hotel fire in Iraqi Kurdistan kills 17, including foreigners
• ISIS presence in Libya may have increased up to 5,000 fighters
• WikiLeaks' Assange calls on Sweden, Britain to allow him freedom after U.N. panel report
• Armed with new U.S. money, NATO to strengthen Russia deterrence
• Pope, Russian Orthodox leader bridge schism to fight Christian persecution
• French PM defends emergency rule, says terror threat 'here to last'
• Why are the Taliban rejecting ISIS advances in Afghanistan?
• Iraq's top Shi'ite cleric suspends weekly political sermons
• US struggling to build anti-Islamic State strategy in Libya
• Debate Takeaways: Clinton, Sanders mix it up over Wall St.
• TRAIL TRANSLATOR: Dems prefer 'progressive' to 'liberal'
• Analysis: Clinton moves aggressively to hold of Sanders
• Terror attacks loom as Indonesian trio vie for IS glory
• In contentious debate, Clinton and Sanders both claim 'progressive' mantle
• Tens of thousands flee as Syria regime advances near Aleppo

Pentagon releases photos tied to Afghan, Iraq detainee abuse Posted: 05 Feb 2016 03:50 PM PST The Pentagon on Friday released 198 photographs linked to allegations of abuse of detainees in Iraq and Afghanistan, many of them showing close-ups of cuts and bruises to arms and legs of prisoners held in U.S. facilities. The Pentagon said the photos came from criminal investigations into 56 allegations of misconduct by U.S. personnel. It said 14 of those allegations were substantiated and even led to life imprisonment.

U.S. Goods Exports To The Arab World Dipped In 2015 Posted: 05 Feb 2016 03:30 PM PST WASHINGTON, Feb. 5, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- According to new U.S. Government data analyzed by the National U.S.-Arab Chamber of Commerce (NUSACC), exports of U.S. goods to the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region fell in 2015 to $67.4 billion from $71.4 billion in 2014, a decline of 5.6 percent.  This is the first time since 2010 that sales of U.S. goods to the MENA region declined, largely reflecting the widespread impact of slumping oil prices.

Pentagon releases vetted batch of detainee abuse photos Posted: 05 Feb 2016 03:16 PM PST The Pentagon on Friday released a small portion of photographs showing injuries suffered by detainees allegedly at the hands of US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan over a decade ago. At least one service member was sentenced to life in prison as a result of investigations, the Pentagon said. Officials declined to provide more information and it was unclear which images were connected to that case, or whether the detainee involved had survived.

Despite Libya urgency, hurdles to quick action against Islamic State Posted: 05 Feb 2016 03:10 PM PST By Phil Stewart, Warren Strobel and Jonathan Landay WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and its allies are probably many weeks or even months away from launching a new military campaign against Islamic State in Libya, despite mounting concern about the group's spread there and its attacks on oil infrastructure, U.S. officials say. The Pentagon has warned in recent weeks of the dangers posed by Islamic State's growth in Libya. The U.S. is developing military options, which were discussed at an inconclusive meeting last week of President Barack Obama and his top security aides, officials said.

Twitter suspends over 125,000 accounts for 'promoting terrorist acts' Posted: 05 Feb 2016 02:50 PM PST By Yasmeen Abutaleb WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Twitter Inc has shut down more than 125,000 terrorism-related accounts since the middle of 2015, most of them linked to the Islamic State group, the company said in a blog post on Friday. Twitter has said it only takes down accounts when they are reported by other users, but said that it has increased the size of teams monitoring and responding to reports and has decreased its response time "significantly." (http://bit.ly/1KvrmZ5) Twitter's announcement comes as many tech companies – led by Facebook – have taken stronger steps to police controversial content online in the face of threats from legislators to force the companies to report "terrorist activity" on their sites to law enforcement.

Pentagon releases photos of alleged detainee abuse Posted: 05 Feb 2016 02:29 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon on Friday released nearly 200 photographs of detainees in Iraq and Afghanistan, taken mostly between 2004 and 2006, involving 56 cases of alleged abuse by U.S. forces.

