Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• Kurdish officials say they're facing financial crisis
• More IS attacks likely as group suffers setbacks: US general
• Islamic State claims Jakarta attack, targets Indonesia for first time
• Carter announce new commander for Middle East
• Suicide bomber in Paris attacks police raid was Belgian-Moroccan
• Senator says the US is losing the messaging campaign in Iraq
• Study yields clues to explosions' effect on brain
• PM says Turkish artillery hit IS positions in Iraq, Syria
• US Designates ISIS Afghan Affiliate a Terror Group
• The Latest: US condemns terrorist attack in Jakarta
• Federal agent says Iraqi refugee wanted to bomb Texas malls
• French troops to increase for the 1st time in 10 years
• Center for Public Integrity hires state politics reporter
• This UFC Fighter's Response To An ISIS Threat Will Have You Feeling Very Patriotic
• Does Iraqi refugee's alleged Houston bomb plot reveal holes in US screening?
• Turkey attacks Islamic State targets in Syria, Iraq in response to Istanbul bombing
• Happiness: Is it in your DNA?
• Briton avoids jail for smuggling Afghan girl out of French camp
• France plans coalition meeting on Islamic State, says militants retreating
• Chequered mates: Russian world chess chief defends Assad ties
• Turkey strikes IS targets in retaliation for Istanbul attack
• How social media united – and undid – would-be terrorists
• IS claims Jakarta attacks that left 5 gunmen, 2 others dead
• Top Asian News 3:20 p.m. GMT
• Arab Region Nursing Programs Attract More Males
• Islamic State briefly seizes northern Iraqi village behind frontlines
• Why Value Investing Helps Investors Through Market Swings
• French migrant camp tense as residents defy relocation efforts
• Iraq receives Saudi envoy credentials despite anti-Riyadh anger
• After 25 years, Saudi Embassy officially reopens in Baghdad
• PM says Turkish artillery attacked IS positions in Iraq, Syria in retaliation for Istanbul bombing; 200 militants killed
• Refugees brave Balkan winter, border controls to get to EU
• U.S., allies stage 20 strikes against Islamic State: U.S. military
• EU migration chief says refugee response is failing
• Indonesia Links Deadly Attack to Islamic State
• Turkey alleges PKK bomb 'kills six' in Diyarbakir
• Al-Qaida leader threatens Saudi Arabia over mass execution
• French jets strike IS comms centre in Iraq: minister
• Seven people detained linked with Istanbul bombing: Turkish minister
• Philippines concerned over 'emerging' terror threat

Kurdish officials say they're facing financial crisis Posted: 14 Jan 2016 04:17 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — Iraqi Kurds, who field one of the most effective ground forces fighting Islamic State militants, are urgently asking the U.S. to help ease their budget crisis made worse by slumping oil prices and 1.8 million people who have fled fighting in Iraq and Syria.

More IS attacks likely as group suffers setbacks: US general Posted: 14 Jan 2016 04:02 PM PST Islamic State jihadists will likely increase the tempo of attacks around the world as they come under increased pressure in Iraq and Syria, a top US general warned Thursday. General Lloyd Austin, who currently heads the military's Central Command (CENTCOM) overseeing Middle East operations, made the argument that recent IS-claimed attacks like the ones this week in Istanbul and Jakarta are in fact evidence the group is faltering. "ISIL has assumed a defensive posture in Iraq and Syria," Austin said at a news conference in Florida.

Islamic State claims Jakarta attack, targets Indonesia for first time Posted: 14 Jan 2016 03:56 PM PST By Kanupriya Kapoor and Darren Whiteside JAKARTA (Reuters) - Suicide bombers and gunmen attacked the heart of Indonesia's capital on Thursday and the assault was claimed by Islamic state, the first time the radical group has targeted the world's most populous Muslim nation. Just seven people were killed in Jakarta despite multiple blasts and a gunfight, and five of them were the attackers themselves, but the brazenness of the assault suggested a new brand of militancy in a country where low-level strikes on police are common. It took security forces about three hours to end the attack near a Starbucks cafe and Sarinah, Jakarta's oldest department store, after a team of militants traded gunfire with police and blew themselves up.

