Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• Iraq forces in fierce Kirkuk clashes with IS
• The day IS brought terror to a Kirkuk home
• WHERE THEY STAND: Clinton, Trump on the issues
• Iraqi PM declines Turkish offer to help in Mosul battle
• Peshmerga fighters tell of encounters with ISIS, while others wait anxiously for their turn
• Report: California soldiers must repay enlistment bonuses
• Iraq parliament in surprise vote to ban alcohol
• Turkey prepared to 'take measures' in Iraq, PM Yildirim says
• Mosul Today: Iraqi army advances after IS assault on Kirkuk
• Iraq pushes into town near Mosul after IS assault on Kirkuk
• The Latest: 250 treated for exposure to sulfur plant smoke
• WHY IT MATTERS: America and the World
• Iraqi leader resists US push for Turkish role in Mosul fight
• Russia accuses US-lead coalition of 'war crimes' in Iraq
• Sulphur cloud from IS-torched Iraq plant kills two civilians
• Upbeat on Mosul, U.S. defense chief eyes future Iraq aid
• Burning sulfur near Mosul sends hundreds to hospital, U.S. troops don masks
• Iraq PM says 'thanks but no thanks' to Turkey on Mosul
• Iraqi army drives Islamic State from Christian region near Mosul
• Iraqi official says Islamic State assault on Kirkuk killed at least 80 people, mostly security forces
• Taliban release drone footage of suicide attack
• Turkey's Erdogan says respects borders, even if it 'weighs on our hearts'
• Nearly 1,000 treated for breathing problems south of Mosul: hospital
• A look at the fight for control of the Senate
• Mosul battle will be big, won't end soon: Kurdish region minister
• Kirkuk raid offers glimpse of post-caliphate IS: analysts
• Libya forces free 13 foreign captives from militants in Sirte battle
• Turkey PM criticizes 'provocative' Iraqi leadership
• Iraqi TV journalist killed south of Mosul: channel
• Pentagon chief in Iraq to discuss Mosul offensive
• AP PHOTOS: A selection of pictures from the past week
• WHY IT MATTERS: Islamic State
• WHY IT MATTERS: Israel
• WHY IT MATTERS: Iran
• U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter arrives in Iraq to assess progress of the operation to retake Mosul from IS militants
• WHY IT MATTERS: Refugees
• WHY IT MATTERS: North Korea
• Today in History

Iraq forces in fierce Kirkuk clashes with IS Posted: 22 Oct 2016 04:50 PM PDT Security forces battled for a second day Saturday with Islamic State group gunmen who infiltrated Kirkuk in a brazen raid that rattled Iraq as it ramped up an offensive to retake Mosul. A toxic cloud released by a fire IS militants started at a sulphur plant south of Mosul earlier this week killed at least two civilians and forced some US service members to wear masks. A day after the shock attack on the Kurdish-controlled city of Kirkuk, jihadist snipers and suspected suicide bombers were still at large, prompting Baghdad to send reinforcements.

The day IS brought terror to a Kirkuk home Posted: 22 Oct 2016 04:49 PM PDT A retired police officer with thin grey hair, Abu Mohammed said he had seen bullet wounds before. When one Islamic State group jihadist pressed the barrel of a gun to his forehead, he said he was defiant, but did not lose his cool. Later that day, Abu Mohammed heard his car explode.

WHERE THEY STAND: Clinton, Trump on the issues Posted: 22 Oct 2016 02:38 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — A look at where Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump stand on three dozen issues:

Iraqi PM declines Turkish offer to help in Mosul battle Posted: 22 Oct 2016 02:20 PM PDT By Phil Stewart and Tuvan Gumrukcu BAGHDAD/ANKARA (Reuters) - Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declined on Saturday an offer from Turkey to take part in the battle to drive Islamic State militants from Mosul, a decision that could rile Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan. Mosul was once part of the Ottoman empire and Turkey sees the city as firmly within its sphere of influence. Ankara is in a dispute with Iraq's central government over the presence of Turkish troops at the Bashiqa camp near Mosul.

Peshmerga fighters tell of encounters with ISIS, while others wait anxiously for their turn Posted: 22 Oct 2016 02:04 PM PDT Peshmerga soldiers wait and watch behind fortified position while explosion goes off down the road. NEAR NAWARAN, Iraq — Behind fortified hills on the outskirts of a town called Nawaran, just over 16 miles northeast of Mosul, hundreds of Iraqi Kurdish forces, known as the peshmerga, were encamped as the fight against the Islamic State raged on Thursday. Since the battle for Mosul began earlier in the week, peshmerga forces have been persistent in recapturing their targeted towns, closing in toward the center of the city.

