Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• Biden leads mourners for slain Baton Rouge cops
• Clinton's pledge: Steady hand at 'moment of reckoning'
• The Latest: Clinton says she offers 'steady leadership'
• Air strikes killed 14 civilians in Iraq, Syria: U.S. military
• At vigil, Biden tries to comfort relatives of slain officers
• Australia's Muslim migrants on edge, race relations falter with rise of the right
• Five US Special Operators Wounded Fighting ISIS in Afghanistan
• Remarks By Vice President Joe Biden And Dr. Jill Biden At The Democratic National Convention
• ACLU: Army investigating Manning after suicide attempt
• Turkey military purge harming fight against Islamic State: Clapper
• Experts confront multiple explanations for surge of killings
• Why Al Qaeda just got jilted in Syria
• Aleppo plan must ensure protection for Syrians whether they leave or stay: ICRC
• Syria Nusra Front leader claims to cut ties with al-Qaida
• What Tim Kaine Can Learn from Joe Biden: How to Be an Attack Dog
• Terror 'contagion' hits a fragile Europe
• Syria: five things to know about Aleppo
• US says 6 airstrikes killed 14 civilians in Iraq and Syria
• UN warns of dangers as Iraqis displaced by IS return home
• The Syrian Al-Nusra Front
• US commander: Turkey unrest could affect Islamic State fight
• Fervent jihadist or suicidal refugee: the many faces of Bavarian bomber
• Defiant Merkel cuts short holiday to defend response to attacks
• From Roosevelt to Reagan, notable women address conventions
• To publish or not? French media divided over attackers' photos
• Why the stalled peace process between Turkey and Kurds could resume
• Islamic State's oil revenue dives as it loses Iraqi territory
• Al Qaeda tells Syrian branch Nusra Front it can drop links
• Hillary Clinton: burning ambition and resilience to match
• German police raid mosque and apartments in crackdown on Salafists
• The Syrian Rapper Finding a Stage in Berlin
• AP FACT CHECK: Many claims, some warped
• Thousands of children detained in security clampdowns: HRW
• AP FACT CHECK: Warped claims in political hothouse
• Rights group: Some kids detained in conflict tortured, die
• Army secretary touts importance of mental health

Biden leads mourners for slain Baton Rouge cops Posted: 28 Jul 2016 05:16 PM PDT US Vice President Joe Biden pleaded for better understanding between cops and the communities they serve at a public memorial for three Baton Rouge police officers slain in a targeted gun attack. The killed Baton Rouge officers, Montrell Jackson, Matthew Gerald and Brad Garafola, were represented by three empty chairs on the stage of the Healing Place Church. Biden and US Attorney General Loretta Lynch were among the dignitaries who attended the funeral, along with hundreds of police officers.

Clinton's pledge: Steady hand at 'moment of reckoning' Posted: 28 Jul 2016 05:05 PM PDT PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Confronting a "moment of reckoning," Hillary Clinton is casting herself as a unifier for divided times and a tested, steady hand to lead in a volatile world.

The Latest: Clinton says she offers 'steady leadership' Posted: 28 Jul 2016 05:04 PM PDT PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Latest on the Democratic National Convention and 2016 presidential campaign. (all times EDT):

Air strikes killed 14 civilians in Iraq, Syria: U.S. military Posted: 28 Jul 2016 05:02 PM PDT Six U.S. air strikes against al Qaeda and Islamic State targets in Iraq and Syria killed 14 civilians and injured another between July 28 last year and April 29 this year, the U.S. military said on Thursday. The strikes took place against Khorasan Group, an al Qaeda offshoot in Syria, and Islamic State facilities and vehicles in Iraq, the military said.

At vigil, Biden tries to comfort relatives of slain officers Posted: 28 Jul 2016 04:24 PM PDT BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — The gunman's bullets that killed three law enforcement officers in Baton Rouge also targeted the country and "touched the soul of an entire nation," Vice President Joe Biden said Thursday at a memorial service for the fallen officers.

Australia's Muslim migrants on edge, race relations falter with rise of the right Posted: 28 Jul 2016 04:17 PM PDT By Jonathan Barrett SYDNEY (Reuters) - Race relations in Australia have deteriorated so badly that some community leaders fear violence will erupt in a political vacuum where the new government, elected with a bare majority, must rely on the support of parties that have fomented the discord. The potential for violence after a bitter election campaign, which featured calls for a ban on Muslim immigration, is palpable for people like Afghan-born Muhammad Taqi Haidari. Haidari, from Afghanistan's Shi'ite Muslim Hazara minority, no longer tells people his name is Muhammad, preferring to use Taqi.

