Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• AP FACT CHECK: Trump's distortions on Clinton
• In Silicon Valley, Obama to keep hot-button tech issues off agenda
• US House Democrats stage sit-in to demand action on guns
• Ventura to appeal vacating of $1.8M 'American Sniper' award
• Swiss arrest suspected extremist upon return from Turkey
• US military's cyber force reluctant to cut Internet in Syria
• The Aspen Security Forum Releases 2016 Agenda
• Rubio Is Making a Smart Move in Running for Senate
• Islamic State militants push back in Syria, Iraq and Libya
• U.S. says to co-host aid pledging conference for Iraq in July
• Amnesty urges Jordan to keep border open to Syrian refugees
• Iraq's Fallujah nearly cleared but aid effort flounders
• US to host Iraq donors amid Fallujah crisis
• Brexit may impede Europe intel sharing: Dutch official
• Turkey blocking German official's visit to Incirlik base: Germany
• Conflict among U.S. allies in northern Syria clouds war on Islamic State
• Slain Americans' parents urge Obama to bring home missing reporter
• Falluja gains boost Iraqi PM ahead of Mosul, but for how long?
• Trump attacks Clinton's record, calls her 'world class liar'
• Libyan forces take losses in battle for Sirte against Islamic State
• Norway could send troops into Syria
• U.N. says received further reports of abuse of Falluja escapees
• U.S. coalition says expects tough fight against IS near Turkish border
• Tearful Nepal relatives of Kabul attack victims receive bodies
• Swiss authorities detain suspected Islamist leader: TV
• Report: Turkey probes 300 for social media activity
• Islamic State suspects held in Turkey over transgender attack plot: Dogan
• Danish court finds pizzeria owner guilty of fighting for Islamic State
• Turkish jets strike PKK targets in northern Iraq, southeast Turkey
• Obama pick to lead U.S. military in Africa favors powers to strike Islamic State
• "I should have died too" - Nepal's quake widows struggle to survive
• Boko Haram fracturing over Islamic State ties, U.S. general warns
• Gains against Islamic State not yet enough, could backfire: U.S. officials

AP FACT CHECK: Trump's distortions on Clinton Posted: 22 Jun 2016 04:29 PM PDT Donald Trump's fierce denunciation of Hillary Clinton on Wednesday was rife with distortion. He accused Clinton of announcing a withdrawal from Iraq that wasn't on her watch, pulled numbers out of nowhere ...

In Silicon Valley, Obama to keep hot-button tech issues off agenda Posted: 22 Jun 2016 04:16 PM PDT By Roberta Rampton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will head to Silicon Valley on Friday to a summit aimed at connecting about 1,200 entrepreneurs from 170 countries with the biggest and brightest players in the U.S. tech sector and venture capital community. Hot-button political issues that the White House and tech sector normally grapple with, such as the use of social media by extremists, the desire by law enforcement for a way around encryption, and cyber security, will not be on the agenda. Obama is using the summit - the seventh in a series which have reached a total of 17,000 people mainly in Muslim-majority countries around the world - to help bolster his foreign policy legacy as his time in offices draws closer to the end on Jan. 20, 2017.

US House Democrats stage sit-in to demand action on guns Posted: 22 Jun 2016 03:57 PM PDT In one of the most extraordinary scenes in years on the US House floor, Democrats staged a dramatic sit-in Wednesday, demanding that the Republican-led Congress address gun violence following the Orlando nightclub massacre. The lawmakers' action, which earned praise from President Barack Obama, signaled what is likely to be a protracted election-year battle over firearms -- perennially a hot-button campaign issue in the United States. "We have to occupy the floor of the House until there is action," said Democratic Congressman John Lewis -- a civil rights icon who marched with Reverend Martin Luther King Jr in the 1960s -- just before he and dozens of colleagues sat down on the carpeted floor in the well of the chamber.

