Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• Widow of Islamic State leader charged in death of American: U.S. Justice Dept.
• U.S. defense intelligence chief predicts increased ISIS attacks
• U.S. military seeks to prepare Africa for shifting terror threat
• What We Know: US looking for more help in fight against IS
• Canada to end bombing missions in Iraq and Syria
• Obama says the US and Italy are working together in Libya
• Canada to end air strikes in Iraq, Syria this month
• Obama, Canada's Trudeau discuss fight against Islamic State: White House
• Saudi Arabia says open to sending special forces into Syria
• Russian firepower helps Syrian forces edge toward Turkey border
• Saudi offer to send troops to Syria comes with uncertainty
• Should the US just stay in Afghanistan?
• US faces shortcomings in coalition-building for anti-IS war
• Canada to end airstrikes against Islamic State group shortly
• Iraq will send more troops to base outside Mosul
• Pentagon praises Canada for boosting training troops in Iraq
• Turkey, Germany to seek NATO help monitoring migrant flow from Syria
• Obama, Italy's Mattarella discuss fight against Islamic State in Libya
• Air strikes help force ISIS to halve fighters' pay: Glaser
• Bone tests can ruin migrant kids' Europe chances: study
• Mass deaths in Syrian jails amount to crime of 'extermination': U.N.
• A reporter covers 2 decades of tumult in the Middle East
• Iraq deploying thousands of troops to retake Mosul
• Two dozen perish in Aegean migrant disaster
• Islamic State claims car bomb blast in Saudi capital
• Kurdish protest against Turkey turns violent in Paris
• U.S.-led coalition targets ISIS with 10 air strikes in Syria, Iraq
• Saudi police: No injuries in blast in capital
• As Syria Talks Flop, Obama Is Painted Into a Corner
• Electric Patch Helps Some People with PTSD in Small Study

Widow of Islamic State leader charged in death of American: U.S. Justice Dept. Posted: 08 Feb 2016 04:43 PM PST By Julia Harte WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The wife of a deceased Islamic State leader was charged on Monday in federal court in Virginia with conspiracy in the death of American aid worker Kayla Mueller who was killed a year ago while being held hostage in Syria by the militant group, the U.S. Justice Department said. Nisreen Assad Ibrahim Bahar, aka Umm Sayyaf, 25, admitted to FBI agents last year that Islamic State head Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi "owned" Mueller during her captivity at Sayyaf's residence, and that "owning" her was equivalent to enslaving her, according to the complaint.

U.S. defense intelligence chief predicts increased ISIS attacks Posted: 08 Feb 2016 04:17 PM PST By Jonathan Landay WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Islamic State is likely to step up "the pace and lethality" of its attacks in the months ahead as it seeks to fan the flames of international conflict, the director of the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency said on Monday. Speaking to a security conference, Marine Corps Lieutenant General Vincent Stewart linked his warning to the militant group's establishment of "emerging branches" in Mali, Tunisia, Somalia, Bangladesh and Indonesia. "Last year, Daesh remained entrenched on Iraqi and Syrian battlefields and expanded globally to Libya, Sinai, Afghanistan, Nigeria, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and the Caucasus," Stewart said, using a derisive Arabic acronym for Islamic State.

U.S. military seeks to prepare Africa for shifting terror threat Posted: 08 Feb 2016 04:11 PM PST By Emma Farge THIES, Senegal (Reuters) - African forces began a U.S.-led counter-terrorism training program in Senegal on Monday amid what a U.S. commander said were rising signs of collaboration between Islamist militant groups across north Africa and the Sahel. The annual "Flintlock" exercises started only weeks after an attack in Burkina Faso's capital Ouagadougou left 30 people dead. The assault on a hotel used by foreigners raised concerns that militants were expanding from a stronghold in north Mali toward stable, Western allies like Senegal.

What We Know: US looking for more help in fight against IS Posted: 08 Feb 2016 02:32 PM PST Defense Secretary Ash Carter heads to Brussels this week to try to persuade partners in the 66-nation coalition against the Islamic State group to take on a bigger share of the load.