Will Bernie Sander’s Foreign Policy Stumbles Derail His Campaign? Posted: 05 Feb 2016 02:13 PM PST Did Sen. Bernie Sanders have a Ben Carson moment during Thursday night's debate with Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire? On most topics — from income inequality and the sins of Wall Street to healthcare reform and education — the 74-year-old democratic socialist is passionate and well-versed in making his case for a revolutionary approach to government. Max Fisher at Vox — in what was ultimately a defense of Sanders — described just how poorly the candidate fared on foreign policy questions: "now that he's a much more serious candidate, you'd like to think he would have given even just a few minutes' thought to his potential future leading the foreign policy of the most powerful country in human history.

US releases photos of alleged detainee abuse Posted: 05 Feb 2016 02:11 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. is releasing nearly 200 photographs of detainees in Iraq and Afghanistan, taken mostly between 2004 and 2006, involving 56 cases of alleged abuse by U.S. forces.

Australian foreign minister met Assange lawyers, offers consular assistance Posted: 05 Feb 2016 02:10 PM PST By Matt Siegel SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has met with lawyers for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and offered consular assistance for the Australian, after a U.N. panel ruled he had been arbitrarily detained for almost four years. Assange, a computer hacker who enraged the United States by publishing hundreds of thousands of secret U.S. diplomatic cables, has been holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy in London since June 2012 to avoid a rape investigation in Sweden. The Australian citizen called on Britain and Sweden on Friday to let him freely leave the embassy, after the ruling in his favor by the U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.

NATO says Russian air strikes 'undermining' Syria peace efforts Posted: 05 Feb 2016 01:09 PM PST NATO head Jens Stoltenberg said Friday that Russia's air strikes in Syria targeting rebel forces are "undermining" efforts to find a peaceful solution to the five-year war. Syrian peace talks in Geneva earlier this week broke up acrimoniously as Moscow's long-time ally President Bashar al-Assad launched a fresh offensive against rebel forces in Aleppo with massive Russian backing. "What we have seen is that the intense Russian air strikes mainly targeting opposition groups in Syria are undermining the efforts to find a political solution to the conflict," Stoltenberg said as he arrived for talks in Amsterdam with EU defence and foreign ministers.

Sanders vs. Clinton: Why 2016 is not a rerun of 2008 Posted: 05 Feb 2016 12:23 PM PST If Hillary Clinton supporters are having a sense of déjà vu, they can be forgiven. Eight years ago, then-Senator Clinton was derailed in her quest for the Democratic presidential nomination by another, more charismatic senator who came in to her left with a compelling, idealistic message. Now, yet another senator, with a different sort of charisma, threatens again to complicate Clinton's path to the Democratic nomination.

Hotel fire in Iraqi Kurdish region kills 19 Posted: 05 Feb 2016 12:19 PM PST A fire at a hotel in the capital of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region killed 19 people and injured dozens more on Friday, officials said. Fourteen of the dead were from the Philippines, while three Iraqis, a Palestinian and another person of unknown nationality also died, said Saman Barzanji, director general of the Arbil health department. Dozens more were injured and taken to hospital in Arbil, said Fakher Harki, the department's spokesman.

AP FACT CHECK: Clinton, Sanders missteps Posted: 05 Feb 2016 12:08 PM PST The latest Democratic debate found Hillary Clinton in a defensive crouch about her Wall Street ties and making iffy claims about that longtime relationship. Rival Bernie Sanders offered a fumbling account ...

Canada to boost troops in anti-ISIS mission, keep some planes: source Posted: 05 Feb 2016 11:59 AM PST By David Ljunggren OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada, under pressure to stay involved in the U.S-led mission against Islamic State, will boost the number of troops on training duty in Iraq while keeping reconnaissance and refueling planes in the region, a defense source said on Friday. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau won an election last October promising to pull out six jets that have been bombing targets in Iraq and Syria. Separately, the defense source said Canada would keep two Aurora surveillance planes in the region, as well as a refueling aircraft.

