Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• IS-linked jihadists claim attack on Sinai pipeline to Jordan
• Man in fake explosives vest killed amid high Paris tension
• Iraq military says ISIS spokesman Adnani wounded: state TV
• Pentagon creates award for U.S. drone pilots, cyber warriors
• Obama's executive action on guns gets warm welcome in Mexico
• Jihadist shot dead attacking police on Charlie Hebdo anniversary
• German Muslims condemn Cologne attacks, fear consequences
• Paris police shoot dead knife-wielding man: police sources
• Saudi will collapse if keeps its 'sectarian' policies: Iran Guards
• Rupture with Iran may not have been Saudi aim, but Riyadh has no regrets
• ISIS training videos: Why thermal batteries are a threat
• U.S approves $800 million sale of Hellfire missiles to Iraq
• Obama to nominate special ops head to lead CENTCOM: US official
• U.S. coalition targets Islamic State with 36 strikes in Iraq, Syria: statement
• Blair urged Kadhafi to find 'safe place' in 2011: transcripts
• Top French IS recruiter sentenced to 15 years in absentia
• Dispute over Turkish troops throws future of Mosul into question
• What’s the Saudi-Iran Feud Really About?
• Snow makes migrants' journey through Europe even harder
• WWE finds new tag-team team partner in USA for 'Smackdown'
• Tunisian PM reshuffles cabinet amid security, economic challenges
• Can 'The Martian' Help Jordan Become the Land of Oscar Success?

IS-linked jihadists claim attack on Sinai pipeline to Jordan Posted: 07 Jan 2016 04:38 PM PST The Egyptian branch of the jihadist Islamic State group on Thursday said it had bombed a pipeline that carries gas to Jordan and to a major industrial zone in north Sinai. North Sinai is a bastion of the "Sinai Province" group, the Egyptian affiliate of IS. In a message posted on Twitter and signed by "Sinai Province", the jihadists claimed responsibility for the attack.

Man in fake explosives vest killed amid high Paris tension Posted: 07 Jan 2016 04:35 PM PST PARIS (AP) — Officers shot and killed a knife-wielding man with wires protruding from his clothes at a police station in northern Paris on Thursday, French officials said, a year to the day after an attack on the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo launched a bloody year in the French capital.

Iraq military says ISIS spokesman Adnani wounded: state TV Posted: 07 Jan 2016 03:29 PM PST Islamic State spokesman Abu Muhammad al-Adnani has reportedly been wounded in an air strike in Iraq's western province of Anbar, a military statement said on Thursday. "There are confirmed reports that the so-called terrorist Abu Muhammad al-Adnani the spokesman of the Daesh (Islamic State) terrorists was wounded in an air strike ... in the region of Barwana," the military statement said. Adnani lost "a large amount of blood" in the attack a few days ago, before being moved to the northern city of Mosul, Islamic State's capital in Iraq, the statement added.

Pentagon creates award for U.S. drone pilots, cyber warriors Posted: 07 Jan 2016 02:24 PM PST By Yeganeh Torbati WASHINGTON (Reuters) - New military awards will recognize U.S. troops who have directly affected battles as drone pilots or in cyber operations, the Defense Department said on Thursday. The changes follow an 18-month review which made broader recommendations including standardizing criteria for awards recognizing valorous conduct across all services. The new award for drone pilots or cyber operators will be a letter "R" device to be affixed to existing service medals.

Obama's executive action on guns gets warm welcome in Mexico Posted: 07 Jan 2016 01:30 PM PST President Obama's executive action on gun control may have reenergized a polarizing debate in the US, but it offered cautious hope in Mexico this week. Hundreds of thousands of legally purchased and illegally transported guns move from the US into Mexico each year, according to both governments, and make up the majority of firearms confiscated from crime scenes here. Analysts say the expansion of background checks could disrupt the flow of trafficked guns that play a central role in drug trafficking and the overall homicide rate.

Jihadist shot dead attacking police on Charlie Hebdo anniversary Posted: 07 Jan 2016 01:05 PM PST A jihadist wielding a meat cleaver was shot dead as he tried to attack a police station in Paris Thursday claiming to avenge French military action in Syria, a year to the day since the Charlie Hebdo massacre. The man "showed his weapon and shouted 'Allahu Akbar' (God is great) before being gunned down by the police officers," Paris prosecutor Francois Molins said in a statement. A source close to the investigation said a piece of paper discovered on the man's body said he "vowed allegiance" to the Islamic State group and was avenging French "attacks in Syria".