Carter announce new commander for Middle East Posted: 14 Jan 2016 02:43 PM PST MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Florida (AP) — Defense Secretary Ash Carter is announcing that the general who heads his special operations forces will be nominated as the next commander for the Middle East.

Suicide bomber in Paris attacks police raid was Belgian-Moroccan Posted: 14 Jan 2016 02:26 PM PST A suicide bomber who blew himself up during a huge police raid following the jihadist attacks in Paris was a Belgian-Moroccan man also suspected of being one of the gunmen in the November rampage, a prosecutor said Thursday. Chakib Akrouh, 25, was identified from DNA matched to his mother, Paris prosecutor Francois Molins said in a statement. "The suicide bomber who blew himself up... was identified as Chakib Akrouh, born on August 27, 1990 in Belgium, of Belgian Moroccan nationality," Molins said.

Senator says the US is losing the messaging campaign in Iraq Posted: 14 Jan 2016 01:53 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — In Iraq, the United States is pounding the Islamic State with air strikes but losing the airwaves.

Study yields clues to explosions' effect on brain Posted: 14 Jan 2016 01:30 PM PST By Andrew M. Seaman Reuters Health - Damage to the filter that protects the brain from toxins may partly explain why explosions have been leaving soldiers with lasting brain injuries, researchers say. In a study of U.S. veterans after hazardous tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, the researchers found that the higher the exposure to blasts, the lower the activity in a brain region called the cerebellum. The cerebellum is important for motor skills and also for emotions.

PM says Turkish artillery hit IS positions in Iraq, Syria Posted: 14 Jan 2016 01:25 PM PST ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish tanks and artillery attacked the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria in retaliation for the suicide bombing in Istanbul that killed 10 tourists, Turkey's prime minister said Thursday — the country's first significant strike against the Islamic extremists in months.

US Designates ISIS Afghan Affiliate a Terror Group Posted: 14 Jan 2016 12:55 PM PST The U.S. State Department today officially designated ISIS's affiliate in Afghanistan and Pakistan as a terrorist group. ISIL-Khorasan, as the U.S. government refers to the group using an alternate acronym for ISIS, formed in January 2015 by drawing together mostly disaffected ex-members of the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan who since have pledged their allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, according to the State Department. The designation posted online today says ISIS-K has been responsible for "suicide bombings, small arms attacks and kidnappings in eastern Afghanistan… and claimed responsibility for [the] May 2015 attacks on civilians in Karachi, Pakistan." Those attacks included an assault on a bus that killed 40 people in Karachi.

The Latest: US condemns terrorist attack in Jakarta Posted: 14 Jan 2016 12:41 PM PST JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — The latest on explosions in downtown Jakarta (all times local):

Federal agent says Iraqi refugee wanted to bomb Texas malls Posted: 14 Jan 2016 11:19 AM PST HOUSTON (AP) — An Iraqi refugee who is facing charges that he tried to help the Islamic State group wanted to set off bombs at two Houston malls and was learning how to make electronic transmitters that could be used to detonate explosive devices, a federal agent has testified.

French troops to increase for the 1st time in 10 years Posted: 14 Jan 2016 11:13 AM PST PARIS (AP) — President Francois Hollande says France will increase its total number of troops this year for the first time in 10 years, prompted by the extra security measures taken following the deadly Paris attacks.

Center for Public Integrity hires state politics reporter Posted: 14 Jan 2016 11:00 AM PST New hire will bolster Center for Public Integrity's state money in politics reporting

This UFC Fighter's Response To An ISIS Threat Will Have You Feeling Very Patriotic Posted: 14 Jan 2016 09:40 AM PST The FBI has confirmed that threats against UFC fighter and Green Beret Tim Kennedy are real.

Does Iraqi refugee's alleged Houston bomb plot reveal holes in US screening? Posted: 14 Jan 2016 09:36 AM PST An Iraqi refugee who was arrested in Houston last week for attempting to support the Islamic State (IS) was plotting to bomb two malls in the area, federal testimony alleges. Omar Faraj Saeed al-Hardan arrived in the Houston area in 2009 and received legal permanent residence status in 2011. Mr. Hardan is charged with procurement of citizenship or naturalization unlawfully, attempting to provide material support to IS, and making false statements, according to the US Department of Justice.