Pentagon welcomes Saudi anti-IS troop proposal Posted: 05 Feb 2016 11:40 AM PST The Pentagon on Friday welcomed Saudi Arabia's pledge to commit ground forces to fight Islamic State jihadists in Syria, should the US-led coalition ever send in combat troops. Saudi Arabia has been part of the coalition since late 2014. "We welcome the announcement by Saudi Arabia that they are looking into ways to enhance their counter-ISIL efforts," US Central Command spokesman Pat Ryder said, using an alternative acronym for the IS group.

Governor says 19 killed in hotel fire in Irbil, Iraq Posted: 05 Feb 2016 11:31 AM PST IRBIL, Iraq (AP) — A fire in a hotel and adjacent massage parlor has killed 19 people and wounded ten others Friday in Irbil, capital of the Kurdistan region of Iraq.

How Saudi Arabia’s Troops Could Swing the Fight Against ISIS Posted: 05 Feb 2016 11:30 AM PST In a development that promises to have major policy repercussions in Washington and throughout the Middle East, Saudi Arabia has offered to send ground troops into Syria to battle ISIS. Since the military campaign against ISIS began in 2014, the Saudis have been responsible for a relatively small number of air strikes, but now the kingdom says it is ready to expand its involvement. "Today, the Saudi kingdom announced its readiness to participate with ground troops with the U.S.-led coalition against ISIL, because we now have the experience in Yemen," a military spokesman told Al Jazeera.

Unwelcome Refugees Posted: 05 Feb 2016 11:29 AM PST CALAIS, France—What is probably the best tandoori chicken in France is sold  in a refugee encampment in Calais, at a restaurant made of scrap wood and plastic tarps called the Three Idiots. "My intention was to go to England. "We cannot open a business in England yet, so we do it in the Jungle.

Thousands flee as Russian-backed offensive threatens to besiege Aleppo Posted: 05 Feb 2016 11:14 AM PST By John Davison BEIRUT (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of Syrians fled an intensifying Russian assault around Aleppo on Friday, and aid workers said they feared the major city could soon fall under a full government siege. Iran reported one of its generals had been killed on the front line, giving direct confirmation of the role Tehran is playing along with Moscow in what appears to be one of the most determined offensives in five years of civil war. The government assault around Aleppo, and advances in the south and northwest, helped to torpedo Geneva peace talks this week.

Channing Tatum, Joseph Gordon-Levitt Team for Musical Comedy Posted: 05 Feb 2016 10:45 AM PST Channing Tatum and Joseph Gordon-Levitt (WireImage, Getty Images)

The Latest: UN says 20,000 Syrians at Turkey border crossing Posted: 05 Feb 2016 10:22 AM PST BEIRUT (AP) — The Latest on Syria (all times Syria local):

The number of unemployed millennials is shrinking Posted: 05 Feb 2016 09:54 AM PST Good news for parents: Millennials in their early 20s found work in January. The unemployment rate for workers ages 20 to 24 dropped more than a full percentage point to 8.2 percent last month. That's ...

Timeline of WikiLeaks founder's extradition fight Posted: 05 Feb 2016 09:31 AM PST Here are key dates in the five-year legal saga of Australian WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. A Swedish prosecutor issues a European arrest warrant for Assange on sexual assault allegations involving two Swedish women. WikiLeaks starts releasing more than 250,000 classified US diplomatic cables, revealing often frank assessments of US officials as well as the views of other governments.

Assange hails 'victory' from embassy balcony after UN panel ruling Posted: 05 Feb 2016 09:30 AM PST Speaking to a handful of supporters and a media scrum in a rare appearance from the balcony of the embassy where he took refuge nearly four years ago, Assange hailed a "victory of historical importance". Assange has refused to go to Sweden for questioning fearing deportation to the US over WikiLeaks' release of 500,000 secret military files on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Hotel fire in Iraqi Kurdistan kills 17, including foreigners Posted: 05 Feb 2016 08:59 AM PST A fire at a hotel in the capital of Iraq's Kurdistan region killed 17 people on Friday, the governor of Erbil told a local media network, and the hotel manager said they included foreigners. Governor Nawzad Hadi told Rudaw TV that 14 of the victims were not from the autonomous region, but that their nationality was not yet known. The manager of the Capitol Hotel told Rudaw the fire had started in a massage parlor next door and that some of those killed were from the Philippines.