Five US Special Operators Wounded Fighting ISIS in Afghanistan Posted: 28 Jul 2016 04:00 PM PDT The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan said five American special operators were wounded in just the last few days in counter-terrorism operations against ISIS. Army Gen. John Nicholson, the commander of Resolute Support and United States Forces in Afghanistan, said the Americans were helping Afghan special operators "regain control" of areas recently held by ISIS in Nangarhar province, eastern Afghanistan. Earlier this year, President Obama gave U.S. commanders more leeway to strike terrorist targets in support of Afghan troops.

Remarks By Vice President Joe Biden And Dr. Jill Biden At The Democratic National Convention Posted: 28 Jul 2016 03:49 PM PDT Let me start by thanking you for allowing me to serve as Second Lady of the United States for the past eight years.  (Applause.)   It's been an honor.  And let me thank you for the love and support you have given our family.  It has meant the world to us. Over the past eight years, America has gotten to know the Joe Biden that I know and love.  He's honest and strong, principled and compassionate.  He was authentic long before it became a buzzword in politics.  He understands that working people are the backbone of this nation.

ACLU: Army investigating Manning after suicide attempt Posted: 28 Jul 2016 03:34 PM PDT LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (AP) — The transgender soldier imprisoned in Kansas for sending classified information to the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks now faces possible punishment for offenses stemming from a suicide attempt, a civil rights group said Thursday.

Turkey military purge harming fight against Islamic State: Clapper Posted: 28 Jul 2016 03:33 PM PDT By Warren Strobel ASPEN, Colo. (Reuters) - Turkey's purge of its military after a failed coup attempt is hindering cooperation in the U.S.-led fight against Islamic State, James Clapper, the U.S. director of national intelligence, said on Thursday. The purge has swept aside many Turkish officers who dealt with the United States and landed some of them in jail, Clapper and head of U.S. Central Command General Joseph Votel said while both were speaking at the Aspen Security Forum in Aspen, Colorado. Turkey launched a major overhaul of NATO's second-biggest military after the abortive coup, in which Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan narrowly escaped capture and possible death.

Experts confront multiple explanations for surge of killings Posted: 28 Jul 2016 02:11 PM PDT NEW YORK (AP) — The relentless series of mass killings across the globe poses a challenge for experts trying to analyze them without lapsing into faulty generalizations. Terms like contagion and copycat killing apply in some cases, not in others, they say, and in certain instances perpetrators' terrorist ideology intersects with psychological instability.

Why Al Qaeda just got jilted in Syria Posted: 28 Jul 2016 01:36 PM PDT The split between Al Qaeda and its Syria affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra announced Thursday is not simply a squabble over battlefield considerations or terrorist lists. For Nusra, Al Qaeda's top-down approach represented the past – a model of insurgency and terror built for a different era. Recommended: How well do you understand the conflict in Syria?

Aleppo plan must ensure protection for Syrians whether they leave or stay: ICRC Posted: 28 Jul 2016 01:22 PM PDT A proposal to create a humanitarian corridor into Aleppo must ensure that Syrians are protected and supported whether they choose to leave or to stay, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Thursday. All warring sides must allow aid agencies access to assess civilian needs and ensure that families who choose to leave are kept together, the aid agency said in a statement reacting to Russia's plan for a humanitarian corridor. "What we need urgently is a humanitarian pause in all areas of Aleppo affected by the violence," said Robert Mardini, ICRC director for the Near and Middle East, on his return from Syria and Iraq.

Syria Nusra Front leader claims to cut ties with al-Qaida Posted: 28 Jul 2016 01:15 PM PDT BEIRUT (AP) — The leader of Syria's Nusra Front said in recording aired Thursday that his group is changing its name, claiming it will have no more ties with al-Qaida in an attempt to undermine a potential U.S. and Russian air campaign against its fighters.

What Tim Kaine Can Learn from Joe Biden: How to Be an Attack Dog Posted: 28 Jul 2016 01:00 PM PDT Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, the Democratic vice presidential nominee, wasted little time Wednesday night going after Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on one of the billionaire's more vulnerable stands: His refusal to release his tax returns before the November election. "By the way, does anybody in this massive auditorium believe that Donald Trump has been paying his fair share of taxes?" Kaine said midway through his half hour acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. "Does anybody here believe that Trump ought to release his tax returns just like every other presidential candidate in modern history?" he added.

Terror 'contagion' hits a fragile Europe Posted: 28 Jul 2016 12:09 PM PDT The wave of terror attacks afflicting Europe is showing signs of "contagion", experts warn, at a time when the continent is already in the throes of an existential crisis. In less than two weeks Islamic State group jihadists claimed four bloody assaults in France and Germany that killed nearly 90 people, wounded hundreds and left the continent on edge. The Greek debt standoff, the migrant crisis that saw more than a million people stream into Europe in 2015, and most recently Britain's shock vote to quit the European Union have come on top of an enduring economic malaise.