Turkey attacks Islamic State targets in Syria, Iraq in response to Istanbul bombing Posted: 14 Jan 2016 09:18 AM PST By Ercan Gurses ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish tanks and artillery have bombarded Islamic State positions in Syria and Iraq over the past 48 hours, killing almost 200 of its fighters in retaliation for a suicide bombing in Istanbul, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Thursday. An Islamic State suicide bomber, who entered Turkey as a Syrian refugee, blew himself up among groups of tourists in the historic center of Istanbul on Tuesday, killing 10 Germans and seriously wounding several other foreigners.

Happiness: Is it in your DNA? Posted: 14 Jan 2016 09:04 AM PST Happiness is a state of mind, the gurus say. Happiness at the national level was more closely related to this variant than factors like wealth, country stability, or even disease prevalence -- possibly explaining, for example, why Nigerians rate themselves happier than Germans. "Feeling happy, relaxed and in a good mood does not depend on the prosperity and safety of a country," study co-author Michael Minkov of the Varna University of Management in Bulgaria, told AFP.

Briton avoids jail for smuggling Afghan girl out of French camp Posted: 14 Jan 2016 09:02 AM PST Boulogne-sur-Mer (France) (AFP) - A former British soldier on Thursday avoided a jail sentence for trying to smuggle a four-year-old Afghan girl out of a migrant camp in France, in a case that has deeply divided opinion. Robert Lawrie, 49, told a French court he had acted after the child's father asked him to save his daughter, Bahar Ahmadi, from the squalor of the notorious camp in the northern port of Calais known as "The Jungle", and take her to relatives in England. In its verdict, the court in Boulogne-sur-Mer said Lawrie would have to pay 1,000 euros ($1,085) "for endangering life" if he re-offended.

France plans coalition meeting on Islamic State, says militants retreating Posted: 14 Jan 2016 08:52 AM PST Members of the U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State will meet in Paris next week to reinforce efforts against the group, France's defense minister said on Thursday, adding that the militants were clearly retreating in Iraq. France was the first country to join U.S.-led air strikes in Iraq. Since the Paris attacks by Islamic State militants in November, President Francois Hollande has stepped up French aerial operations against Islamic State, including in Syria, contributing about 20 percent of coalition strikes.

Chequered mates: Russian world chess chief defends Assad ties Posted: 14 Jan 2016 08:46 AM PST As world chess chief, Kirsan Ilyumzhinov rubbed shoulders with the reviled Moamer Kadhafi and Saddam Hussein and says aliens once abducted him, but it is his ties with the Syrian regime that finally landed him on a US blacklist. Two months ago, the colourful Russian business mogul was forced to temporarily transfer to his deputy most of his powers as president of the World Chess Federation (FIDE) for the last 20 years. Ilyumzhinov's contact with Syria's embattled President Bashar al-Assad is the latest in a series of scandals and oddities that have marked his tenure as FIDE head -- and threaten to shake his grip on the sport.

Turkey strikes IS targets in retaliation for Istanbul attack Posted: 14 Jan 2016 08:05 AM PST Turkish ground forces pounded Islamic State jihadists in Iraq and Syria after a suicide attack blamed on the extremists killed 10 German tourists, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Thursday, in a significant escalation of Ankara's fight against the group. The intense shelling of some 500 IS positions on the Syrian border with Turkey and northern Iraq in just a 48-hour period following the attack on Istanbul's historic heart was the most serious Turkish assault against jihadist targets in recent times. With Turkey beset by violence from Istanbul to its troubled southeast, six people, including three children, were killed in a devastating truck bomb attack on a police station in the southeastern Diyarbakir province blamed on Kurdish militants.

How social media united – and undid – would-be terrorists Posted: 14 Jan 2016 08:04 AM PST ­­­A Palestinian born in Iraq and accepted by the United States as a refugee is an Islamic State (IS) sympathizer, who planned an attack on American soil, a federal investigator testified in federal court Wednesday. Omar Faraj Saeed al-Hardan faces allegations by federal investigators that he was buying components on eBay to build two homemade bombs, intended to be detonated in two Houston malls. Mr. Hardan, 24, pleaded not guilty to the charges of supplying Islamic State with support and lying to US officials.