Ventura to appeal vacating of $1.8M 'American Sniper' award Posted: 22 Jun 2016 02:30 PM PDT MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura wants a rehearing after a federal appeals court threw out a $1.8 million jury award to Ventura, who said he was defamed by the late author Chris Kyle in the bestselling book "American Sniper."

Swiss arrest suspected extremist upon return from Turkey Posted: 22 Jun 2016 01:40 PM PDT GENEVA (AP) — The Swiss federal prosecutor's office says authorities have detained a Swiss national in Zurich upon his return from Turkey on suspicion of links to jihadi groups in Syria and Iraq.

US military's cyber force reluctant to cut Internet in Syria Posted: 22 Jun 2016 01:02 PM PDT The US military is wary of cutting Internet connections to Islamic State strongholds such as Raqa in Syria, even though the Pentagon is waging cyber-war against the jihadists, officials said Wednesday. Cyber Command -- better known as CYBERCOM -- officially started attacking the tech-savvy IS group in April, in what was the command's most important offensive since being established in 2010. Thomas Atkin, the acting assistant defense secretary for homeland defense and global security, said a "careful balance" needed to be struck, when asked why the military does not simply stop jihadists from accessing the Internet.

The Aspen Security Forum Releases 2016 Agenda Posted: 22 Jun 2016 12:58 PM PDT WASHINGTON, June 22, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- More than 80 leading experts will discuss the most critical questions about national and homeland security at the seventh annual Aspen Security Forum, presented by the Aspen Institute's Homeland Security Program. The Forum will take place July 27 to 30 in Aspen, CO. The full agenda is available now at http://aspensecurityforum.org/agenda. ...

Rubio Is Making a Smart Move in Running for Senate Posted: 22 Jun 2016 12:13 PM PDT There are three obvious downsides to Marco Rubio's decision to run for reelection to the United States Senate. First, he's flip-flopped: As recently as May, he promised not to enter the race. Second, even if he wins, he'll spend the coming years taking votes that could cause him problems in a presidential campaign. Or, if he skips those votes, he'll be slammed for his absenteeism, as he was by his primary opponents this year. Third, and most importantly, if he loses his reelection bid, his political career is likely over.

Islamic State militants push back in Syria, Iraq and Libya Posted: 22 Jun 2016 11:54 AM PDT BEIRUT (AP) — Even as internationally backed forces chip away at Islamic State-held territory in Syria, Iraq and Libya, the militants have demonstrated a stubborn resilience this week in the face of recent losses.

U.S. says to co-host aid pledging conference for Iraq in July Posted: 22 Jun 2016 11:42 AM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States said on Wednesday it would co-host a humanitarian aid pledging conference for Iraq in Washington on July 20 with Canada, Germany and Japan. "This will be an effort to help the people of Iraq weather the humanitarian crisis and destruction wrought by Daesh in the country," State Department spokesman John Kirby told reporters, using an alternative name for Islamic State. (Reporting by Lesley Wroughton and Mohammad Zargham; Writing by Tim Ahmann; Editing by Jonathan Oatis)

Amnesty urges Jordan to keep border open to Syrian refugees Posted: 22 Jun 2016 11:40 AM PDT Amnesty International on Wednesday urged Jordan to keep its border open to refugees fleeing Syria after a deadly frontier attack prompted Amman to declare the area a "military zone". King Abdullah II vowed to hit back with an "iron fist" after Tuesday's suicide bombing that killed seven Jordanian soldiers near the Syrian border and a makeshift refugee camp. The military declared the remote desert regions that stretch northeast to Syria and east to Iraq "closed military zones".

Iraq's Fallujah nearly cleared but aid effort flounders Posted: 22 Jun 2016 11:35 AM PDT Iraqi forces hunted jihadist fighters in their last Fallujah redoubts Wednesday as tens of thousands of displaced civilians massed in overcrowded camps around the city. A month exactly after the offensive against the Islamic State group's bastion was launched, progress on the military front exceeded expectations but so did the scope of the ensuing humanitarian crisis. "The northern and central parts of Fallujah have almost been cleared of Daesh," Lieutenant General Abdulwahab al-Saadi told AFP, using an Arabic acronym for IS.

