Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• House backs bill to use testimonials to combat terrorism
• US sends warning shot in Iraq via Hellfire missile
• US military conducts cyber attacks on IS
• U.S. military used 'roof knock' tactic in Iraq to try to warn civilians before bombing
• UK official says 'economic warfare' needed against IS
• Testimony: Man who killed cop asked police to shoot him
• U.S. embassy warns citizens in Turkey about 'credible' terrorist threats
• German foreign intelligence chief forced out: sources
• Another patient accuses former VA employee of sex abuse
• Ads Force Unwitting Xenophobes to Watch Pro-Refugee Stories
• Sweden on alert for possible IS attack in capital: local media
• Fewer foreign fighters joining Islamic State: Pentagon
• Iraqi MPs approve partial cabinet as thousands protest
• Turkish official: US deploying rocket launchers near Syria
• Iraqi parliament approves partial Cabinet reshuffle
• Swiss rebuff Turkish request to remove art critical of Erdogan
• Number of foreign fighters entering Iraq, Syria plummets: US general
• Turkish minister says U.S. to deploy rocket launchers near Syrian border
• Iraq reports first outbreaks of bird flu in 10 years
• U.S. stages 25 strikes in Iraq, Syria against Islamic State: statement
• Scarred Yazidi boys escape Islamic State combat training
• Swedish security police check info that media call a threat
• Critics slam US 'incrementalism' in anti-IS fight
• Today in History
• LA Film Fest Unveils This Year's Competition Lineup
• Obama sends more Special Forces to Syria in fight against IS

House backs bill to use testimonials to combat terrorism Posted: 26 Apr 2016 04:37 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — The House passed a bill Tuesday requiring the Department of Homeland Security to use testimonials from former extremists and other social media messages to combat "Hollywood-style propaganda" used by the Islamic State and other militant groups to recruit new members.

US sends warning shot in Iraq via Hellfire missile Posted: 26 Apr 2016 03:59 PM PDT Before blowing up a jihadist cash hoard in Iraq, the US military warned bystanders of an impending strike by using a Hellfire missile to deliver the wartime equivalent of a doorknock, an official said Tuesday. It was the first time the Pentagon has conducted a "knock operation" in Iraq and Syria, and the inspiration came from watching the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) pioneer the controversial tactic in Gaza, Major General Peter Gersten said. The Baghdad-based commander told Pentagon reporters that ahead of the strike on a cash-storage facility on April 5 in Mosul, the military learned that a woman, children and other "non-combatants" also were using the building.

US military conducts cyber attacks on IS Posted: 26 Apr 2016 03:58 PM PDT The US military is now conducting cyber attacks on the Islamic State group, a general said Tuesday as the Pentagon looks to accelerate the fight against the jihadists. "We have now begun to use our exquisite cyber capabilities in this fight against Daesh," Baghdad-based Major General Peter Gersten told Pentagon reporters, using an acronym that comes from the group's name in Arabic. In February, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter and the US military's top officer, General Joe Dunford, said the United States was determined to "accelerate" the anti-IS campaign, and indicated cyber warfare would play an increasingly important role in doing so.

U.S. military used 'roof knock' tactic in Iraq to try to warn civilians before bombing Posted: 26 Apr 2016 03:42 PM PDT By Yeganeh Torbati and Idrees Ali WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States borrowed an Israeli military tactic known as "roof knocking" to try to warn civilians before it dropped a bomb targeting Islamic State fighters in Iraq this month, but a woman was killed in the attack, a U.S. military official said on Tuesday. The Israeli military used such "roof knocks" in the 2014 Gaza war, but a United Nations commission found in 2015 that the tactic was not effective, because it often caused confusion and did not give residents enough time to escape.

UK official says 'economic warfare' needed against IS Posted: 26 Apr 2016 02:34 PM PDT The US-led coalition against the Islamic State is squeezing the group's revenues from oil, taxation and financial markets but it needs to step up its campaign of "economic warfare", a leading British official said Tuesday. Air Vice-Marshal Edward Stringer, who is leading British government efforts to disrupt IS financing alongside international allies, said the jihadist group was showing signs of the pressure on its finances. Experts have noted a recent reduction in the IS group's oil production, largely down to air strikes by the US-led coalition and Russia.

Testimony: Man who killed cop asked police to shoot him Posted: 26 Apr 2016 02:15 PM PDT MANASSAS, Va. (AP) — An Army staff sergeant charged with fatally shooting a police officer working her first shift asked police to shoot him immediately after his arrest, according to testimony Tuesday.