Report: California soldiers must repay enlistment bonuses Posted: 22 Oct 2016 01:56 PM PDT SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Nearly 10,000 California National Guard soldiers have been ordered to repay huge enlistment bonuses a decade after signing up to serve in Iraq and Afghanistan, a newspaper reported Saturday.

Iraq parliament in surprise vote to ban alcohol Posted: 22 Oct 2016 01:31 PM PDT Iraq's parliament on Saturday voted to ban the sale, import and production of alcohol, in a surprise move likely to anger some minorities but also to please influential religious parties. Proponents of the ban argue that it is justified by the constitution, which prohibits any law contradicting Islam. The law was also passed by MPs in Baghdad as all eyes were on the north of the country, where forces involved in Iraq's biggest military operation in years are battling the Islamic State group and moving to retake the city of Mosul.

Turkey prepared to 'take measures' in Iraq, PM Yildirim says Posted: 22 Oct 2016 12:50 PM PDT Turkey is prepared to "take measures" in Iraq because it is not satisfied by promises from Washington and Baghdad that Kurdish militants and Shi'ite militias will not take part in current fighting, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Saturday. Yildirim, speaking to a group of reporters, also said Turkey could not remain idle over the situation in Iraq, given its 350-km (220-mile) border with the country. "Turkey can never remain idle against massacres, potential refugee waves and clashes along its border, and it will take action if necessary," he said, in comments broadcast live on television.

Mosul Today: Iraqi army advances after IS assault on Kirkuk Posted: 22 Oct 2016 12:20 PM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — The Iraqi army pushed into a town near the Islamic State-held city of Mosul on Saturday, a day after dozens of IS militants stormed into the northern city of Kirkuk, setting off two days of clashes and killing at least 80 people, mostly security forces.

Iraq pushes into town near Mosul after IS assault on Kirkuk Posted: 22 Oct 2016 11:50 AM PDT BARTELLA, Iraq (AP) — The Iraqi army pushed into a town near the Islamic State-held city of Mosul on Saturday, a day after dozens of IS militants stormed into the northern city of Kirkuk, setting off two days of clashes and killing at least 80 people, mostly security forces.

The Latest: 250 treated for exposure to sulfur plant smoke Posted: 22 Oct 2016 11:08 AM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — The Latest on developments in Iraq where Iraqi forces and their allies launched a major offensive this week to retake Mosul, the country's second-largest city from the Islamic State group (all times local):

WHY IT MATTERS: America and the World Posted: 22 Oct 2016 10:54 AM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — THE ISSUE: How should America use its influence in a world where being a superpower doesn't get you what it once did? As instability and human tragedy in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and Syria have shown, the U.S. alone cannot impose solutions or force the surrender of adversaries like the Islamic State group, which cannot be deterred by the threat of nuclear attack.

Iraqi leader resists US push for Turkish role in Mosul fight Posted: 22 Oct 2016 10:44 AM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter's push for Iraq to let Turkey play a role in the Mosul battle encountered resistance Saturday from Iraq's prime minister, who said his country's forces will oust Islamic State the militants from the northern city.

Russia accuses US-lead coalition of 'war crimes' in Iraq Posted: 22 Oct 2016 10:29 AM PDT Moscow (AFP) - The Russian defence ministry on Saturday accused the US-led coalition fighting jihadists in Iraq of committing war cries, a day after an air raid killed 15 women at a shrine near the city of Kirkuk.

Sulphur cloud from IS-torched Iraq plant kills two civilians Posted: 22 Oct 2016 10:05 AM PDT Toxic fumes released when jihadists torched a sulphur plant near Mosul have killed two Iraqi civilians, made many ill and forced US troops at a nearby base to wear masks. Qayyarah hospital has checked at least 500 people complaining of breathing problems over the past two days but officials announced Saturday that the fire had been extinguished. "Daesh blew up the sulphur plant two days ago and that has led to the deaths of two people among the civilians in nearby villages," Iraqi General Qusay Hamid Kadhem told AFP, using an Arabic acronym for the Islamic State group (IS).

Upbeat on Mosul, U.S. defense chief eyes future Iraq aid Posted: 22 Oct 2016 10:02 AM PDT By Phil Stewart BAGHDAD (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter emerged upbeat from talks in Baghdad on Saturday about an unfolding offensive to retake the city of Mosul from Islamic State and said he was in discussions about future U.S. support once the city is recaptured. The fall of Mosul, a city of 1.5 million people, would signal a pivotal defeat for the ultra-hardline Sunni jihadistsin Iraq but could also lead to land grabs and sectarian bloodletting. Islamic State itself is also expected to morph into a more classic insurgency once it loses its final pockets of territory in Iraq.