US to host Iraq donors amid Fallujah crisis Posted: 22 Jun 2016 11:27 AM PDT The announcement came Wednesday even as Iraqi forces battled Islamic State fighters to secure control of Fallujah and thousands fled the city. The US State Department, which had already pledged $20 million in extra funding for the UNHCR this week, said the conference will be held in Washington on July 20. Canada, Germany and Japan will co-host the meeting, it said, and the funds raised will support the United Nations efforts to house, freed and treat the displaced.

Brexit may impede Europe intel sharing: Dutch official Posted: 22 Jun 2016 11:08 AM PDT Europe may have to set up new ways of sharing vital intelligence to protect itself in the fight against terror groups if Britain leaves the EU, the top Dutch anti-terror chief warned Wednesday. Asked if Thursday's vote could impact the security of Europe, national counter-terrorism coordinator Dick Schoof replied "of course" but that could be the case even without a Brexit. Intelligence cooperation with Britain, which has a large number of foreign fighters who have joined the so-called Islamic State (IS) group, is "excellent," Schoof said.

Turkey blocking German official's visit to Incirlik base: Germany Posted: 22 Jun 2016 10:23 AM PDT Turkey is blocking the plans of a senior German defence official to visit Incirlik air base in July, a spokesman for the German defence ministry said on Wednesday, in a sign of increasingly tense relations between the two NATO allies. Germany has about 250 soldiers stationed at the base in southern Turkey, along with six Tornado reconnaissance jets and a refueling plane, all of which are participating in a U.S.-led air campaign against Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria. "Turkish officials do not currently approve of the travel plans," a ministry spokesman said, confirming a report published by the website of the German magazine Spiegel.

Conflict among U.S. allies in northern Syria clouds war on Islamic State Posted: 22 Jun 2016 10:17 AM PDT By Tom Perry GAZIANTEP, Turkey (Reuters) - A smoldering confrontation between Syrian armed groups backed by the United States but hostile to each other is escalating, complicating the fight against Islamic State in the war-torn country. Syrian Arab rebels under the Free Syrian Army (FSA) banner say they are in a growing struggle against the Kurdish YPG militia that are helping the United States wage its campaign against IS in Syria. On June 12, one of the many FSA groups in the Aleppo area fired a guided TOW missile at a YPG position, the first attack of its kind, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and YPG said.

Slain Americans' parents urge Obama to bring home missing reporter Posted: 22 Jun 2016 10:14 AM PDT By Jonathan Landay WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The families of four Americans killed by Islamic State on Wednesday urged U.S. President Barack Obama to do everything possible to bring home the only U.S. journalist known to be held in war-torn Syria. "We are asking the president ... to engage boldly and to use all appropriate means to bring Austin Tice safely home as soon as possible," said the appeal distributed to the U.S. media.

Falluja gains boost Iraqi PM ahead of Mosul, but for how long? Posted: 22 Jun 2016 08:56 AM PDT Abadi and his commanders, who have pledged to retake the northern Iraqi city later this year, "needed a fast victory because they are very aware of setting precedents," said Renad Mansour, an Iraq scholar at the Carnegie Middle East Center.     But "Falluja was a distraction. The protests in Baghdad will come back.

Trump attacks Clinton's record, calls her 'world class liar' Posted: 22 Jun 2016 08:43 AM PDT Donald Trump launched a broad rebuke of his presidential rival Hillary Clinton Wednesday, accusing her of being "a world class liar" who personally profited from her tenure at the State Department. "She gets rich making you poor," Trump said. Seeking to steady his campaign after a difficult stretch, the presumptive Republican nominee cast himself as the White House candidate best positioned to address Americans' economic interests.

