Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• Iraqi PM signals start of operations to drive IS from Mosul
• Iraq announces start of offensive to retake Mosul
• Citizens are the mayor, will lead urban sustainability drive, says Seoul's mayor
• Boko Haram faction ready to negotiate release of 83 more Chibok girls: government
• Factbox: Once-tolerant Mosul site of Iraq push against Islamic State
• Operation to retake Mosul from IS has begun: Iraq PM
• U.S.: Proud to stand with allies in offensive to retake Iraq's Mosul
• Turkish-backed Syrian opposition captures Dabiq from IS
• Syria rebels capture emblematic IS stronghold Dabiq
• Syrian rebels seize 'doomsday' village where Islamic State promised final battle
• US, UK say support is weak for military action against Syria
• Battle for Mosul set to begin in coming days
• Iraqi forces poised to launch operation to retake Mosul
• Iraqi army drops leaflets over Mosul in preparation for offensive
• IS bomber hits Shiite mourners in Baghdad, kills 4 civilians
• ISIS suffers major symbolic defeat with loss of Dabiq
• All talks participants agreed Syrians must decide own future: Russia
• Putin says hopes U.S. will seek to avoid civilian casualties in Mosul
• Saudi replaces Iraq envoy who riled Shi'ite militias
• Suicide bombing targeting Shiites kills two in Baghdad
• Iraq drops leaflets over Mosul ahead of battle: army
• Saudi Arabia reassigns ambassador to Iraq after controversy
• US seeks momentum for new Syria peace push
• Today in History
• Trump's tough talk on crime leaves African Americans cold

Iraqi PM signals start of operations to drive IS from Mosul Posted: 16 Oct 2016 05:23 PM PDT IRBIL, Iraq (AP) — Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced the start of military operations to liberate the northern city of Mosul from Islamic State militants on Monday, launching the country on its toughest battle since American troops left nearly five years ago.

Iraq announces start of offensive to retake Mosul Posted: 16 Oct 2016 05:18 PM PDT By Maher Chmaytelli and Ahmed Rasheed BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Monday announced the start of an offensive to retake Mosul, the capital of Islamic State's so-called caliphate in Iraq. "I announce today the start of the heroic operations to free you from the terror and the oppression of Daesh," he said in a speech on state TV, using an Arabic acronym for Islamic State. "We will meet soon on the ground of Mosul to celebrate liberation and your salvation," he said, surrounded by the armed forces' top commanders.

Citizens are the mayor, will lead urban sustainability drive, says Seoul's mayor Posted: 16 Oct 2016 05:08 PM PDT By Astrid Zweynert SEOUL (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Park Won-soon, the award-winning mayor of Seoul, has made citizens' participation a cornerstone of running the South Korean capital, a model he says cities around the world should adopt to tackle urban challenges. Park, tipped as a candidate in South Korea's presidential elections next year, said sustainability was a pre-condition for survival but had been treated as an abstract notion that needed to be translated into everyday lives to affect change. "There are many challenges ahead, and one of the most important ones I face is ensuring the future sustainability of our city," Park said in an interview with the Thomson Reuters Foundation in his office at Seoul City Hall.

Boko Haram faction ready to negotiate release of 83 more Chibok girls: government Posted: 16 Oct 2016 05:05 PM PDT By Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani ABUJA (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - The Islamic State-allied faction of Boko Haram which last week freed 21 of more than 200 Chibok girls kidnapped in April 2014 in northeast Nigeria is willing to negotiate the release of 83 more of the girls, the president's spokesman said on Sunday. Around 220 girls were taken from their school in 2014 in Chibok in northeastern Borno state, where Boko Haram has waged a seven-year insurgency aimed at creating an Islamic state, killing thousands and displacing more than 2 million people. A faction of the militant group released 21 of the girls on Thursday after the Red Cross and the Swiss government brokered a deal.

Factbox: Once-tolerant Mosul site of Iraq push against Islamic State Posted: 16 Oct 2016 04:26 PM PDT Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has announced the start of an offensive aimed at retaking the city of Mosul from Islamic State militants, who have stamped out its rich mix of ethnic and religious cultures. The fight is expected to be the biggest battle in Iraq since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion which toppled Saddam Hussein. Here are some facts about Mosul, which had a population of about 2 million before the Sunni militants seized it in 2014.

Operation to retake Mosul from IS has begun: Iraq PM Posted: 16 Oct 2016 04:25 PM PDT Operations to retake the Iraqi city of Mosul from the Islamic State group have begun, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced early Monday on state television. "The time of victory has come and operations to liberate Mosul have started," he said in an address broadcast by the Iraqiya channel. Iraqi federal and allied forces have been tightening the noose on Mosul, the jihadist organisation's main stronghold in the country, for months.