Syria: five things to know about Aleppo Posted: 28 Jul 2016 11:52 AM PDT Once an economic hub, Aleppo and its surrounding countryside have suffered some of the worst fighting in the five-year conflict in Syria that has killed more than 280,000 people. In April-May 2011, thousands of students demonstrated in Aleppo, which had so far been spared the unrest in Syria since mid-March. While the student protests were brutally crushed, rebels took control of several parts of Aleppo province which they would later use as launch pads for a massive July 2012 offensive on the city.

US says 6 airstrikes killed 14 civilians in Iraq and Syria Posted: 28 Jul 2016 11:29 AM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military says an internal investigation shows that 14 civilians were killed and one civilian was wounded in six separate U.S. airstrikes in Iraq and Syria between July 2015 and April 2016.

UN warns of dangers as Iraqis displaced by IS return home Posted: 28 Jul 2016 11:16 AM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — Tens of thousands of Iraqis uprooted by the Islamic State group are now returning home after a string of Iraqi government victories in Anbar province, but the United Nations is warning civilians may be returning too soon as much of "liberated" Iraq is still dangerous, littered with roadside bombs and bobby-trapped explosives.

The Syrian Al-Nusra Front Posted: 28 Jul 2016 10:50 AM PDT Al-Nusra Front, whose leader on Thursday announced its break from Al-Qaeda, is a well-organised, battle-hardened jihadist group allied with rebels fighting the Syrian regime. Abu Mohamad al-Jolani said Al-Nusra would change its name to Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (Front of the Conquest of Syria) and thanked the "commanders of Al-Qaeda for having understood the need to break ties". The rebranding aims "to further embed itself (Nusra) into Syria's revolution and secure its long-term future" as a mainstream rebel group, rather than be targeted like the Islamic State (IS) group by foreign powers, analyst Charles Lister tweeted.

US commander: Turkey unrest could affect Islamic State fight Posted: 28 Jul 2016 09:58 AM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — The top U.S. military commander for the Middle East says he's concerned the failed coup in Turkey may have longer term effects on the fight against Islamic State militants in the region.

Fervent jihadist or suicidal refugee: the many faces of Bavarian bomber Posted: 28 Jul 2016 09:21 AM PDT By Erik Kirschbaum, Joseph Nasr and Joern Poltz ANSBACH, Germany (Reuters) - Mohammad Daleel made a mess of his escape from Syria to Europe three years ago - he was detained and fingerprinted in Bulgaria before a mysterious benefactor gave him a free plane ticket to help him get to Germany. The 27-year-old also bungled a suicide bomb attack in the Bavarian town of Ansbach on Sunday, days before he was to be deported back to Bulgaria. Daleel killed himself in the attack carried out in the name of Islamic State and injured 15 people in a crowded wine bar next to the entrance of the concert, but his heavy black backpack packed with explosives and shrapnel failed to go off.

Defiant Merkel cuts short holiday to defend response to attacks Posted: 28 Jul 2016 08:32 AM PDT By Paul Carrel BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel defended her leadership style on Thursday after she remained on vacation this week following Islamist attacks in Germany that critics have blamed on her open-door refugee policy. Interrupting her holiday to hold a news conference, Merkel batted away questions about why she had not visited the scene of any of five attacks committed since July 18 that have left 15 people dead -- including four attackers -- and dozens injured. "A decision has to be taken on this each time and perhaps some members of the public have a different view to the way I decided to do things," she told a news conference, adding that she would attend a memorial ceremony on Sunday in Munich.

From Roosevelt to Reagan, notable women address conventions Posted: 28 Jul 2016 08:22 AM PDT Hillary Clinton's speech Thursday marks the first time a woman has addressed a major party as its nominee for president. But her speech will not be the first time a woman has delivered a noteworthy or even momentous address to a Democratic or Republican convention.

To publish or not? French media divided over attackers' photos Posted: 28 Jul 2016 07:48 AM PDT Does publishing the photographs of those responsible for terror attacks help glorify them and play into the hands of groups like the Islamic State? The debate over what former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher once called "the oxygen of publicity" took a new turn Wednesday when several major French media outlets decided they would no longer use pictures of those who commit attacks. The country's two global news broadcasters, RFI and France 24, as well as its biggest rolling television news channel BFMTV, said they would stop showing images of attackers.