Burning sulfur near Mosul sends hundreds to hospital, U.S. troops don masks Posted: 22 Oct 2016 10:02 AM PDT By Babak Dehghanpisheh QAYYARA, Iraq (Reuters) - Up to 1,000 people have been treated for breathing problems linked to fumes from a sulfur plant set ablaze during fighting with Islamic State in northern Iraq and U.S. officials say U.S. forces at a nearby airfield are wearing protective masks. A cloud of white smoke blanketed the area around the Mishraq sulfur plant, near Mosul, mingling with black fumes from oil wells that the militants torched to cover their moves. Local residents and the U.S. military said Islamic State militants deliberately set the sulfur plant ablaze as they strive to repel an offensive by Iraqi government forces to drive them from Mosul, their last major stronghold in the country.

Iraq PM says 'thanks but no thanks' to Turkey on Mosul Posted: 22 Oct 2016 09:50 AM PDT Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi reiterated his rejection Saturday of Turkish participation in the ongoing offensive to wrest Mosul back from the Islamic State group. Abadi insisted no Turkish involvement was wanted following a meeting with US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter, who was in Baghdad Saturday to review progress in the six-day-old offensive. "I know that the Turks want to participate... We tell them 'thank you, this is something the Iraqis will handle and the Iraqis will liberate Mosul'," Abadi said.

Iraqi army drives Islamic State from Christian region near Mosul Posted: 22 Oct 2016 09:12 AM PDT By Babak Dehghanpisheh and Stephen Kalin QAYYARA, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraqi army troops on Saturday stormed into a Christian region that has been under Islamic State control since 2014 as part of U.S.-backed operations to clear the entrances to Mosul, the militants' last major city stronghold in Iraq. The advance took place as U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter met Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in Baghdad to evaluate the campaign that began on Monday with air and ground support from the U.S-led coalition. A military statement said Iraqi units entered the center of Qaraqosh, a mainly Christian town about 20 km (13 miles) southeast of Mosul, and were carrying out mop-up operations across the town.

Iraqi official says Islamic State assault on Kirkuk killed at least 80 people, mostly security forces Posted: 22 Oct 2016 08:37 AM PDT KIRKUK, Iraq (AP) — Iraqi official says Islamic State assault on Kirkuk killed at least 80 people, mostly security forces.

Taliban release drone footage of suicide attack Posted: 22 Oct 2016 08:26 AM PDT By Zainullah Stanekzai LASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Afghanistan's Taliban have released drone footage showing a suicide bomber driving a Humvee into a police base in Helmand province and blowing it up this month. An Afghan government official said the video posted online appeared to be authentic. The use of video taken by a drone is unusual for the Taliban but more common among the more media-savvy Islamist groups fighting in Iraq and Syria.

Turkey's Erdogan says respects borders, even if it 'weighs on our hearts' Posted: 22 Oct 2016 07:48 AM PDT Turkey respects every nation's geographical boundaries, even if it "weighs on our hearts", Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday, in what appeared to be a reference to the Iraqi city of Mosul, once a part of the Ottoman empire. Turkey has wanted to take part in the battle.

Nearly 1,000 treated for breathing problems south of Mosul: hospital Posted: 22 Oct 2016 07:38 AM PDT Nearly 1,000 people have been treated for breathing problems linked to toxic gases from a sulfur plant which Islamic State militants are suspected to have set on fire near the city of Mosul, hospital sources said on Saturday. No deaths were reported in connection with the incident, said the sources at the hospital in Qayyara, a town south of Mosul. A sulfur plant caught fire earlier this week as the Iraqi army dislodged Islamic State fighters from the area of Mishraq, north of Qayyara.

A look at the fight for control of the Senate Posted: 22 Oct 2016 07:36 AM PDT Control of the Senate is on the ballot in November, with Republicans fighting to hold their majority while defending far more seats in Democratic-leaning states. A look at the Senate landscape:

Mosul battle will be big, won't end soon: Kurdish region minister Posted: 22 Oct 2016 07:19 AM PDT By Samia Nakhoul and Michael Georgy ERBIL, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraqi forces have advanced to 5 km (3 miles) from Mosul in an offensive against Islamic State's last major Iraq stronghold and there are signs of revolt against the group, the interior minister of the Kurdish regional government said on Saturday. Karim Sinjari, who is also acting defense minister in the area, told Reuters in an interview that Islamic State fighters - believed to number between 4,000 and 8,000 - will put up a fierce fight because of Mosul's symbolic value for the hardline Sunni jihadis. "If they resist in the city, especially in old Mosul, it will be a big fight ... The roads are very thin, very narrow.

Kirkuk raid offers glimpse of post-caliphate IS: analysts Posted: 22 Oct 2016 06:49 AM PDT The jihadist assault on the Iraqi city of Kirkuk is typical of the kind of attacks the Islamic State group is likely to carry out after its "caliphate" falls apart, analysts said. Tens of thousands of Iraqi forces backed by a 60-nation US-led coalition and other powers are closing in on Mosul, the IS group's last stronghold in Iraq. The "caliphate" that IS supremo Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi proclaimed there in 2014 straddling Iraq and Syria has shrunk steadily, however, and the loss of Mosul could end the group's days as a land-holding force in Iraq.