U.S.: Proud to stand with allies in offensive to retake Iraq's Mosul Posted: 16 Oct 2016 04:23 PM PDT The United States said on Sunday it was proud to stand with its allies after Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced the start of an offensive to retake Mosul, the capital of Islamic State's so-called caliphate in Iraq. "PM Abadi issued orders to initiate major operations to liberate Mosul after two years of darkness under ISIL terrorists," Brett McGurk, the U.S. envoy to the coalition against Islamic State, said in a message on Twitter.

Turkish-backed Syrian opposition captures Dabiq from IS Posted: 16 Oct 2016 03:12 PM PDT BEIRUT (AP) — Turkish-backed Syrian opposition forces captured the symbolically-significant town of Dabiq from the Islamic State group on Sunday as government forces reversed recent rebel advances in the center of the country.

Syria rebels capture emblematic IS stronghold Dabiq Posted: 16 Oct 2016 02:51 PM PDT Syrian rebels dealt a major symbolic blow to the Islamic State group on Sunday by capturing the town of Dabiq where the jihadists had promised an apocalyptic battle. The defeat for IS came as the United States and Britain warned they were considering imposing sanctions against economic targets in Syria and Russia, which is a key ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, over the government-imposed siege of second city Aleppo. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Turkish state media and a rebel faction said opposition fighters backed by Turkish warplanes and artillery seized control of Dabiq.

Syrian rebels seize 'doomsday' village where Islamic State promised final battle Posted: 16 Oct 2016 02:27 PM PDT By Angus McDowall and Tom Perry BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian rebels said they captured the village of Dabiq from Islamic State on Sunday, forcing the jihadist group from a stronghold where it had promised to fight a final, apocalyptic battle with the West. Its defeat at Dabiq, long a mainstay of Islamic State's propaganda, underscores the group's declining fortunes this year as it suffered battlefield defeats in Syria and Iraq and lost a string of senior leaders in targeted air strikes. The rebels, backed by Turkish tanks and warplanes, took Dabiq and neighboring Soran after clashes on Sunday morning, said Ahmed Osman, head of the Sultan Murad group, one of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) factions involved in the fighting.

US, UK say support is weak for military action against Syria Posted: 16 Oct 2016 12:56 PM PDT LONDON (AP) — The United States and Britain on Sunday acknowledged the Western world's weak support for any military action against Syria's government as they sought ways to pressure President Bashar Assad and his chief backer, Russia, to halt a deadly offensive in Aleppo. They tried to present it as a possibility, nevertheless.

Battle for Mosul set to begin in coming days Posted: 16 Oct 2016 12:35 PM PDT The Iraqi air force dropped thousands of leaflets early Sunday morning on the city of Mosul, warning residents to take shelter in preparation for a major offensive against the city, which is currently held by the Islamic State. Since the Islamic State, also known as ISIS and ISIL, took the city in June 2014, Iraqi forces have hoped to one day liberate the city. Over the past few months, the militants have weakened, losing ground in both Syria and Iraq.

Iraqi forces poised to launch operation to retake Mosul Posted: 16 Oct 2016 11:38 AM PDT IRBIL, Iraq (AP) — Iraqi forces appear poised to launch their most complex anti-IS operation to date: retaking the country's second-largest city of Mosul. While the country's military has won a string of territorial victories that have pushed the Islamic State group out of more than half the territory the group once held, some Iraqi officials worry that the Mosul fight has been rushed and if the city is retaken without a plan to broker a peace, it could lead to more violence.

Iraqi army drops leaflets over Mosul in preparation for offensive Posted: 16 Oct 2016 06:34 AM PDT By Ahmed Rasheed BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The Iraqi army dropped tens of thousands of leaflets over Mosul before dawn on Sunday, warning residents an offensive to recapture the city from Islamic State was in its final stages of preparation, according to a military statement in Baghdad. The leaflets carried several messages, one of them assuring the population that advancing army units and air strikes "will not target civilians" and another telling them to avoid known locations of Islamic State militants. The assault on Mosul, the last city still under control of the ultra-hardline Islamic State in Iraq, could begin this month with the support of a U.S.-led coalition, according to Iraqi government and military officials.

IS bomber hits Shiite mourners in Baghdad, kills 4 civilians Posted: 16 Oct 2016 05:51 AM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — A suicide bomber struck a gathering of Shiite mourners in Baghdad Sunday, killing at least four people and wounding another 12, Iraqi officials said, as government troops prepared for a decisive battle to drive the Islamic State extremist group from the major northern city of Mosul.