Libyan forces take losses in battle for Sirte against Islamic State Posted: 22 Jun 2016 07:19 AM PDT By Aidan Lewis TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Libyan forces fighting Islamic State in its stronghold of Sirte said on Wednesday that 36 of their men had been killed and nearly 150 wounded in the previous day's clashes, one of the heaviest tolls in their month-long campaign. Islamic State militants had been fighting hard to defend the shrinking territory they still control in the residential centre of Sirte, said Abdalla Binrasali, a spokesman at the forces' media centre in Misrata. "They fear that if they lose more ground they will be defeated." Brigades largely composed of fighters from Misrata launched a campaign to retake Sirte from Islamic State last month.

Norway could send troops into Syria Posted: 22 Jun 2016 07:12 AM PDT Norway might send troops into Syria, including special forces, the government said on Wednesday, after parliament authorized it to do so. Oslo plans to send some 60 troops to Jordan this summer to train and support Syrian fighters battling Islamic State (IS). It said in May it would consult with parliament if there was a change in circumstances that meant the Norwegian troops could be needed inside Syria itself.

U.N. says received further reports of abuse of Falluja escapees Posted: 22 Jun 2016 06:20 AM PDT By Saif Hameed BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The United Nations said on Wednesday it had received further reports alleging "serious rights violations" of civilians fleeing the Iraqi city of Falluja by armed groups supporting a U.S-backed military offensive against Islamic State. Thousands of civilians have fled the predominantly Sunni Muslim city. A spokeswoman said the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights had obtained video footage of two further incidents purporting to show abuses of civilians from Falluja.

U.S. coalition says expects tough fight against IS near Turkish border Posted: 22 Jun 2016 06:04 AM PDT BAGHDAD/BEIRUT (Reuters) - The U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State in Syria and Iraq said on Wednesday it was tightening the noose around militants in the Syrian city of Manbij near the Turkish border but expected them to fight to the end to defend their stronghold. "We're around the city and we're coming in, and we've cut the lines of communication into it and the noose is getting tighter around the city," Baghdad-based U.S. Army Colonel Chris Garver told reporters. "We are anticipating that that's going to be another good fight when we get in there." "We've anticipated that they (IS) would hold Manbij till the last, that it would be one of those places that they defended till the end and we have not seen anything that's going to change that assessment right now," Garver said.

Tearful Nepal relatives of Kabul attack victims receive bodies Posted: 22 Jun 2016 05:40 AM PDT By Gopal Sharma KATHMANDU (Reuters) - Sobbing and weeping relatives of 12 Nepali nationals who were killed when a suicide bomber struck a minibus in Kabul received the bodies of their loved ones on Wednesday after they were flown from Afghanistan. The victims were security guards working at the Canadian embassy in Kabul and came under attack on the way to work early on Monday. Two Indian nationals were also killed in the attack which left seven Nepalis wounded.

Swiss authorities detain suspected Islamist leader: TV Posted: 22 Jun 2016 05:40 AM PDT Swiss authorities have taken a suspected Islamist leader into custody, broadcaster SRF reported on Wednesday, calling it the first arrest of a senior figure from a Salafist ring based in the northern city of Winterthur. The man, a Muslim convert identified only by the letter S, is being held in investigative custody while authorities check his suspected role in radicalizing and recruiting young people to fight with Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, the report said. After deadly jihadist attacks in France and Belgium, Swiss authorities are monitoring the social media activity of about 400 possible jihadists who might pose a security threat, the NDB federal intelligence service said last month.

Report: Turkey probes 300 for social media activity Posted: 22 Jun 2016 05:23 AM PDT ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkish police are investigating 300 people for alleged terrorist propaganda and defamation of the country's president on social media, news reports said Wednesday.

