| Man held on U.S. terror charges targeted Texas malls: newspaper Posted: 13 Jan 2016 05:02 PM PST  U.S. investigators began looking into Omar Faraj Saeed Al-Hardan in 2014 and found that he was buying components on eBay to detonate homemade bombs, the Houston Chronicle quoted Herman Wittliff, a Department of Homeland Security special agent, testifying at a federal court hearing. Al-Hardan, 24, pleaded not guilty at the court in Houston to charges he supplied support to Islamic State and lied to U.S. officials, it reported.
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| Iraqi refugee held without bail on terror-related charges Posted: 13 Jan 2016 04:39 PM PST HOUSTON (AP) — An Iraqi refugee who is facing charges he tried to help the Islamic State group was denied bond Wednesday after a federal agent testified the Iraqi man had wanted to set off bombs at two Houston malls. |
| Pentagon lays out plan to take back Mosul, Raqqa from IS Posted: 13 Jan 2016 04:31 PM PST  FORT CAMPBELL, Kentucky (AP) — Defense Secretary Ash Carter laid out broad plans Wednesday to defeat Islamic State militants and retake the group's key power centers in Iraq and Syria. And he announced that a special commando force has now arrived in Iraq.
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| Iranian official says US sailor issue 'is being resolved' Posted: 13 Jan 2016 04:12 PM PST  DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — It turned out to be the international crisis that wasn't.
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| Special U.S. targeting force 'now in place' in Iraq: U.S. Posted: 13 Jan 2016 04:11 PM PST  By Phil Stewart WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A new U.S. force of special operations troops has arrived in Iraq and is preparing to work with Iraqi forces to go after Islamic State targets, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said on Wednesday. Carter disclosed the deployment in a broad speech to U.S. soldiers that sought to underscore American efforts to accelerate the campaign against Islamic State, both in Iraq and Syria.
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| War zone blasts may alter brain permanently: study Posted: 13 Jan 2016 03:38 PM PST  US military members who are exposed to repeated blasts in a war zone may suffer permanent damage in parts of the brain that lend emotional stability, said a study Wednesday. Researchers have described mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) -- more commonly called "concussion" -- as the "signature injury of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan," said the report in the US journal Science Translational Medicine. More than 250,000 US service members have been diagnosed with mTBI around the world, and post traumatic stress is a common accompaniment.
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| Man pleads not guilty in Houston court to U.S. terror charges: newspaper Posted: 13 Jan 2016 03:33 PM PST Omar Faraj Saeed Al-Hardan, 24, was charged with offering his services and material support to the militant group, according to an indictment unsealed last week. Al-Hardan was granted legal permanent residency status in the United States in August 2011, though he is not yet a U.S. citizen. |
| US Air Force shelves Warthog plane retirement amid IS fight: media Posted: 13 Jan 2016 03:26 PM PST  The US Air Force will delay retiring the A-10 -- a stalwart attack aircraft beloved by ground troops -- because of the ongoing fight against the Islamic State group, a military news site reported Wednesday. Plans to postpone the mothballing will be outlined when the Pentagon submits its 2017 budget request to Congress next month, Pentagon officials speaking on condition of anonymity told Defense One. According to Defense One, Air Force officials have postponed immediate plans to retire the Warthog, as the plane is known, because of its utility in Iraq and Syria, where the United States is leading a coalition against IS jihadists.
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| U.S. Air Force shelving plans to retire A-10 'Warthog': report Posted: 13 Jan 2016 03:15 PM PST The U.S. Air Force is shelving plans to retire the aging A-10 "Warthog" aircraft, a heavily armored tank killer, because of its role in the fight against Islamic State, online publication Defense One reported on Wednesday, citing unnamed Pentagon officials. The 40-year-old ground attack aircraft is popular with soldiers, Marines - and some U.S. lawmakers. Defense One quoted the Air Force officials as saying that, while the A-10 would still need to be retired, the service would put aside immediate plans to take it out of service because of the important role it is playing in combating Islamic State. |
| Sanders congressional record under scrutiny by Clinton Posted: 13 Jan 2016 03:06 PM PST  KEENE, N.H. (AP) — Bernie Sanders casts himself as the voice of anti-establishment politics, fueling his insurgent rise in the Democratic primaries as a principled fighter unwilling to compromise for political gain.
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| Australia knocks back Washington over more help against Islamic State Posted: 13 Jan 2016 02:24 PM PST  By Matt Siegel SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia on Thursday said that it had denied a request from the United States for a greater military commitment against Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq made in the wake of the November attacks in Paris that killed 130 people. Australia, a staunch ally of the United States and its battle against Islamist militants in Iraq and Syria, has been one of the largest contributors to the U.S.-led bombing campaign against the group.
