Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• Guard seeks federal aid for soldiers told to return bonuses
• The Latest: Clinton attends star-studded NYC fundraiser
• As Syrian deaths mount, world's 'responsibility to protect' takes a hit: experts
• Iraqis are world's most generous to strangers: global survey
• Asia shares track Wall St. higher, U.S. dollar firm
• Oil dips on Buzzard restart, Iraq; U.S. crude tests below $50
• The Latest: Congress members rip Pentagon repayment policy
• US, European stocks up; merger criticism hits AT&T-Time Warner
• Clinton slams Trump for comments on offensive against Islamic State
• After this election, Americans can ‘wake up’ as one
• Wave of strikes as IS puts up tough defence of Mosul
• Lawmakers to Pentagon: Stop ordering veterans to repay their bonuses
• Why Thousands of Combat Vets Have to Repay Their Enlistment Bonuses
• Ferocity of Kirkuk attack points to tough fight for Mosul
• Battle for Mosul: UN, aid organizations brace for humanitarian challenge
• After South Africa's withdrawal, how does the ICC stay relevant?
• Jihadist traps lie in wait for Iraqi soldiers
• Iraqis press toward Mosul, face questions about airstrike
• Exhibit of rare Korans seeks to restore Islam in US eyes
• Tom Hayden, activist known for Vietnam protests, dies at 76
• The battle for Mosul: what we know
• Iraqis on edge of Mosul face a deadly dilemma: Stay or flee
• Islamic State steps up counter-attacks as fighting edges closer to Mosul
• Nearly 100 civilians dead in Turkey-backed Syria op: monitor
• Kaine says Clinton would seek updated war-making powers
• The Latest: UNHCR soon to have shelters for 150,000 people
• Turkey says its artillery playing role in Mosul, jets on standby
• On Syria border, Mosul refugees trapped under IS fire
• Turkey-Iraq relations remain tense on Mosul
• Civilians pay price of IS's 'smoke war' around Mosul
• How the late Tom Hayden went from a fiery activist to a progressive lawmaker
• France begins clearing 'Jungle' refugee camp in Calais
• Battle for Mosul can shape or break Iraq further
• Attack in Iraq's Kirkuk over, 74 IS jihadists dead: governor
• Iraqi lawmaker, rights group urge inquiry into mosque attack
• Tom Hayden, prominent social activist, politician dead at 76
• A look at the fight for control of the Senate
• WHERE THEY STAND: Clinton, Trump on the issues
• Limited gains in first week of Iraq's Mosul offensive

Guard seeks federal aid for soldiers told to return bonuses Posted: 24 Oct 2016 05:43 PM PDT Members of Congress and veterans leaders on Monday called for federal action to absolve the debts of nearly 10,000 California soldiers who have been ordered by the Pentagon to repay enlistment bonuses ...

The Latest: Clinton attends star-studded NYC fundraiser Posted: 24 Oct 2016 05:15 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on the U.S. presidential race (all times EDT):

As Syrian deaths mount, world's 'responsibility to protect' takes a hit: experts Posted: 24 Oct 2016 05:00 PM PDT By Tom Esslemont LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - As civilians in the Syrian city of Aleppo are battered by air strikes, ground offensives and shelling, what has happened to the world's responsibility to protect populations under threat? The Geneva Conventions and the United Nations Security Council were established after World War Two to maintain peace and protect people in conflict zones.

Iraqis are world's most generous to strangers: global survey Posted: 24 Oct 2016 04:57 PM PDT By Matthew Ponsford LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Although torn by civil war, Iraq is the world's most generous country towards strangers in need, according to a new global index of charitable giving. Eighty one percent of Iraqis reported helping someone they didn't know in the previous month, in a global poll commissioned by the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF). For the first time since CAF began the poll in 2010, more than half of people in 140 countries surveyed said they had helped strangers - with many of the most generous found in countries hit hard by disaster and war.

Asia shares track Wall St. higher, U.S. dollar firm Posted: 24 Oct 2016 04:39 PM PDT SYDNEY (Reuters) - Asian shares edged higher on Tuesday while the dollar stood firm as upbeat U.S. earnings boosted Wall Street and factory surveys in the United States and Europe boasted their best readings so far this year.

Oil dips on Buzzard restart, Iraq; U.S. crude tests below $50 Posted: 24 Oct 2016 03:59 PM PDT By Ethan Lou NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices dipped on Monday, with U.S. crude briefly falling below $50 per barrel, on news of the impending restart of Britain's Buzzard oilfield and Iraq's wish to be exempted from OPEC production cuts. Iraq's oil minister Jabar Ali al-Luaibi said the second-largest producer in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) wanted to be exempt from output curbs as it needed more money to fight Islamic State militants. OPEC hopes to remove about 700,000 bpd from an estimated global supply of 1.0-1.5 million bpd.