U.S. embassy warns citizens in Turkey about 'credible' terrorist threats Posted: 26 Apr 2016 01:56 PM PDT The United States warned U.S. citizens in Turkey on Tuesday about "credible" terrorist threats to tourist areas in the country. Turkey has been hit by four suicide bombings already this year, most recently in Istanbul last month. Two of the bombings have been blamed on Islamic State, while Kurdish militants have claimed responsibility for the other two.

German foreign intelligence chief forced out: sources Posted: 26 Apr 2016 01:56 PM PDT By Noah Barkin and Thorsten Severin BERLIN (Reuters) - The head of Germany's BND foreign intelligence agency will be removed from his post two years early, government sources told Reuters on Tuesday, a surprise move that comes at a time when Germany faces a growing threat from Islamic State militants. It was not immediately clear why Gerhard Schindler, 63, who has led Germany's version of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency since 2012, was being removed years before he reaches retirement age. Schindler came under pressure a year ago when it emerged that the BND had gone against German interests and spied on European partners at the request of the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA).

Another patient accuses former VA employee of sex abuse Posted: 26 Apr 2016 01:48 PM PDT LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (AP) — Another patient has filed a lawsuit accusing a former physician assistant at the Veteran's Administration hospital in Kansas of sexual abuse.

Ads Force Unwitting Xenophobes to Watch Pro-Refugee Stories Posted: 26 Apr 2016 01:46 PM PDT Part of the deal with watching a new music video or a clip from a late-night show on YouTube means sitting through a 30-second ad. And just as advertisers hope looking at shiny new lip colors before watching a movie trailer might influence your next purchase, one German organization hopes its ads of refugees sharing real life experiences will change locals' opinions about asylum seekers.

Sweden on alert for possible IS attack in capital: local media Posted: 26 Apr 2016 12:32 PM PDT STOCKHOLM/BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Sweden has received intelligence about a possible attack on the capital by Islamic State militants, local media reported on Tuesday, and security services said they were investigating undisclosed information. Newspapers Aftonbladet and Expressen as well as public broadcaster Swedish Radio, citing unnamed sources, said the information related to the threat of an attack, possibly in the capital Stockholm. Expressen reported Swedish security police (SAPO) had received intelligence from Iraq that seven or eight Islamic State fighters had entered Sweden with the intention of attacking civilian targets.

Fewer foreign fighters joining Islamic State: Pentagon Posted: 26 Apr 2016 11:17 AM PDT The number of foreign fighters joining the Islamic State militant group in Iraq and Syria has decreased sharply in the past year to about 200 a month, a U.S. military official said on Tuesday. Earlier this month, the State Department said the number of Islamic State fighters in Iraq and Syria was lower than at any time in the past two years.

Iraqi MPs approve partial cabinet as thousands protest Posted: 26 Apr 2016 11:08 AM PDT Iraqi lawmakers approved five of the prime minister's candidates for a new cabinet on Tuesday after weeks of delays and chaos at parliament, as thousands of people demonstrated for reforms. Iraq has been hit by weeks of political turmoil surrounding Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's efforts to replace the cabinet of party-affiliated ministers with a government of technocrats. Iraq has also been hit hard by the plummeting price of oil, revenues from which account for the vast majority of government funds.

Turkish official: US deploying rocket launchers near Syria Posted: 26 Apr 2016 10:45 AM PDT ISTANBUL (AP) — The United States will deploy a rocket launcher system in southeastern Turkey across the border from Syria, officials said Tuesday.

Iraqi parliament approves partial Cabinet reshuffle Posted: 26 Apr 2016 10:09 AM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq's parliament approved a partial Cabinet reshuffle proposed by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Tuesday, bowing to mounting public pressure for reform, including mass protests led by an influential Shiite cleric.

Swiss rebuff Turkish request to remove art critical of Erdogan Posted: 26 Apr 2016 10:02 AM PDT Swiss authorities said on Tuesday they had rebuffed a Turkish request to remove a photography installation critical of Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan from a public square in front of the U.N. site in Geneva. The Swiss decision stands in contrast to Germany's move this month to allow prosecutors to pursue a case against satirist Jan Boehmermann after he recited a crude poem about the Turkish leader on German public television in March. The art installation by Demir Sonmez, a Kurdish-Armenian photographer who gave up his Turkish nationality in 2005, shows dozens of photographs of demonstrations that have taken place in front of the United Nations in Geneva over recent years.

