Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• Top US commander makes secret visit to Syria
• Obama, Iraqi PM want tighter security after Green Zone storming
• Funerals held for 2 killed in Friday protests
• Top US commander for the Middle East visited Syria: Centcom
• IS threatens US, tries to rally support in new audio message
• Islamic State calls for attacks on the West during Ramadan in audio message
• KNOW AND TELL: Bay Area vet reunited with his military K9
• Iraq forces 'killed at least two protesters'
• U.S., allies conduct 25 strikes against Islamic State: military
• Four killed, 90 injured in Baghdad's Green Zone riots: hospitals
• 8 new movie trailers you need to watch from this past week
• Iraq: Border with Jordan to open soon, after year of closure
• Libya's Haftar says won't work with unity govt until militias disbanded
• Today in History
• U.S. moves to unseal Islamic State defector's case
• How to Get Away With Dictatorship in the Age of Democracy

Top US commander makes secret visit to Syria Posted: 21 May 2016 03:45 PM PDT NORTHERN SYRIA (AP) — On a secret trip to Syria, the new commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East said Saturday he felt a moral obligation to enter a war zone to check on his troops and make his own assessment of progress in organizing local Arab and Kurd fighters for what has been a slow campaign to push the Islamic State out of Syria.

Obama, Iraqi PM want tighter security after Green Zone storming Posted: 21 May 2016 03:43 PM PDT U.S. President Barack Obama and Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi agreed on the need for tighter security in Baghdad's fortified Green Zone after protesters stormed the area, the White House said on Saturday. At least four anti-government protesters were killed and 90 injured on Friday in clashes with security forces in the Green Zone, which is home to government offices and embassies, hospital sources said on Saturday. Obama spoke by phone with al-Abadi and a White House statement said they noted the need for talks so that "the Iraqi people can address this aspirations through their democratic institutions." Obama also commended al-Abadi for the steps his government has taken in finalizing an agreement with the International Monetary Fund and said it is important for the international community to support Iraq's economic recovery amid its fight against the Islamic State.

Funerals held for 2 killed in Friday protests Posted: 21 May 2016 03:39 PM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — Hundreds gathered in Baghdad's Sadr City Saturday as families held funerals for two people killed in protests a day earlier. The coffins for the two men were hoisted above the crowds of mourners before being driven to the holy city of Najaf for burial.

Top US commander for the Middle East visited Syria: Centcom Posted: 21 May 2016 03:32 PM PDT The leading US commander for the Middle East visited northern Syria on Saturday, officials said. General Joseph Votel, head of US Central Command (Centcom), met with US military advisors working with Syrian Arab fighters and with leaders of the Syrian Democratic Forces, a Centcom spokesman said, declining to provide more details. During the secret trip which lasted several hours, the Centcom commander visited a handful of locations, CNN reported as it accompanied Votel, the highest-ranking US military official to travel to Syria since its civil conflict began in 2011.

IS threatens US, tries to rally support in new audio message Posted: 21 May 2016 02:26 PM PDT The audio recording reportedly featuring IS spokesman Abu Mohamed al-Adnani was posted online late Saturday evening after much fanfare by IS supporters on Twitter. The three cities are IS's strongholds in Iraq, Libya, and Syria respectively. The spokesman appeared to mock the United States, which is leading a coalition of countries in an air war against IS in Iraq and Syria, for failing to definitively defeat IS.

Islamic State calls for attacks on the West during Ramadan in audio message Posted: 21 May 2016 01:27 PM PDT A new message purporting to come from the spokesman of Islamic State calls on followers to launch attacks on the United States and Europe during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, which begins in early June. Get prepared, be ready ... to make it a month of calamity everywhere for the non-believers ... especially for the fighters and supporters of the caliphate in Europe and America," said the message, suggesting attacks on military and civilian targets. The authenticity of the audio clip, purporting to be from Abu Muhammad al-Adnani and distributed on Saturday by Twitter accounts that usually publish Islamic State statements, could not be verified.

KNOW AND TELL: Bay Area vet reunited with his military K9 Posted: 21 May 2016 11:36 AM PDT A Bay Area veteran, who fought in Iraq, is reunited with the military dog he worked with in the Middle East.

Iraq forces 'killed at least two protesters' Posted: 21 May 2016 08:30 AM PDT "The victims were buried... in Wadi al-Salam (Valley of Peace) cemetery," said Sheikh Imad al-Kaabi, an official in the Sadr Movement. "Peaceful protesters were exposed to the fire of live and rubber bullets and tear gas," said the man, who gave his name as Abu Mohammed.