The Latest: Congress members rip Pentagon repayment policy Posted: 24 Oct 2016 03:58 PM PDT SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The Latest on enlistment bonuses the Pentagon is ordering California National Guard soldiers to repay (all times local):

US, European stocks up; merger criticism hits AT&T-Time Warner Posted: 24 Oct 2016 03:19 PM PDT US and European stocks moved higher Monday, but criticism of the proposed mega-merger of AT&T and Time Warner prompted a decline in the firms' share prices.

Clinton slams Trump for comments on offensive against Islamic State Posted: 24 Oct 2016 03:10 PM PDT By Luciana Lopez and Steve Holland MANCHESTER, N.H./ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. (Reuters) - U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton slammed rival Donald Trump on Monday for saying that the week-old effort to retake the Iraqi city of Mosul from the control of Islamic State was going badly. "He's basically declaring defeat before the battle has even started," Clinton said at a campaign event in New Hampshire. "He's proving to the world what it means to have an unqualified commander in chief." In a tweet on Sunday, Trump, the Republican nominee for the Nov. 8 election, said the "attack on Mosul is turning out to be a total disaster.

After this election, Americans can ‘wake up’ as one Posted: 24 Oct 2016 01:41 PM PDT Thanksgiving. "In an American election, there are no losers, because whether or not our candidates are successful, the next morning we all wake up as Americans," he said. Thanksgiving has sometimes arrived soon after the United States faced a crisis and a need for healing.

Wave of strikes as IS puts up tough defence of Mosul Posted: 24 Oct 2016 01:27 PM PDT Iraqi forces advancing on Mosul faced stiff resistance on Monday from the Islamic State group despite an unprecedented wave of US-led coalition air strikes in support of the week-old offensive. Federal forces and Kurdish peshmerga fighters gained ground in several areas, AFP correspondents said, but the jihadists were hitting back with shelling, sniper fire, suicide car bombs and booby traps. IS has also tried to draw attention away from losses around Mosul by attacking Iraqi forces elsewhere, the latest coming on Sunday near the Jordanian border.

Lawmakers to Pentagon: Stop ordering veterans to repay their bonuses Posted: 24 Oct 2016 01:05 PM PDT Congressional members from California were quick to call out the Pentagon on Monday for ordering military veterans to give back benefits they received a decade ago as reenlistment incentives during the height of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The swell in outrage follows a report Friday by The Los Angeles Times that outlined hardships endured by some of the nearly 10,000 current and retired soldiers in the California National Guard who have been affected by the mismanaged funds. While it remains unclear whether Congress will manage to settle on the particulars of a legislative fix to this problem, the shared sense of outrage expressed by lawmakers could set the stage for a show of bipartisan collaboration in the final months of what has been a particularly divisive election year.

Why Thousands of Combat Vets Have to Repay Their Enlistment Bonuses Posted: 24 Oct 2016 12:59 PM PDT The watchdog charged with monitoring how American money is spent in Afghanistan has in recent years identified projects in which hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars have been wasted or gone missing: More than $100 million in over-budget expenditures to build the Afghan Ministry of Defense building and $150 million blown on luxury residences for members of the task force charged with rebuilding the Iraqi and Afghan economies, for example. The military has been trying to claw back excessive bonuses that the California National Guard paid to about 10,000 veterans – some of whom went on multiple combat tours – according to The Los Angeles Times. The Times says that with ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan 10 years ago, the military was eager to boost re-enlistment and in many cases offered incentives of $15,000 or more that went beyond what was allowed.

Ferocity of Kirkuk attack points to tough fight for Mosul Posted: 24 Oct 2016 12:41 PM PDT By Babak Dehghanpisheh and Michael Georgy KIRKUK, Iraq (Reuters) - At least 100 fighters sneaked into Kirkuk in the early hours of Friday with machine guns, rocket propelled grenades, suicide vests and a message: "Islamic State has taken over." The message blared out from several mosque loudspeakers while the militants went on a rampage. By the time they had blasted their way across the city in a brazen and complex attack, 99 civilians and members of the security forces were dead and 63 of their own were in the morgue, according to Iraqi security officials. The scale of the operation - the largest of several by Islamic State to divert an advance on their stronghold in Mosul - shows how tough the battle for Mosul may become and points to a continued ability of the militant group to undermine security across the country even if its northern bastion falls.