German Muslims condemn Cologne attacks, fear consequences Posted: 07 Jan 2016 12:31 PM PST COLOGNE, Germany (AP) — Members of Cologne's large Muslim community have joined the chorus condemning a string of assaults on women on New Year's Eve that have shocked Germany. But some are also voicing concern that pointing the finger of blame at Muslims in general — and North African immigrants in particular — is unfair when most migrants are law-abiding and the full facts of what happened on the night remain unclear.

Paris police shoot dead knife-wielding man: police sources Posted: 07 Jan 2016 11:17 AM PST PARIS (Reuters) - Police in Paris on Thursday shot dead a knife-wielding man who tried to enter a police station, police union sources said. The incident took place on the anniversary of last year's deadly Islamist militant attacks on the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine in the French capital. One of the sources said the man appeared to be wearing a belt of some sort, but could not say whether it was an explosive one. (Reporting by Emmanuel Jarry; Writing by Andrew Callus; Editing by John Irish)

Saudi will collapse if keeps its 'sectarian' policies: Iran Guards Posted: 07 Jan 2016 10:52 AM PST By Bozorgmehr Sharafedin DUBAI (Reuters) - The deputy head of Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) told Saudi Arabia on Thursday it would "collapse" in coming years if it kept pursuing what he called its sectarian policies in the region. Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Sudan and Djibouti broke off ties with Iran this week, the United Arab Emirates downgraded its relations and Kuwait and Qatar recalled their ambassadors after the Saudi embassy in Tehran was stormed by protesters. Tensions between Shi'ite Muslim power Iran and the conservative Sunni kingdom have spiralled since Saudi Arabia on Saturday executed cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, an opponent of the ruling dynasty who demanded greater rights for Saudi Arabia's marginalized Shi'ite minority.

Rupture with Iran may not have been Saudi aim, but Riyadh has no regrets Posted: 07 Jan 2016 10:50 AM PST By Angus McDowall RIYADH (Reuters) - The diplomatic rupture with Iran triggered by the execution of a Shi'ite cleric was probably a side effect of a decision taken by Saudi Arabia for domestic reasons, rather than the outcome of a deliberate ploy to enrage its regional opponent. Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is also defense minister, reassured the world on Thursday the crisis would stop short of an all-out war between the Gulf region's main powers. "A war between Saudi Arabia and Iran is the beginning of a major catastrophe in the region, and it will reflect very strongly on the rest of the world.

ISIS training videos: Why thermal batteries are a threat Posted: 07 Jan 2016 10:43 AM PST Videos taken from a captured Islamic State (IS) fighter appear to show that the Islamic terror group's weapons capabilities and training schools are more advanced than previously known, say military experts already concerned about the militants' steady flow of weaponry. London-based Sky News received more than eight hours of video from an Islamic State "university" from the Syrian Free Army, who captured an IS trainer as he traveled toward Europe. "I think this is one of the most significant intelligence finds in terms of Daesh," Major Hunter told the Sky network, using an alternate Arab name for the Islamic State.

U.S approves $800 million sale of Hellfire missiles to Iraq Posted: 07 Jan 2016 08:32 AM PST The U.S. State Department has approved the sale of 5,000 Hellfire missiles to Iraq worth $800 million, the Pentagon said on Thursday. The prime contractor on the deal would be Lockheed Martin Corp. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency, which oversees foreign arms sales, told lawmakers the government of Iraq had asked to buy 5,000 of the air-to-ground missiles and 10 training missiles. The missiles would contribute to the United States' national security and "improve the Iraq Security Forces' capability to support ongoing combat operations," the agency said in a notice to lawmakers posted on its website.

Obama to nominate special ops head to lead CENTCOM: US official Posted: 07 Jan 2016 08:21 AM PST US President Barack Obama is set to nominate the chief of the Special Operations Command to head the military's vital Central Command, which oversees operations in the Middle East, a US defense official said Thursday. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said General Joseph Votel would be nominated to lead Central Command, whose area of operations include Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.