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| Istanbul suicide bomber registered as refugee before attack Posted: 13 Jan 2016 02:01 PM PST  ISTANBUL (AP) — The suicide attacker who detonated a bomb that killed 10 German tourists in the heart of Istanbul's historic district had registered as a refugee just a week earlier, Turkish officials said Wednesday, raising questions over whether extremists are posing as asylum-seekers to inflame anti-immigrant sentiment in Europe.
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| US-led military campaign focusing on Raqa, Mosul: Pentagon chief Posted: 13 Jan 2016 01:36 PM PST  Raqa in Syria and the Iraqi city of Mosul are in the US-led coalition's crosshairs as it tries to build on recent successes against the Islamic State group, Pentagon chief Ashton Carter said Wednesday. Speaking to troops at Fort Campbell, Kentucky ahead of their deployment to Iraq, Carter said the recapture of the two cities, each emblematic of IS power, is key to the ongoing fight against the jihadists. Raqa and Mosul "constitute ISIL's military, political, economic, and ideological centers of gravity," Carter said, using an alternative acronym for the IS group.
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| The Latest: Austria turns away 3,000 migrants in 20 days Posted: 13 Jan 2016 01:13 PM PST  PARIS (AP) — The latest on the influx of asylum seekers and other migrants in Europe. All times local:
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| Kuwait MPs approve extra $10 bn for arms Posted: 13 Jan 2016 12:48 PM PST  Kuwait's parliament on Wednesday unanimously approved a request by the oil-rich Gulf state's government for $10 billion in additional funds for military spending during the next 10 years. Defence Minister Sheikh Khaled Jarrah Al-Sabah said the money, which is to be placed in a special fund outside the budget, would be used to purchase new fighter jets, tanks and air defence systems. Sheikh Khaled said it was time to modernise the army's weapons since existing ones were bought more than two decades ago.
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| Saudi arms deal tests Canada's 'boy scout' image Posted: 13 Jan 2016 12:29 PM PST Analysts say the arms deal is the first foreign-policy test for a government that will often see economic and geopolitical pressures clash with Canadians' self-image as a peacebuilding middle power. "Canadians have a worldview of themselves and as a country very much wedded to the idea of the honest broker," says Fen Hampson, a professor at Carleton University who studies global security issues. |
| Trump looms behind both Obama and Haley speeches Posted: 13 Jan 2016 12:22 PM PST  By James Oliphant WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Donald Trump was not in the room during U.S. President Barack Obama's final State of the Union speech, but the Republican presidential front-runner was a looming presence nonetheless. Both Obama's speech on Tuesday and, for that matter, the Republican response by South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, took pains to rebuke Trump, the real estate billionaire whose red-hot rhetoric has endeared him to some and dismayed others in the campaign for the Nov. 8 presidential election. Obama and Haley, although from different parties, offered a defense of establishment politics, a plea for optimism and a quest for common ground.
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| IS claims deadly attack on Pakistan consulate in Afghan city Posted: 13 Jan 2016 12:12 PM PST  Islamic State jihadists Wednesday claimed responsibility for a deadly gun and bomb siege targeting the Pakistani consulate in Afghanistan's Jalalabad city, in the first attack by the group on the Pakistani government. Afghan officials said all three attackers and seven security forces were killed in the brazen assault in eastern Nangarhar province, where the group has made alarming inroads in recent months. The four-hour siege near the consulate comes amid renewed international efforts to revive peace talks with the Taliban, locked in a tussle for supremacy with Islamic State jihadists in Afghanistan.
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| Eyeing presidency again, Sarkozy urges Arab troops in Syria Posted: 13 Jan 2016 12:04 PM PST ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — France's former President Nicolas Sarkozy on Wednesday called on Arab governments to deploy troops to Syria to fight the Islamic State group, describing the conflict against extremism as a "Third World War". |
| U.N. envoy says Syria peace talks still on for January 25 Posted: 13 Jan 2016 12:00 PM PST  The United Nations Special Envoy for Syria said after meeting representatives of the United States, Russia and other major powers on Wednesday that Syria peace talks were still planned to start in Geneva on Jan. 25. Staffan de Mistura told reporters they had discussed access to the government-besieged town of Madaya, where the first aid deliveries were made on Monday to starving civilians after three months. "This meeting was essential in order to move forward on the Geneva talks, and there are issues still, and very much at stake, that's why I needed to consult them," he said.
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| Istanbul bomber entered Turkey as refugee from Syria, PM says Posted: 13 Jan 2016 11:15 AM PST  By Ayla Jean Yackley and Humeyra Pamuk ISTANBUL (Reuters) - An Islamic State suicide bomber who killed 10 German tourists in the heart of Istanbul's historic district entered Turkey as a refugee from Syria and went undetected as he was not on any watch lists, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Wednesday. The bomber, who blew himself up among groups of tourists on Tuesday near the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia, the top sites in one of the world's most visited cities, had registered with immigration authorities in the city a week ago. Turkey has kept an open border to refugees from Syria's civil war and is now home to more than 2.2 million, the world's largest refugee population.