ISIS suffers major symbolic defeat with loss of Dabiq Posted: 16 Oct 2016 05:35 AM PDT The Islamic State has been dealt a major symbolic blow in the battle for its existence. Turkish-backed rebels, reportedly supported by United States special forces, seized the Syrian town of Dabiq Sunday, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. According to Islamic prophecies central to the Islamic State's radical message, Dabiq is the site of an end-of-days battle that ushers in the apocalypse.

All talks participants agreed Syrians must decide own future: Russia Posted: 16 Oct 2016 05:26 AM PDT Russia said all participants in talks in Lausanne had agreed Syrians should decide their own future through inclusive dialogue and that the country should remain whole and secular, after the meeting ended without a breakthrough. Russia's Foreign Ministry said on Sunday that in order for a U.S.-Russian ceasefire agreement to succeed and to facilitate humanitarian aid deliveries, Syria's moderate opposition must separate from Jabhat Fatah al Sham, previously known as the Nusra Front, and other "terrorist groups" affiliated with it. "At the same time, it should be understood that operations against terrorists of Islamic State and the Nusra Front will be continued," the ministry said.

Putin says hopes U.S. will seek to avoid civilian casualties in Mosul Posted: 16 Oct 2016 05:20 AM PDT GOA, India (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Sunday he hoped the United States and its allies would do their best to avoid civilian casualties in an attack on Mosul, the stronghold of the Islamic State militant group in Iraq. (Reporting by Denis Pinchuk; Writing by Olzhas Auyezov; Editing by Mark Potter)

Saudi replaces Iraq envoy who riled Shi'ite militias Posted: 16 Oct 2016 02:12 AM PDT Saudi Arabia on Sunday replaced its envoy to Iraq whose comments about Iranian involvement in Iraqi affairs led to diplomatic tension with Baghdad. Thamer al-Sabhan in 2015 became the first Saudi ambassador to be posted to Iraq since the 1990 Iraqi invasion of Kuwait - an appointment which was seen as heralding closer cooperation in the fight against Islamic State militants in Iraq, Syria and Saudi Arabia.

Suicide bombing targeting Shiites kills two in Baghdad Posted: 16 Oct 2016 02:11 AM PDT A suicide bombing targeting Shiite Muslims killed at least two people in Baghdad on Sunday, officials said, a day after the deadliest attack to hit the Iraqi capital in months. The bombing in central Baghdad, which targeted a tent where Shiites distribute food as part of annual religious commemorations, also wounded at least four people, officials said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but the Islamic State jihadist group frequently carries out suicide bombings targeting Shiites, whom it considers heretics.

Iraq drops leaflets over Mosul ahead of battle: army Posted: 16 Oct 2016 01:41 AM PDT Iraqi aircraft dropped "tens of thousands" of leaflets, some bearing safety instructions for Mosul residents, ahead of an operation to retake the city from jihadists, the military said. Iraq has dropped leaflets over Mosul before, and has also done so as part of operations to retake other cities seized by the Islamic State group in 2014 and 2015. Aircraft dropped "tens of thousands of newspapers and magazines on the centre of the city of Mosul carrying important news... to inform them of updates and facts and victories," said Iraq's Joint Operations Command, which distributed images of some of the leaflets.

Saudi Arabia reassigns ambassador to Iraq after controversy Posted: 15 Oct 2016 11:47 PM PDT RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Saudi Arabia says it has reassigned its ambassador to Iraq, months after he claimed that Iranian-backed Shiite militias were plotting to assassinate him.

US seeks momentum for new Syria peace push Posted: 15 Oct 2016 09:24 PM PDT US Secretary of State John Kerry was trying to build momentum behind a new drive to end the Syrian civil war Sunday after high-level talks with Russia and the country's neighbours. Kerry was due to fly to London to brief Washington's European allies after "brainstorming" talks in Lausanne with the main players in Syria's bloody five-year-old conflict. The Swiss meeting did not produce a concrete plan to restore the truce that collapsed last month amid bitter recriminations between Washington and Moscow and new fighting on the ground.

Today in History Posted: 15 Oct 2016 09:02 PM PDT Today in History

Trump's tough talk on crime leaves African Americans cold Posted: 15 Oct 2016 07:14 PM PDT Chicago (AFP) - "Law and order" has been a central theme in Donald Trump's presidential campaign. In pledging to get tough on crime, the Republican nominee has invoked Chicago, the third largest US city, which is blighted by a seemingly out-of-control epidemic of gun violence. There have been 579 murders in the city so far this year -- more than New York and Los Angeles combined -- and 3,413 shooting victims, according to the Chicago Tribune newspaper.

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