ISIS presence in Libya may have increased up to 5,000 fighters Posted: 05 Feb 2016 08:37 AM PST Islamic State fighters are increasing in Libya, raising concerns that the country could be the next battleground for extremism, and terrorist activities. While the number of Islamic State (also known as ISIS or ISIL) fighters has decreased in Iraq and Syria, US officials say that the number has drastically increased in Libya, up to 5,000 fighters, doubling earlier estimates. "The ISIL branch in Libya is one that is taking advantage of the deteriorating security conditions in Libya, putting itself in the position to coordinate ISIL efforts across North Africa," Nicholas Rasmussen, the director of the US National Counterterrorism Center, said according to the New York Times.

WikiLeaks' Assange calls on Sweden, Britain to allow him freedom after U.N. panel report Posted: 05 Feb 2016 08:35 AM PST By Costas Pitas and Andy Bruce LONDON (Reuters) - WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange called on Britain and Sweden on Friday to let him freely leave the Ecuadorian embassy in London after a U.N. panel ruled he had been arbitrarily detained and should be awarded compensation. Assange, a computer hacker who enraged the United States by publishing hundreds of thousands of secret U.S. diplomatic cables, has been holed up in the embassy since June 2012 to avoid a rape investigation in Sweden. Both Britain and Sweden denied that Assange was being deprived of freedom, noting he had entered the embassy voluntarily.

Armed with new U.S. money, NATO to strengthen Russia deterrence Posted: 05 Feb 2016 06:53 AM PST By Robin Emmott BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Backed by an increase in U.S. military spending, NATO is planning its biggest build-up in eastern Europe since the Cold War to deter Russia but will reject Polish demands for permanent bases. Worried since Russia's seizure of Crimea that Moscow could rapidly invade Poland or the Baltic states, the Western military alliance wants to bolster defenses on its eastern flank without provoking the Kremlin by stationing large forces permanently. NATO defense ministers will next week begin outlining plans for a complex web of small eastern outposts, forces on rotation, regular war games and warehoused equipment ready for a rapid response force.

Pope, Russian Orthodox leader bridge schism to fight Christian persecution Posted: 05 Feb 2016 06:07 AM PST The persecution of Christians in the Middle East and Africa has brought together two unlikely allies: Pope Francis and the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill. The two men will meet next week in Cuba in a historic step to heal the 1,000-year-old schism that divided Christianity between East and West. Long-simmering tensions over the primacy of the Pope and a host of other issues have remained unresolved since the two churches split during the Great Schism of 1054.

French PM defends emergency rule, says terror threat 'here to last' Posted: 05 Feb 2016 04:44 AM PST By Elizabeth Pineau PARIS (Reuters) - Thousands of house searches since November's Islamist attacks in Paris have helped foil another terrorist plot, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said on Friday as his government sought to extend emergency rule. Valls, defending state of emergency rules that have allowed police conduct thousands of house searches in just a few months, also said over 2,000 French residents were believed to be involved with jihadi networks based in Syria and Iraq.

Why are the Taliban rejecting ISIS advances in Afghanistan? Posted: 05 Feb 2016 03:51 AM PST The Taliban recently announced that it would not be open to allowing Islamic State (IS) operations in Afghanistan. The Taliban, a fundamentalist Islamic group currently at war with Afghanistan's government, said that it would prevent IS from establishing itself in the central Asian republic, while ridiculing the militant group. "We've used all reasonable chances and options for peace efforts, but apparently those people are not rational, and reconciliation and talks with them is not possible," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahed said via email, according to Bloomberg.