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| Kuwaiti Shiite lawmakers boycott parliament Posted: 13 Jan 2016 10:00 AM PST  Kuwait's Shiite lawmakers boycotted parliament Wednesday, a day after a mass sentencing of members of the minority to prison or death for belonging to an Iran-linked cell. All nine Shiite MPs stayed away from the national assembly, which held a secret debate on the impact of regional conflicts on Kuwait, following attacks on Sunni-ruled ally Saudi Arabia's diplomatic missions in Iran.
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| Europe turns to Morocco in Paris attacks investigation Posted: 13 Jan 2016 08:51 AM PST  By Aziz El Yaakoubi and Philip Blenkinsop AIT OURIR, Morocco (Reuters) - A few weeks before she was killed in a raid by French special forces beside the suspected ringleader of last November's Paris attacks, Hasna Ait Boulahcen packed her bags and said her last farewells to relatives in Morocco. The 26-year-old Parisian's almost two-month-long trip to her father's home town of Ait Ourir proved to be one of the last stops on her journey from fun-loving party girl to devout Muslim - and possibly Islamist militant. Conversations with relatives and family friends shed light not only on her transformation but also on the role of Moroccan intelligence in helping services in France and Belgium trying to counter the threats of Islamist militant attacks.
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| Iraq PM says jihadists behind Baghdad attack arrested Posted: 13 Jan 2016 08:49 AM PST  Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Wednesday announced the arrest of a group of militants involved in an attack that killed 12 people in Baghdad two days before. The attack, which was claimed by the Islamic State group, involved bombings, gunfire and hostage-taking that wreaked havoc in eastern Baghdad. "The intelligence effort was able to arrest the terrorist criminal gang that bombed Baghdad Jadida," a statement from Abadi's office quoted him as saying, referring to the area where the attack took place.
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| Post-revolt Tunisia a target and exporter of jihadists Posted: 13 Jan 2016 08:25 AM PST  The 2011 revolution that toppled Tunisia's regime has awoken extremism in the country after decades of repression, turning it into a target for attacks and a key exporter of jihadists. Analysts say the current state of affairs is a result of the legacy of ousted president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali's 23 years of iron-fisted rule, as well as Tunisia's porous borders. "Ben Ali's monopolisation of the religious sphere and neglect of socioeconomic issues opened the door to radicalisation," the Carnegie Middle East Centre says in a report.
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| After Istanbul attack, will Turkey take on IS? Posted: 13 Jan 2016 08:12 AM PST  Turkey has long been accused of tolerating and even collaborating with Islamic State (IS) jihadists but in recent months it has shown signs of sharply toughening its line against the group. Now, after the suicide attack in Istanbul on Tuesday that killed 10 German tourists and was carried out by an IS bomber from Syria, will Ankara launch an all-out assault against the group to push it out of Turkey and end its presence on the Syrian border? - IS TURKEY NOW CONFRONTING IS?
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| Migrant fears as bulldozers head for French 'Jungle' camp Posted: 13 Jan 2016 07:23 AM PST  Authorities in the northern French port of Calais were struggling to move hundreds of migrants into refitted shipping containers on Wednesday ahead of plans to bulldoze part of the notorious "Jungle" camp. The government had planned to move 500-700 migrants and refugees out of the grim makeshift camp into refitted containers with heaters, electricity plugs and cribs for newborns. There is concern that the 125 containers -- each holding 12 people -- are not nearly enough for the 4,000 people currently estimated to be in the Jungle, who are trying to smuggle their way to Britain by ferry or on cross-Channel trains.
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| Dutch spy services unravel 'myth' of life with IS Posted: 13 Jan 2016 06:41 AM PST  Dutch secret services fear as many as 70 Dutch children may be growing up among Islamic State jihadists, warning in a bleak new report about life under such a "totalitarian" regime. "Life among ISIS, unravelling the myth" was released late Tuesday by the intelligence services, the AIVD, in a bid to spell out to families, police and aid workers the true hardships and dangers facing those who travel to Iraq and Syria. It paints a stark picture of life under a regime where "violence is inherent", new male recruits to IS are interrogated for days to ensure they are not spies, and children are routinely taken to watch executions of those sentenced to death by harsh Sharia courts.
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| U.S. leads 24 strikes in Syria, Iraq against Islamic State: statement Posted: 13 Jan 2016 06:08 AM PST  The United States and its allies staged two dozen strikes against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria on Tuesday, the military coalition leading the operations said in a statement. Sixteen strikes in Iraq were concentrated in Mosul, Ramadi and Kisik, where they hit four of the militant group's tactical units and destroyed four of its bunkers, among other damage, the coalition said in the statement, released on Wednesday. In Syria, eight strikes near five cities destroyed an IS excavator and oil booster pump generator as well as fighting positions, vehicles and other targets, the Combined Joint Task Force said.