Libya forces free 13 foreign captives from militants in Sirte battle Posted: 22 Oct 2016 05:53 AM PDT Libyan pro-government forces fighting Islamic State in Sirte have freed 11 Eritrean female captives, a Turk and an Egyptian after a battle to recapture a part of the city held by Islamic State, a spokesman for the forces said on Saturday. After a six-month campaign of street-by-street fighting backed by U.S. air strikes, Libyan forces have taken back most of Sirte, where Islamic State is holding out with snipers, boobytraps and car bombs. "The forces have completely recaptured the 600 block area in Sirte from gangs of Daesh, and now the Ghiza Bahriya area is the last pocket of resistance," said Rida Issa, a spokesman for the pro-government forces, using an Arabic term for Islamic State.

Turkey PM criticizes 'provocative' Iraqi leadership Posted: 22 Oct 2016 04:27 AM PDT Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim on Saturday criticized Iraq's leadership, saying it was "being provocative" with recent comments and said Ankara will continue to have a presence in Iraq. Turkey has been locked in a row with Iraq's central government over the presence of Turkish troops at the Bashiqa camp near Mosul, where it has trained thousands of troops. Yildirim's comments could also give pause to chances of an agreement between Turkey and Iraq on the Mosul campaign.

Iraqi TV journalist killed south of Mosul: channel Posted: 22 Oct 2016 04:16 AM PDT An Iraqi cameraman was killed on Saturday covering a military offensive to wrest the city of Mosul back from the Islamic State group, his channel said. The young reporter was killed "covering the battle" near the village of Al-Shura, south of Mosul, Al Sumaria TV said in a short news flash on its website. The channel named him as Ali Raysan.

Pentagon chief in Iraq to discuss Mosul offensive Posted: 22 Oct 2016 02:15 AM PDT US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter arrived in Baghdad Saturday to review the six-day-old offensive to retake Mosul, the Islamic State group's last major stronghold in Iraq. Carter is also due to meet Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and is expected to discuss Baghdad's objections to Turkish involvement in the Mosul operations. The Pentagon chief was also expected to discuss the post-IS future of Mosul, Iraq's second city and the place where jihadist supremo Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi proclaimed the caliphate in June 2014.

AP PHOTOS: A selection of pictures from the past week Posted: 22 Oct 2016 01:06 AM PDT Highlights from the weekly AP photo report, a gallery featuring a mix of front-page photography, the odd image you might have missed and lasting moments our editors think you should see.

WHY IT MATTERS: Islamic State Posted: 22 Oct 2016 12:31 AM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — THE ISSUE: The Islamic State group seized swaths of land in Iraq and expanded its territory in Syria in a dramatic blitz in 2014, taking advantage of unrest in both countries. The militant group slaughtered civilians in its march to try to establish a radical caliphate, and has spawned a string of deadly attacks across Europe, the Middle East and the United States.

WHY IT MATTERS: Israel Posted: 22 Oct 2016 12:18 AM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — THE ISSUE: Support for Israel has been a mainstay of American foreign policy since the Jewish state's creation in 1948. Despite occasionally strong and even pointed differences, successive U.S. administrations of both parties have steadily increased financial, military and diplomatic assistance to Israel over the past six decades. The U.S. now provides Israel with roughly $3 billion every year, making it the largest single recipient of American foreign aid, and the Obama administration boosted that amount to $3.8 billion with a new memorandum of understanding on defense.

WHY IT MATTERS: Iran Posted: 22 Oct 2016 12:18 AM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — THE ISSUE: Last year's nuclear deal has removed for now the threat of a U.S.-Iranian military confrontation. But the deal rests on shaky ground.

U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter arrives in Iraq to assess progress of the operation to retake Mosul from IS militants Posted: 22 Oct 2016 12:15 AM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter arrives in Iraq to assess progress of the operation to retake Mosul from IS militants.

WHY IT MATTERS: Refugees Posted: 21 Oct 2016 11:15 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — THE ISSUE : The United States is the proud home of "the mother of exiles," the Statue of Liberty. But of the millions of exiles from the Syrian war, only about 10,000 have reached U.S. shores.

WHY IT MATTERS: North Korea Posted: 21 Oct 2016 10:01 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — THE ISSUE: Pariah state North Korea could soon be capable of targeting America with nuclear weapons. Economic sanctions and diplomatic isolation have failed to halt its progress. What can the U.S. do to stop the authoritarian government from building up a nuclear arsenal that threatens the United States and its allies in Asia?

Today in History Posted: 21 Oct 2016 09:01 PM PDT Today in History

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