Canada to end bombing missions in Iraq and Syria Posted: 08 Feb 2016 01:22 PM PST By David Ljunggren OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Monday Canada would pull out six jets that have been bombing targets in Iraq and Syria, ending a controversial combat role in the fight against Islamic State. "The people terrorized by (Islamic State) every day don't need our vengeance, they need our help." Canada will end its bombing missions by Feb. 22 but keep two surveillance planes in the region as well as refueling aircraft, and triple the number of soldiers training Kurdish troops in northern Iraq to about 200. Officials in the United States welcomed the announcement, which came after sustained diplomatic pressure from major allies to persuade Canada to do as much as possible.

Obama says the US and Italy are working together in Libya Posted: 08 Feb 2016 01:20 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama and Italian President Sergio Mattarella met Monday to discuss efforts to fight the spread of the Islamic State in Libya, where the extremist group is capitalizing on political instability to increase its influence.

Canada to end air strikes in Iraq, Syria this month Posted: 08 Feb 2016 01:04 PM PST Canada announced Monday it will end air strikes targeting the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria and bring home its six fighter jets on February 22, fulfilling a campaign promise made by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Obama, Canada's Trudeau discuss fight against Islamic State: White House Posted: 08 Feb 2016 01:03 PM PST U.S. President Barack Obama spoke by telephone on Monday with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau about Canada's role in the international effort to combat Islamic State, the White House said. Obama "welcomed Canada's current and new contributions to coalition efforts and highlighted Canada's leadership in the coalition," the White House said in a statement. Trudeau on Monday said Canada would pull out its six jets that have been bombing targets in Iraq and Syria as a part of the fight against the Islamic State.

Saudi Arabia says open to sending special forces into Syria Posted: 08 Feb 2016 12:48 PM PST Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir on Monday held out the possibility of sending Saudi special forces into Syria as part of a U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State. "There is a discussion with regard to a ground force contingent, or a special forces contingent, to operate in Syria by this international U.S.-led coalition against ISIS and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has expressed its readiness to provide special forces to such operations should they occur," he said. Al-Jubeir spoke to reporters after he met for the second day in a row with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.

Russian firepower helps Syrian forces edge toward Turkey border Posted: 08 Feb 2016 12:40 PM PST By Suleiman Al-Khalidi and Humeyra Pamuk BEIRUT/ONCUPINAR, Turkey (Reuters) - The Syrian army advanced toward the Turkish border on Monday in a major offensive backed by Russia and Iran that rebels say now threatens the future of their nearly five-year-old insurrection against President Bashar al-Assad. "They are advancing and we are pulling back because in the face of such heavy aerial bombing we must minimize our losses." The Russian-backed Syrian government advance over recent days amounts to one of the biggest shifts in momentum of the war, helping to torpedo the first peace talks for two years, which collapsed last week before they had begun in earnest. The Syrian military and its allies were almost five km (3 miles) from the rebel-held town of Tal Rafaat, which has brought them to around 25 km (16 miles) from the Turkish border, the rebels, residents and a conflict monitor said.

Saudi offer to send troops to Syria comes with uncertainty Posted: 08 Feb 2016 12:22 PM PST DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Saudi Arabia's offer to send troops to fight Islamic State in Syria is as much about the kingdom's growing determination to flex its military might as it is about answering U.S. calls for more help from its allies in the Middle East.

Should the US just stay in Afghanistan? Posted: 08 Feb 2016 12:13 PM PST When candidate Barack Obama laid out his vision for Iraq and Afghanistan in 2008, he promised not to get drawn into an "endless war." Now, as his presidency comes to an end, some military experts are saying that that calculus has changed. American troops are still in Afghanistan and will be at least until the end of 2017. Meanwhile, Iraq is struggling to cope with the Islamic State, and the United States is steadily increasing the number of military advisers there.