Why the stalled peace process between Turkey and Kurds could resume Posted: 28 Jul 2016 07:48 AM PDT The recent military coup and subsequent government crackdown on dissenting Turkish officials, academics, and journalists may have actually helped to heal relations between the Turkish government and the the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), or at least put hostilities on hold. In the wake of the coup, with the Turkish military left weak and open to attack, the Kurds have been oddly silent – a detente which may be the catalyst needed to resume peace talks. Ayse Sozen Usluer, the Turkish president's international relations chief, said there has been no policy change toward the PKK, but that the conflict could still be solved politically.

Islamic State's oil revenue dives as it loses Iraqi territory Posted: 28 Jul 2016 05:33 AM PDT By Ahmed Rasheed BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Islamic State, pushed off more than half the Iraqi territory it seized in 2014, has suffered a near collapse in revenue from oil smuggling, officials say, forcing it to cut fighters' pay, levy new taxes and raise fines for breaking its religious code. The jihadist group has lost control of a series of oil fields, and is having to sell what production that remains at steep discounts to persuade truck drivers to collect it and run the gauntlet of U.S.-led air strikes. Alongside taxes, ransoms and antiquities trading, oil has been a major fundraiser for Islamic State operations.

Al Qaeda tells Syrian branch Nusra Front it can drop links Posted: 28 Jul 2016 05:09 AM PDT By Lisa Barrington and Suleiman Al-Khalidi BEIRUT (Reuters) - Al Qaeda told its Syrian branch, the Nusra Front, that it could break organizational ties with global jihadist organization to preserve its unity and continue its battle in Syria, in an audio statement released on Thursday. A break with al Qaeda could pave the way for greater support from Gulf states such as Qatar for Nusra Front, the most powerful faction in Syria's five-year conflict opposing both President Bashar al-Assad and the Islamic State militant group.

Hillary Clinton: burning ambition and resilience to match Posted: 28 Jul 2016 03:34 AM PDT When out on the stump, in cafes, and rallies across the country, Clinton talks of the adversity she has faced down over the course of four decades in public life. "I have the scars to prove it," quips the former secretary of state, painted by her enemies as "crooked," "corrupt" and even an enabler of her husband's affairs. On Thursday she accepts her party's formal nomination at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, having made history this week as the first woman to carry the colors of a major US political party in the presidential race.

German police raid mosque and apartments in crackdown on Salafists Posted: 28 Jul 2016 03:26 AM PDT German police have searched a mosque and eight apartments in Hildesheim that are believed to be a hotbed of a radical Salafist community, the interior minister of the northern state of Lower Saxony said on Thursday. Germany is on high alert after a spate of attacks since July 18 left 15 people dead - including four attackers - and dozens injured. Interior Minister Boris Pistorius said in a statement that up to 400 police - including mobile squads and a special forces police commando - were involved in the raids on Wednesday in the Hildesheim area, which is a short drive south of Hanover.

The Syrian Rapper Finding a Stage in Berlin Posted: 28 Jul 2016 01:00 AM PDT Hip-hop provocateur and refugee Abu Hajar has been arrested and berated, and you can't dance at his concerts. He got our attention.

AP FACT CHECK: Many claims, some warped Posted: 28 Jul 2016 12:30 AM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — It's hot out there, politically speaking, with Hillary Clinton's convention going full steam and Donald Trump refusing to stay quiet while Democrats put on their big show. Reality is sometimes getting warped in the process.

Thousands of children detained in security clampdowns: HRW Posted: 27 Jul 2016 11:51 PM PDT Thousands of children have been detained and many tortured during security operations carried out in response to threats from extremists such as the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria, and Boko Haram in Nigeria, Human Rights Watch said Thursday. In a new report, the US-based rights group documented an increase in the detention of children in six conflict-affected countries: Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq, Israel and the Palestinian territories, Nigeria and Syria.

AP FACT CHECK: Warped claims in political hothouse Posted: 27 Jul 2016 09:22 PM PDT It's hot out there, politically speaking, with Hillary Clinton's convention going full steam and Donald Trump refusing to stay quiet while Democrats put on their big show. THE FACTS: Obama's health care overhaul does guarantee that people with pre-existing medical conditions can no longer be denied health insurance, but it also made coverage an obligation for everybody. Health care as a "right for everybody" may better describe Bernie Sanders' idea of a government-run system for all.

Rights group: Some kids detained in conflict tortured, die Posted: 27 Jul 2016 09:06 PM PDT UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Children caught in six conflict-affected areas are often held for months or even years as national security threats, and untold numbers have been tortured or died in custody, according to a Human Rights Watch report.

Army secretary touts importance of mental health Posted: 27 Jul 2016 07:38 PM PDT HONOLULU (AP) — Army Secretary Eric Fanning says the Army is paying more attention to behavioral health and making sure anyone who's injured while defending the nation gets the treatment they need.

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