U.S. coalition targets Islamic State with 36 strikes in Iraq, Syria: statement Posted: 07 Jan 2016 08:02 AM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and its allies staged 36 strikes against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria on Wednesday in its latest round of daily attacks on the militant group, the coalition leading the operations said in a statement. In Iraq, 22 strikes near nine cities hit several Islamic State buildings, an improvised explosive device factory and a staging facility, among other targets. Fourteen strikes near Manbij in Syria also hit multiple targets, the statement released on Thursday said. (Reporting by Washington newsroom; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

Blair urged Kadhafi to find 'safe place' in 2011: transcripts Posted: 07 Jan 2016 07:49 AM PST Former British prime minister Tony Blair urged Moamer Kadhafi to stand aside and find a bolthole in the early days of the 2011 Libyan uprising, telephone transcripts released Thursday showed. Blair urged the Libyan dictator to stop the violence, start a process of change, stand aside, resolve the situation peacefully and keep communications open between them. Kadhafi insisted Libya was under attack from sleeper cells from the Al-Qaeda terror network who wanted to take north Africa and attack Europe -- and if Western forces intervened, Libya would end up "like Iraq".

Top French IS recruiter sentenced to 15 years in absentia Posted: 07 Jan 2016 06:30 AM PST A key French member of the Islamic State group, Salim Benghalem, who had ties to the Charlie Hebdo attackers, was sentenced in absentia by a Paris court on Thursday to 15 years in prison. Six other men, who have returned from Syria and Iraq, were given sentences of between six and nine years. Benghalem, 35, is thought to have been in Syria since 2013 and is subject to an international arrest warrant.

Dispute over Turkish troops throws future of Mosul into question Posted: 07 Jan 2016 04:19 AM PST By Stephen Kalin BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Months before the first shots are fired in the threatened battle to drive Islamic State out of Mosul, a dispute over Turkish troops in the area suggests that a struggle for influence over the future of Iraq's second city has already begun. Attention is turning toward Mosul, Islamic State's stronghold in the north, after the jihadists were defeated in the western city of Ramadi by government forces last month. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has vowed to retake Mosul this year as a "fatal and final blow" to Islamic State in Iraq.

What’s the Saudi-Iran Feud Really About? Posted: 07 Jan 2016 04:00 AM PST In recent days, news of Saudi Arabia's execution of the Shia leader Nimr al-Nimr, and the diplomatic clashes with Iran that followed, has often been accompanied by an explanation that, in simplified form, goes something like this: The schism between Sunni and Shia Islam is an ancient one, expressed today in part through the rivalry between Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shia Iran. Those two countries are intractable enemies—"fire and dynamite," as one Saudi journalist memorably described them. Their proxy battles and jockeying for leadership of the Muslim world have ravaged the Middle East and, as has been vividly illustrated this week, could yet ravage it further.

Snow makes migrants' journey through Europe even harder Posted: 07 Jan 2016 02:25 AM PST Šentilj (Slovenia) (AFP) - It's the first time that Arman Butt, a Pakistani man desperately seeking to reach western Europe, sees snow. A few hours ago, he was pushed back into Slovenia by Austrian border guards. Every day, about 900 refugees and migrants who have braved freezing-cold temperatures arrive here on trains from Croatia, further south.

WWE finds new tag-team team partner in USA for 'Smackdown' Posted: 06 Jan 2016 11:18 PM PST WWE's "SmackDown" is trading the Cylons and ghost hunters of Syfy for a new tag-team partner, the USA Network.

Tunisian PM reshuffles cabinet amid security, economic challenges Posted: 06 Jan 2016 10:48 PM PST Tunisian Prime Minister Habib Essid named 12 new ministers on Wednesday in a cabinet reshuffle he hopes will boost the effectiveness of his government as it battles jihadist violence and tries to revive the economy. Tunisia has been under a state of emergency since an Islamic State suicide bomber attacked presidential guards in November in the capital Tunis following two previous militant attacks on foreign tourists that have damaged the country's economy. Tunisia, praised as a model for democratic transition since its 2011 revolt ousted autocrat Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali, has mostly avoided the violent turmoil of other "Arab Spring" countries which also toppled long-standing rulers.

Can 'The Martian' Help Jordan Become the Land of Oscar Success? Posted: 06 Jan 2016 09:00 PM PST Both Ridley Scott's space drama and the country's foreign-language entry 'Theeb' (which shared film crewmembers) were shot in Wadi Rum, the valley where 'Lawrence of Arabia' also was filmed.

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