US faces shortcomings in coalition-building for anti-IS war Posted: 08 Feb 2016 11:59 AM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — To doubters of its strategy for defeating the Islamic State, the Obama administration likes to tout its coalition of 66 nations and claim strength in numbers. But a year and a half into the war, some administration officials are acknowledging that this supposed source of strength has its own weaknesses.

Canada to end airstrikes against Islamic State group shortly Posted: 08 Feb 2016 11:33 AM PST TORONTO (AP) — Canada's prime minister on Monday announced that the country will end airstrikes against the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq by Feb. 22, saying that "the people terrorized by ISIL every day don't need our vengeance, they need our help."

Iraq will send more troops to base outside Mosul Posted: 08 Feb 2016 11:18 AM PST IRBIL, Iraq (AP) — Iraq will send additional troops to a base outside the northern Islamic State-held city of Mosul.

Pentagon praises Canada for boosting training troops in Iraq Posted: 08 Feb 2016 10:38 AM PST The Pentagon on Monday praised Canada's decision to triple the number of troops training Kurdish forces in Iraq. Canada will end its bombing missions by Feb. 22 but keep two surveillance planes in the region as well as refueling aircraft, and triple the number of soldiers training Kurdish troops in northern Iraq to about 200 from about 70 currently, the government said on Monday. Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said the decision by Canada added "momentum to the effort" ahead of key talks among defense ministers in Brussels to be held this week on ways to accelerate the campaign against Islamic State.

Turkey, Germany to seek NATO help monitoring migrant flow from Syria Posted: 08 Feb 2016 10:13 AM PST Turkey and Germany plan to seek help from NATO allies in monitoring the flow of migrants from Syria trying to get to Europe across the Aegean Sea, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Monday. Speaking at a joint news conference in Ankara with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Davutoglu said the matter would be jointly raised by the two countries at a meeting of NATO defense ministers on Thursday. "Turkey and Germany will together recommend to NATO ... NATO becoming involved concerning the consequences of the flow of refugees from Syria," Davutoglu said.

Obama, Italy's Mattarella discuss fight against Islamic State in Libya Posted: 08 Feb 2016 10:10 AM PST U.S. President Barack Obama and Italian President Sergio Mattarella met on Monday in the White House and discussed efforts to work together to combat the Islamic State in Libya. During a meeting in the Oval Office, Obama and Mattarella talked about the need to help Libya form a united government. "That will allow us to help them build up their security capacity and to push back against efforts by ISIL to gain a foothold in that country," Obama told reporters after the meeting, using an acronym for Islamic State.

Air strikes help force ISIS to halve fighters' pay: Glaser Posted: 08 Feb 2016 09:14 AM PST U.S.-led air strikes have had a substantial impact on the money Islamic State (IS) makes from oil, and have helped force the militant group to cut its fighters' pay by up to 50 percent, a senior U.S official said on Monday. Daniel Glaser, assistant secretary for terrorist financing at the U.S. Treasury Department, said the strikes had hit the group's ability to extract, refine and transport oil from territory it controlled in Iraq and Syria. "When you look at difficulties that we know that they are having with respect to the transport, with respect to the extraction, I think it's fair to say they are no longer able to make money the way they used to be able to," Glaser told a London conference.

Bone tests can ruin migrant kids' Europe chances: study Posted: 08 Feb 2016 09:00 AM PST Among the refugees arriving on Europe's shores seeking sanctuary from war, poverty or persecution, many are children -- often orphaned, alone and without official papers. Once they get there, the older ones may be subjected to physical assessments to determine whether they are in fact still children who qualify for certain rights. "The discrepancy, no matter how small, has life-changing consequences," said Noel Cameron of the Loughborough University in England.

Mass deaths in Syrian jails amount to crime of 'extermination': U.N. Posted: 08 Feb 2016 08:58 AM PST By Stephanie Nebehay GENEVA (Reuters) - Detainees held by the Syrian government are being killed on a massive scale amounting to a state policy of "extermination" of the civilian population, a crime against humanity, United Nations investigators said on Monday. The U.N. commission of inquiry called on the Security Council to impose "targeted sanctions" on high-ranking Syrian civilian and military officials responsible for or complicit in deaths, torture and disappearances in custody, but stopped short of naming the suspects. The independent experts said they had also documented mass executions and torture of prisoners by two jihadi groups, the Nusra Front and Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL.