U.S., allies conduct 25 strikes against Islamic State: military Posted: 21 May 2016 07:58 AM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and its allies targeted Islamic State militants with 18 strikes in Iraq and seven in Syria on Friday, the U.S. military said. Four of the strikes in Iraq were near Mosul, hitting four Islamic State tactical units and three vehicles, the statement said. In Syria, four of the strikes were near Ar Raqqah and hit an Islamic State weapons cache and checkpoint, it added. (Reporting by Idrees Ali; Editing by Andrew Heavens)

Four killed, 90 injured in Baghdad's Green Zone riots: hospitals Posted: 21 May 2016 06:30 AM PDT By Ahmed Rasheed and Kareem Raheem BAGHDAD (Reuters) - At least four anti-government protesters were killed and 90 injured when security forces ejected them from Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone, hospital sources said on Saturday. Iraqi security forces used live ammunition, rubber bullets, water cannons and tear gas on Friday to dislodge the demonstrators from the central district which houses government buildings, parliament and many foreign embassies. The toll, compiled from four hospitals where casualties were taken and Baghdad's central morgue, accounts only for gunshot wounds and does not include cases of suffocation caused by tear gas.

8 new movie trailers you need to watch from this past week Posted: 21 May 2016 06:27 AM PDT Sci-fi, drama, and strange and beautiful animations — we've got it all this week. It's time to explore the week's best new trailers , including new clips from Independence Day: Resurgence , Sausage Party  and The BFG . DON'T MISS: Your iPhone could look so much better than it does right now Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk This is a movie a war story. The war between the realities of battle and the public perception of it. Billy Lynn is brought back from Iraq as a hero, but only he knows what truly happened there. The film opens November 11th, starring Kristen Stewart, Joe Alwyn, Christ Tucker, Garrett Hedlund, Vin Diesel and Steve Martin. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUULFJ_I048 Ghostbusters The second trailer for Ghostbusters is here, and it's really not any better than the first one — at least judging by the likes vs. dislikes ratio on YouTube. That said, I'm still looking forward to it. Who else am I going to call? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMfUjDnpfRY Independence Day: Resurgence We already looked at new Independence Day clips earlier, but just in case you missed them, here are three new videos for one of the most anticipated movies of the summer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwJ9-ykvzYc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Sjy96HCVDQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7HzplSxJc8 Personal Shopper Personal Shopper is a drama set in Paris that tells the story of Maureen (Kristen Stewart) who's about to have a spooky ghost experience. The movie hits theaters on October 19th, just in time for Halloween. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvqS1kkDv7o Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping Andy Samberg is a pop star who will  do whatever it takes to make it to the top. Here's a new trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHC7guX-FCk Sausage Party We talked about Sausage Party before , but it's time to check out the second trailer. It's an animation hitting theaters August 12th, but it's probably best to leave the kids home for this one. Sausage Party is an R-rated animated movie, and it tells the story of food items that find out what happens after they're chosen by humans at the supermarket. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAJrBPUVDJM The BFG What do you get when you combine Roald Dahl's story-telling, Steve Spielberg's movie-making and Disney's resources? You The BFG , a movie premiering on July 1st that you shouldn't miss. This is the animation you want to bring your kids to see, and a new trailer tells us more about the giant in this story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1fZg0hhBX8 The Purge: Election Year If you've seen The Purge: Anarchy , then you pretty much know what to expect from The Purge: Election Year . There's violence and a whole lot of killing, and this time it all takes place in an election year. And it's all still legal. Frank Grillo is back for this Purge episode that's hitting theaters on July 1st. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rqIJcY9hMc

Iraq: Border with Jordan to open soon, after year of closure Posted: 21 May 2016 06:25 AM PDT AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — Iraq's border crossing with Jordan is expected to open in about two weeks, after an almost year-long closure, allowing for a resumption of vital trade and a return of Iraqi refugees, an Iraqi diplomat said Saturday.

Libya's Haftar says won't work with unity govt until militias disbanded Posted: 21 May 2016 01:06 AM PDT It would be "unthinkable" for eastern Libyan forces to join a U.N.-backed unity government until militias aligned to it have been disbanded, General Khalifa Haftar, who heads up troops in the east, said in an interview broadcast on Friday. A December unity deal was meant to end the divide between rival governments in the capital Tripoli and the east who have vied for control over the country and its oil resources since 2014, backed by competing factions, who helped oust Muammar Gaddafi five years ago. Western powers see Fayaz Seraj, the head of the Government of National Accord (GNA), as the best hope of unifying political and armed factions to take on Islamic State.

Today in History Posted: 20 May 2016 09:01 PM PDT Today is Saturday, May 21, the 142nd day of 2016. There are 224 days left in the year.

U.S. moves to unseal Islamic State defector's case Posted: 20 May 2016 05:36 PM PDT U.S. prosecutors on Friday sought to unseal the to-date secret criminal case of an Islamic State defector after NBC News broadcast an interview with the New York man in which he spoke out against the militant Islamist group. Unsealing the case could allow the U.S. Justice Department to make public details of why the man turned against Islamic State at a time when the government is trying to combat the group's online propaganda. The 27-year-old man had been cooperating in investigations and had explored speaking publicly against the militant group "for some time" before agreeing to the NBC interview broadcast Thursday, prosecutors said in a letter filed in federal court in Brooklyn, New York.

How to Get Away With Dictatorship in the Age of Democracy Posted: 20 May 2016 05:00 PM PDT Dozens of men around the world resist the tide of democracy. What is there to be done?

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