IS claims Jakarta attacks that left 5 gunmen, 2 others dead Posted: 14 Jan 2016 07:38 AM PST JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Attackers set off suicide bombs and exchanged gunfire outside a Starbucks cafe in Indonesia's capital in a brazen assault Thursday that police said "imitated" the recent Paris attacks. Backers of the Islamic State group claimed responsibility.

Top Asian News 3:20 p.m. GMT Posted: 14 Jan 2016 07:20 AM PST JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Attackers set off suicide bombs and exchanged gunfire outside a Starbucks cafe in Indonesia's capital in a brazen assault Thursday that police said "imitated" the recent Paris attacks and was probably linked to the Islamic State group. All five attackers and two bystanders — a Canadian and an Indonesian — died in the midmorning explosions and gunfire that were watched by office workers from high-rise buildings on Thamrin Street in Jakarta, not far from the presidential palace and the U.S. Embassy, police said. Twenty people were injured. When the area was finally secured a few hours later, bodies were sprawled on sidewalks.

Arab Region Nursing Programs Attract More Males Posted: 14 Jan 2016 07:06 AM PST It was his mother's wish that Omani national Salim Khamis Al Muqbali pursue a career in nursing, calling it a "noble career option." Traditionally regarded as a female profession, the field is seeing an influx of Arab men who view nursing as a rewarding and promising career route. "It is a career that allows you to help save people's lives, bring cheer and comfort to those in need," says Al Muqbali, who works as a staff nurse in a hospital under the Ministry of Health in Oman. Al Muqbali has a nursing diploma from the Oman Nursing Institute and is in the bridging program at the University of Sharjah in neighboring United Arab Emirates.

Islamic State briefly seizes northern Iraqi village behind frontlines Posted: 14 Jan 2016 06:04 AM PST By Ghazwan Hassan TIKRIT, Iraq (Reuters) - Islamic State militants briefly took control of a northern Iraqi village on Thursday, forcing out police and pro-government fighters and underlining the fragility of the state's hold on the territory. The army retook Tal Kusaiba hours later in a counter- attack, though one senior official said militants were still holed up inside some houses in the predominately Sunni village, around 35 km (20 miles) east of Tikrit. The operation shows "they can still mount attacks and control places there," said Hisham al-Hashimi, an Iraqi analyst who has worked with the government.

Why Value Investing Helps Investors Through Market Swings Posted: 14 Jan 2016 06:00 AM PST With swings in stock market prices becoming bigger and valuations still rather lofty, some investors remain jittery about getting into the market at these levels. Value investing follows the theory that stocks with a low price-to-book ratio outperform growth stocks over the long term. It is in part based on research by Nobel Prize-winning economists Eugene Fama and Kenneth French, whose work is known as the three-factor model.

French migrant camp tense as residents defy relocation efforts Posted: 14 Jan 2016 05:50 AM PST Known as The Jungle, the camp in the northern port city of Calais is home to thousands of refugees and migrants who have gathered at the site in the hope of somehow getting to Britain. With the mild weather ending and the mercury set to plummet, the French authorities are trying to persuade around a quarter of the camp's 4,000 residents to move out of their ramshackle homes into metal shipping containers kitted out with heaters, electrical sockets and cots for babies. Instead of moving into the containers, many migrants were on Thursday picking up their ramshackle tents and shelters and, with the help of activists, moving them deeper into the camp on the back of trucks, an AFP correspondent said.

Iraq receives Saudi envoy credentials despite anti-Riyadh anger Posted: 14 Jan 2016 05:01 AM PST Baghdad (AFP) - Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari received the new Saudi ambassador's credentials on Thursday despite calls for his expulsion after Riyadh executed a leading Shiite cleric.

After 25 years, Saudi Embassy officially reopens in Baghdad Posted: 14 Jan 2016 04:36 AM PST BAGHDAD (AP) — Saudi Arabia has reopened its embassy in Baghdad after a closure that lasted 25 years and the kingdom's ambassador submitted his credentials at the foreign ministry.