A reporter covers 2 decades of tumult in the Middle East Posted: 08 Feb 2016 07:36 AM PST "And Then All Hell Broke Loose: Two Decades in the Middle East" (Simon & Schuster), by Richard Engel

Iraq deploying thousands of troops to retake Mosul Posted: 08 Feb 2016 07:17 AM PST The Iraqi army is deploying thousands of soldiers to a northern base in preparation for operations to retake the Islamic State group's hub of Mosul, officials said on Monday. IS seized Mosul in June 2014 and except for air strikes has held Iraq's second city largely unopposed for more than 18 months as the country's security forces battled the jihadists in other areas. "Units from the Iraqi army have begun arriving to a military base near the Makhmur district to start launching initial military operations toward Mosul," a staff brigadier general told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Two dozen perish in Aegean migrant disaster Posted: 08 Feb 2016 06:40 AM PST Twenty-four migrants, including 11 children, drowned in the Aegean Sea on Monday as they tried to cross from Turkey to Greece, Dogan news agency said. The agency initially said at least 35 migrants had died in two separate accidents off western Turkey, but later reported that there was a single incident with 24 deaths. The migrants died when their boat sank off the district of Edremit in the western province of Balikesir in an apparent bid to reach the Greek island of Lesbos, Dogan said.

Islamic State claims car bomb blast in Saudi capital Posted: 08 Feb 2016 06:18 AM PST An explosion damaged a car in the Saudi capital Riyadh on Monday, the Saudi Press Agency reported, an incident the Islamic State militant group said was caused by a bomb one of its members had affixed to the vehicle. Saudi Arabia in 2014 declared Islamic State a terrorist organization and has detained hundreds of its supporters. A police spokesman said a citizen had reported that his car had been damaged by a blast on Monday while parked in front of his house in the city's Al-Azizia district, according to SPA.

Kurdish protest against Turkey turns violent in Paris Posted: 08 Feb 2016 06:16 AM PST PARIS (AP) — Clashes have erupted outside the Turkish Embassy in Paris after police moved in to disperse a demonstration by Kurdish political activists.

U.S.-led coalition targets ISIS with 10 air strikes in Syria, Iraq Posted: 08 Feb 2016 05:57 AM PST The United States and its allies conducted ten strikes against Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria on Sunday, the Combined Joint Task Force leading the operations said in a statement released on Monday. In Iraq, nine strikes coordinated with the Iraqi government targeted the militant group near five cities, the task force said. In Syria, one strike targeted IS near Al Hasaka in northeast Syria, according to the statement.

Saudi police: No injuries in blast in capital Posted: 08 Feb 2016 05:09 AM PST RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Police in Saudi Arabia say an explosion damaged cars in the capital, Riyadh, but did not wound anyone.

As Syria Talks Flop, Obama Is Painted Into a Corner Posted: 08 Feb 2016 02:30 AM PST With the opening of talks in Geneva last Monday, their collapse two days later, and little hope their resumption February 25th will bear much more fruit, the four-year war in Syria takes a new turn. Related: Has Putin Turned the Tide in Syria? New reality No. 2: The Obama administration has painted itself into a tight little corner on this one and left itself few paths, if any, out of it.

Electric Patch Helps Some People with PTSD in Small Study Posted: 07 Feb 2016 10:06 PM PST People suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) could someday be treated with the help of an electric patch worn on their head when they are sleeping, researchers say. In the small new study, 12 people who had been suffering from PTSD and depression for an average of 30 years — and were already being treated with psychotherapy, medication or both — wore the patch each night while sleeping, over an eight-week period. The researchers found that the severity of the participants' PTSD decreased by an average of more than 30 percent, and the severity of their depression dropped by an average of more than 50 percent, over the study period.

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