Islamic State suspects held in Turkey over transgender attack plot: Dogan Posted: 22 Jun 2016 04:31 AM PDT Three suspected Islamic State militants were arrested in Istanbul late on Tuesday after a tip-off they had planned an attack on a transgender march, Dogan News Agency said. The suspects - one Turkish national and two from Russia's volatile Dagestan - were ordered held in custody pending formal charges by an Istanbul court, the agency added. The reported arrests came after police late last week confiscated suicide vests during raids in two Istanbul suburbs.

Danish court finds pizzeria owner guilty of fighting for Islamic State Posted: 22 Jun 2016 03:47 AM PDT A Copenhagen court found a Danish pizzeria owner guilty on Wednesday of joining Islamic State (IS) to fight in Syria, the first such case in the Nordic country. The verdict comes amid concerns of increased radicalization among Muslims in Europe and deadly attacks claimed by Islamic State militants in Paris and Brussels. The court found the 24-year-old defendant, who holds both Danish and Turkish passports, guilty of allowing himself to be recruited in 2013 by IS in order to commit terrorist acts in Syria.

Turkish jets strike PKK targets in northern Iraq, southeast Turkey Posted: 22 Jun 2016 01:40 AM PDT By Seyhmus Cakan DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (Reuters) - Turkish warplanes struck Kurdish militant targets in northern Iraq and southeastern Turkey overnight on Wednesday, and authorities imposed new curfews in rural areas as the army and police continue to battle insurgents, security sources said. The fighting came a day after Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said operations in the mainly Kurdish southeast had ended, apparently referring to the months-long clashes in some urban centers, and added the government would focus on reconstruction. The air strikes in Kurdish-run northern Iraq destroyed targets belonging to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), including shelters and weapon stores.

Obama pick to lead U.S. military in Africa favors powers to strike Islamic State Posted: 22 Jun 2016 01:05 AM PDT By Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's nominee to lead the U.S. military in Africa on Tuesday backed the idea of gaining greater power to strike Islamic State, including in Libya, which he described as the group's Plan B as it loses territory in Iraq and Syria. Marine Lieutenant General Thomas Waldhauser told his Senate confirmation hearing that the U.S. military was making preparations for possible military strikes in Libya against the militants.

"I should have died too" - Nepal's quake widows struggle to survive Posted: 22 Jun 2016 12:22 AM PDT By Gopal Sharma KATHMANDU (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Rani Maya Shrestha was working on a neighbor's potato farm when the first of Nepal's two massive earthquakes struck last year. When their husbands die many widows are left destitute.

Boko Haram fracturing over Islamic State ties, U.S. general warns Posted: 22 Jun 2016 12:01 AM PDT By Phil Stewart WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Nigerian militants Boko Haram have fractured internally, with a big group splitting away from shadowy leader Abubakar Shekau over his failure to adhere to guidance from the Iraq- and Syria-based Islamic State, a senior U.S. general said on Tuesday. Marine Lieutenant General Thomas Waldhauser, the nominee to lead the U.S. military's Africa Command, suggested the internal division was illustrative of limits of Islamic State's influence over Boko Haram so far, despite the West African group's pledge of allegiance to it last year. "Several months ago, about half of Boko Haram broke off to a separate group because they were not happy with the amount of buy-in, if you will, from Boko Haram into the ISIL brand," Waldhauser said at his nomination hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Gains against Islamic State not yet enough, could backfire: U.S. officials Posted: 21 Jun 2016 10:08 PM PDT By John Walcott WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama and some administration officials have hailed recent military gains against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, but other U.S. officials and outside experts warn that the U.S.-backed air and ground campaign is far from eradicating the radical Islamic group, and could even backfire. While Islamic State's defeats in Iraq and Syria have erased its image of invincibility, they threaten to give it greater legitimacy in the eyes of disaffected Sunni Muslims because Shi'ite and Kurdish fighters are a major part of the campaign, some U.S. intelligence officials argue.

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