PM says Turkish artillery attacked IS positions in Iraq, Syria in retaliation for Istanbul bombing; 200 militants killed Posted: 14 Jan 2016 04:26 AM PST ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — PM says Turkish artillery attacked IS positions in Iraq, Syria in retaliation for Istanbul bombing; 200 militants killed.

Refugees brave Balkan winter, border controls to get to EU Posted: 14 Jan 2016 04:23 AM PST SID, Serbia (AP) — It's been dangerous and cold and there are rumors Europe is shutting its doors to people like him, but Samim Nawabi says he won't turn back because the dream of a new life in Germany has given him something his home country no longer can — hope.

U.S., allies stage 20 strikes against Islamic State: U.S. military Posted: 14 Jan 2016 04:15 AM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S.-led coalition conducted 20 strikes against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria on Wednesday, the coalition leading the operations said in a statement released on Thursday. Seventeen strikes near nine Iraqi cities hit three fuel tankers, an improvised explosive device factory and a facility and 10 tactical units as well as weapons caches and equipment used by the militant group, the Combined Joint Task Force said. In Syria, three strikes near two cities destroyed seven fighting positions, among other targets, according to the statement. ...

EU migration chief says refugee response is failing Posted: 14 Jan 2016 03:55 AM PST BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union's top migration official on Thursday said efforts to manage the refugee emergency are failing as more countries tighten border security, a trend he says could unravel unity in the bloc.

Indonesia Links Deadly Attack to Islamic State Posted: 14 Jan 2016 03:31 AM PST JAKARTA, Indonesia—Multiple blasts and gunfire killed seven people and jolted the Indonesian capital on Thursday in what officials said were coordinated Islamic State-linked terror attacks, shattering a relatively peaceful period in the country. The gun-and-bomb assaults struck in the heart of the Jakarta's downtown area, popular with shoppers and tourists and located near government ministries. Officials said the militants came from an Islamic State-linked group in Solo, a city on Indonesia's main island of Java, and had been in contact with terrorists in Syria.

Turkey alleges PKK bomb 'kills six' in Diyarbakir Posted: 14 Jan 2016 03:20 AM PST Six people were killed, including three children, and 39 wounded Thursday in a car bomb attack blamed on Kurdish militants that ripped through a police station and an adjacent housing complex for officers' families in southeastern Turkey. Two civilians were killed in the initial bombing by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in the town of Cinar and three more lost their lives when a building collapsed due to damage caused by the blast, the governor's office of Diyarbakir province said in a statement.

Al-Qaida leader threatens Saudi Arabia over mass execution Posted: 14 Jan 2016 02:53 AM PST DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The leader of al-Qaida has called for attacks on Saudi Arabia after the kingdom's mass execution of 47 people in January, many of whom were tied to the terror group.

French jets strike IS comms centre in Iraq: minister Posted: 14 Jan 2016 02:38 AM PST French warplanes bombed an Islamic State communications hub near Mosul in northern Iraq overnight, Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Thursday. "Last night we bombed a Daesh telecommunications centre, a propaganda centre, near Mosul," Le Drian told BFMTV, using an Arabic acronym for the IS jihadists. "We have struck seven times since Monday," Le Drian said of the French bombing campaign in Iraq and Syria.

Seven people detained linked with Istanbul bombing: Turkish minister Posted: 14 Jan 2016 02:35 AM PST Seven people have been detained in connection with a suicide bombing at the heart of Istanbul's historic district that killed 10 German tourists, Turkish Interior Minister Efkan Ala said on Thursday. The bomber, identified as a member of Islamic State who had entered Turkey as a refugee from Syria, blew himself up on Tuesday among tourists visiting some of Istanbul's most popular attractions. "The number of those detained in connection with Istanbul attack have reached seven.

Philippines concerned over 'emerging' terror threat Posted: 14 Jan 2016 02:33 AM PST Philippine security forces expressed concern over an "emerging threat" of terrorism, after suicide attackers struck the Indonesian capital on Thursday. Indonesian police said a local group linked to Islamic State jihadists, which control large swathes of Iraq and Syria, was suspected of carrying out the killings, though the identities of the attackers have yet to be established. "Our security forces are well aware of the emerging threat and have been conducting operations to prevent terror acts anywhere in the country," said a joint Philippine military and police statement on the Jakarta incident.

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