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| Trump vs. Obama: Smackdown over State of the Union Posted: 13 Jan 2016 03:15 AM PST  "People occupy different realities on guns," President Obama said recently at a town hall meeting. Yes, and people -- like Donald Trump -- also occupy different realities when it comes to the state of the union. Donald Trump has built his campaign challenging Obama's realities, with understandable success.
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| French carrier leads Islamic State battle after Paris attack Posted: 13 Jan 2016 01:48 AM PST  ABOARD THE FRENCH AIRCRAFT CARRIER CHARLES DE GAULLE (AP) — Just after sunrise, eight fighter jets and a surveillance plane roared off the runway of the jewel of the French navy's fleet, part of the country's war against the Islamic State group following the attacks on Paris.
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| As economy crumbles, Sudan ditches Iran for Saudi patronage Posted: 13 Jan 2016 12:14 AM PST  By Khalid Abdelaziz KHARTOUM (Reuters) - When Saudi Arabia executed a leading Shi'ite cleric and protesters responded by torching the Saudi embassy in Tehran, Sudan was one of only three countries to sever ties with Iran in solidarity with Riyadh. The Jan. 4 move cemented a dramatic political shift: in the past two years, Sudan has turned its back on a quarter-century alliance with Iran in favour of the Saudis, who have proved more willing to provide the financial support it sorely needs. Saudi Arabia has already invested more than any other country in Sudan -- about $11 billion, mostly in agriculture.
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| Obama tells anxious US to embrace change Posted: 12 Jan 2016 10:44 PM PST  President Barack Obama told Americans nervous about terror and a changing economy that they should not fear the future, in a farewell State of the Union address that drew sharp contrast with Republicans. In a primetime address that bubbled with 2016 election politics, Obama assailed Republicans for talking up the threat posed by the Islamic State group and talking down the American economy. A self-assured and optimistic Obama cast himself as the foil of foes who warn the country is going in the wrong direction because of his seven years in office.
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| Obama Uses State of the Union to Defend His ISIS Strategy Posted: 12 Jan 2016 09:58 PM PST  The president took direct aim at his critics, both on Capitol Hill and on the 2016 campaign trail, who have, often in highly personal terms, bludgeoned him over his handling of world affairs. "The United States of America is the most powerful nation on Earth. Obama devoted the lion's share of the speech's foreign policy section to the war on ISIS, acknowledging the threat posed by terror groups like it and al-Qaeda.
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| Today in History Posted: 12 Jan 2016 09:01 PM PST Today in History |
| Iran holds 10 American sailors; U.S. expects their prompt return Posted: 12 Jan 2016 08:16 PM PST  By Phil Stewart and Parisa Hafezi WASHINGTON/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Iran detained 10 U.S. sailors aboard two U.S. Navy boats in the Gulf on Tuesday in an incident that rattled nerves days ahead of the expected implementation of a landmark nuclear accord with Tehran. Late on Tuesday, a U.S. defense official said plans were in place for Iran to return the sailors to a U.S. Navy vessel in international waters early on Wednesday. Both U.S. and Iranian officials described the sailors, whose boats may have inadvertently drifted into Iranian waters, as safe and well-treated.
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| U.S. Oil Settles Above $30 a Barrel, After Dipping Below for First Time Since 2003 Posted: 12 Jan 2016 04:49 PM PST Big oil companies deepened their cutbacks to staff and investment Tuesday, as the price of oil briefly slipped below $30 a barrel for the first time since December 2003. Oil giant BP PLC said it would lay off about 4,000 workers from its exploration and production business. Petróleo Brasileiro SA, Brazil's state-run oil producer, trimmed its production targets and slashed its investment budget by about a quarter, an acknowledgment that the company's previous oil-price assumptions were overly optimistic. |
| Turkey Blames Islamic State in Istanbul Attack Posted: 12 Jan 2016 04:39 PM PST ISTANBUL—An Islamic State suicide bomber struck Istanbul's historic district Tuesday, killing at least 10 people in a blow to Turkey's vital tourism industry that comes as the U.S. and its allies are stepping up their campaign against the extremists. The bomber—identified by Turkish authorities as a Syrian citizen born in 1988—walked up to a foreign tour group preparing to visit the Blue Mosque and other world-renowned buildings and detonated the explosives shortly after 10 a.m., officials said. Turkey and the U.S. are developing new plans to choke off Islamic State supply routes by clamping down on a vital 60-mile stretch of the Turkey-Syria border, which the militants use to transport weapons, supplies and fighters in and out of their Syrian strongholds. kemal aslan/Reuters Rescue teams gathered at the scene after an explosion Tuesday in Istanbul's historic Sultanahmet district. |