Iraq's top Shi'ite cleric suspends weekly political sermons Posted: 05 Feb 2016 03:26 AM PST Iraq's top Shi'ite cleric said on Friday he would no longer deliver regular weekly sermons about political affairs, which for years have been a source of guidance for Iraqi politicians and his millions of followers. Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani did not give a reason for suspending the sermons, which have lately focused on the government's battle against Islamic State militants and anti-corruption efforts. "It has been decided not to continue this on a weekly basis at the present time, but only as demanded by events", Sistani's aide Ahmed al-Safi, who delivered the message, said in a televised speech from the southern shrine city of Kerbala before reciting a prayer.

US struggling to build anti-Islamic State strategy in Libya Posted: 05 Feb 2016 12:12 AM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration is struggling to find the right mix of military and diplomatic moves to stop the Islamic State in Libya, where the extremist group has taken advantage of the political chaos in the country to gain a foothold with worrying implications for the U.S. and Europe — particularly Italy, just 300 miles away.

Debate Takeaways: Clinton, Sanders mix it up over Wall St. Posted: 05 Feb 2016 12:10 AM PST DURHAM, N.H. (AP) — For months, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders have campaigned against each other with a velvet touch, eager to distinguish their race for the Democratic presidential nomination from the combative contest taking place in the Republican primary.

TRAIL TRANSLATOR: Dems prefer 'progressive' to 'liberal' Posted: 05 Feb 2016 12:07 AM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — Back up a moment from the brawl between Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders over who is the real progressive and whether one can be that and be pragmatic at the same time.

Analysis: Clinton moves aggressively to hold of Sanders Posted: 05 Feb 2016 12:04 AM PST MANCHESTER, New Hampshire (AP) — Hillary Clinton has been here before, watching a political rival generate youthful enthusiasm with lofty proposals she believes are going unchallenged.

Terror attacks loom as Indonesian trio vie for IS glory Posted: 04 Feb 2016 10:01 PM PST A power struggle among three Indonesian-born Islamic State militants in Syria could have a violent ripple effect in Southeast Asia, senior police warn, as a deadly game of one-upmanship threatens to cause more Jakarta-style attacks. A crackdown in the wake of January's gun and suicide assault on the Indonesian capital has uncovered a complex web of small militant cells working at the behest of competing ringleaders in Syria, shedding light on the nature of IS infiltration far from its Middle East heartland. The trio in Syria -- Bahrumsyah, Abu Jandal and Bahrun Naim -- were all suspected of plotting attacks throughout 2015.

In contentious debate, Clinton and Sanders both claim 'progressive' mantle Posted: 04 Feb 2016 09:57 PM PST By Amanda Becker DURHAM, N.H. (Reuters) - Democrat Hillary Clinton went on the attack against rival Bernie Sanders on Thursday in their most contentious presidential debate yet, questioning whether his ambitious proposals were viable and accusing him of an "artful smear" in suggesting she could be bought by political donations. Sanders fought back repeatedly, questioning Clinton's progressive credentials and portraying her as a creature of the political establishment in a debate that featured heated exchanges on healthcare, college tuition funding and efforts to rein in Wall Street. The intensity reflected a race that has seen Clinton's once prohibitive lead in polls shrivel against Sanders as the two vie for the Democratic nomination for the Nov. 8 election.

Tens of thousands flee as Syria regime advances near Aleppo Posted: 04 Feb 2016 09:37 PM PST Tens of thousands of Syrians were apparently streaming towards Turkey on Friday as regime troops pressed a major Russian-backed offensive around Aleppo, while Moscow and Ankara traded barbs over the escalating crisis. Turkey's Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, speaking at a conference in London where donors pledged more than $10 billion in aid for Syrians, said up to 70,000 people were headed towards his country to escape the fighting. Some 300,000 people are thought to be isolated in Aleppo after the rebels' main supply route was severed by regime forces backed by Russian warplanes in an offensive that scuppered peace talks this week.

You are subscribed to email updates from Iraq News Headlines - Yahoo! News. To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States