Number of foreign fighters entering Iraq, Syria plummets: US general Posted: 26 Apr 2016 09:12 AM PDT The number of foreign fighters entering Iraq and Syria has plummeted over the past year, a US general said Tuesday. Major General Peter Gersten told Pentagon reporters that when he arrived in Baghdad about a year ago, between 1,500 and 2,000 foreign fighters were joining the Islamic State group's ranks each month. The general attributed the drop in part to the US-led coalition's continued attacks on the IS group's cash-storage facilities.

Turkish minister says U.S. to deploy rocket launchers near Syrian border Posted: 26 Apr 2016 08:28 AM PDT By Humeyra Pamuk ISTANBUL (Reuters) - The United States will deploy a rocket launcher system in Turkey near the border with a part of Syria held by Islamic State, Turkey's foreign minister was quoted as saying on Tuesday. Mevlut Cavusoglu was quoted by the Haberturk newspaper as saying that the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) would arrive in May near a part of southeastern Turkey that has repeatedly been hit by rocket fire from Syria.

Iraq reports first outbreaks of bird flu in 10 years Posted: 26 Apr 2016 07:58 AM PDT PARIS (Reuters) - Iraq reported this week six outbreaks of the highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu virus that occurred between mid-December and early February in the first occurrence of the disease in 10 years, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) said on Tuesday. Overall the virus killed 77,101 birds, mostly on farms, prompting the culling of another 641,498 birds as part of protection measures, it said, citing information from Iraq's agriculture ministry. (Reporting by Sybille de La Hamaide, editing by Valerie Parent)

U.S. stages 25 strikes in Iraq, Syria against Islamic State: statement Posted: 26 Apr 2016 06:03 AM PDT The United States and its allies targeted Islamic State with 25 strikes on Monday in their latest assault against the militant group in Iraq and Syria, the coalition leading the operations said. In a statement on Tuesday, the Combined Joint Task Force said 18 strikes coordinated with the Iraqi government hit near 10 cities, including Falluja, where they struck two Islamic State tactical units, two bridges and destroyed 11 fighting positions. In Syria, seven strikes hit near Manbij and Mar'a, striking five tactical united, destroying four fighting positions and three vehicles used by the militants, the task force said.

Scarred Yazidi boys escape Islamic State combat training Posted: 26 Apr 2016 04:09 AM PDT By Stephen Kalin QADIYA, Iraq (Reuters) - When nine-year-old Murad got the chance to flee from Islamic State - the group that repeatedly raped his mother and slaughtered or enslaved thousands from his Yazidi minority - he hesitated. Now in the relative safety of Kurdish-controlled territory, Murad's mother told Reuters how she had struggled to persuade her son - like other Yazidi boys being prepared for battle - to escape earlier this month with her and his little brother. "Until the last moment before we left, my son was saying 'I will not come with you'." Yazidi boys appear to be part of broader efforts by Islamic State to create a new generation of fighters loyal to the group's ideology and inured to its extreme violence.

Swedish security police check info that media call a threat Posted: 26 Apr 2016 03:58 AM PDT STOCKHOLM (AP) — Sweden's security service said Tuesday it is "working to assess information" after Swedish media reported that Iraqi authorities had told the agency about alleged Islamic State militants who were reportedly planning a terror attack in Stockholm.

Critics slam US 'incrementalism' in anti-IS fight Posted: 25 Apr 2016 10:28 PM PDT When the clock ticks down on Barack Obama's presidency, five years will have passed since he officially pulled US combat forces from Iraq. On Monday, Obama said another 250 special forces and support personnel would go to northern Syria, augmenting the 50 or so commandos already training local militias there. Last week, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said another 217 US forces would go to Iraq as advisors, pushing the official total count in that country to 4,087.

Today in History Posted: 25 Apr 2016 09:01 PM PDT Today is Tuesday, April 26, the 117th day of 2016. There are 249 days left in the year.

LA Film Fest Unveils This Year's Competition Lineup Posted: 25 Apr 2016 09:00 PM PDT The fest will feature 42 world premieres.

Obama sends more Special Forces to Syria in fight against IS Posted: 25 Apr 2016 06:54 PM PDT By Roberta Rampton HANOVER, Germany (Reuters) - President Barack Obama announced on Monday the biggest expansion of U.S. ground troops in Syria since its civil war began, but the move was unlikely to mollify Arab allies angry over Washington's cautious approach to the conflict. The deployment of up to 250 Special Forces soldiers increases U.S. forces in Syria roughly sixfold and is aimed at helping militia fighters who have clawed back territory from Islamic State militants in a string of victories. Defense experts said giving more fighters on the ground access to U.S. close air support could shift the momentum in Syria.

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