Battle for Mosul: UN, aid organizations brace for humanitarian challenge Posted: 24 Oct 2016 12:23 PM PDT Some 7,500 people have already fled the outskirts of the city, said UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi in a press conference Monday. Recommended: How much do you know about the Islamic State? Thus far, Iraqi forces have reclaimed Bartella, a historically Christian town roughly nine miles east of Mosul, and captured the main government compound in the nearby town of Hamdaniyah.

After South Africa's withdrawal, how does the ICC stay relevant? Posted: 24 Oct 2016 12:00 PM PDT South Africa's decision to leave the International Criminal Court (ICC) hardly spells the demise of the tribunal that tries the world's worst crimes. "The existence of the court is not at stake," says Luis Moreno Ocampo, the ICC's first prosecutor. South Africa, whose justice minister announced last Friday that the government had launched the year-long process of withdrawal, is the first country to say it is leaving the ICC.

Jihadist traps lie in wait for Iraqi soldiers Posted: 24 Oct 2016 11:42 AM PDT On the edge of Karamlech, the Iraqi infantry commander triumphantly announced the capture of the village, even as bursts of gunfire crackled and thick smoke blackened the horizon. In their advance from the southeast towards the city of Mosul, bastion of the Islamic State jihadist group in Iraq, tanks of the 9th Armoured Division on Monday rolled into the Christian village which lies 10 kilometres (six miles) away.

Iraqis press toward Mosul, face questions about airstrike Posted: 24 Oct 2016 11:25 AM PDT BARTELLA, Iraq (AP) — U.S.-backed Iraqi forces fought their way inside two villages Monday as they crept closer to Mosul a week into an offensive to retake the Islamic State-held city, but they also faced questions over a suspected airstrike on a mosque that killed 13 people.

Exhibit of rare Korans seeks to restore Islam in US eyes Posted: 24 Oct 2016 11:02 AM PDT A first US showing of rare old Korans opens Saturday in a Washington museum, highlighting a different side of Islam at a time when the religion's image in America has been scarred by a divisive presidential campaign. More than 60 Korans and Koranic texts, dating from as far back as the late seventh century and considered works of art for their exceptionally fine calligraphy, will be featured in "The Art of the Qur'an," running through February 20, 2017, at the Freer and Sackler museums, home to the Smithsonian Institution's Asian art collection. Most of them -- 47 of 63 -- were lent to Freer and Sackler from a single source: the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts in Istanbul.

Tom Hayden, activist known for Vietnam protests, dies at 76 Posted: 24 Oct 2016 10:40 AM PDT SANTA MONICA, Calif. (AP) — Tom Hayden, a '60s anti-war activist whose name became forever linked with the celebrated Chicago 7 trial, Vietnam War protests and his ex-wife Jane Fonda, has died. He was 76.

The battle for Mosul: what we know Posted: 24 Oct 2016 10:35 AM PDT Iraq launched a broad offensive to retake Mosul from the Islamic State group a week ago. What have Iraqi forces retaken? Federal forces operating out of the main staging base of Qayyarah have taken dozens of small villages south of Mosul and are working their way up the Tigris Valley.

Iraqis on edge of Mosul face a deadly dilemma: Stay or flee Posted: 24 Oct 2016 10:25 AM PDT QAYARA, Iraq (AP) — Bayda Muhammad Khalaf followed the government's advice to stay in her home with her husband and seven children as Iraqi troops advanced near their remote village outside militant-held Mosul. But after the Islamic State fighters fled and Iraqi troops didn't appear, their tiny supply of food quickly ran out, and the family had to flee to search for territory firmly under government control.

Islamic State steps up counter-attacks as fighting edges closer to Mosul Posted: 24 Oct 2016 10:15 AM PDT By Maher Chmaytelli and Stephen Kalin BAGHDAD/BARTELLA, Iraq (Reuters) - Islamic State expanded its attacks on Monday against the army and Kurdish forces across Iraq, trying to relieve pressure on the militant group's defenses around Mosul, its last major urban stronghold in the country. About 80 Islamic State-held villages and towns have been retaken in the first week of the offensive, bringing Iraqi and Kurdish forces closer to the edge of the city itself - where the battle will be hardest fought. The Mosul campaign, which aims to crush the Iraqi half of Islamic State's declared caliphate in Iraq and Syria, may become the biggest battle yet in the 13 years of turmoil triggered by the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, and could require a massive humanitarian relief operation.

Nearly 100 civilians dead in Turkey-backed Syria op: monitor Posted: 24 Oct 2016 09:03 AM PDT Nearly 100 civilians have been killed in a two-month offensive by Turkey and allied rebels in northern Syria, a monitoring group said on Monday. No comment could be immediately obtained from Turkish officials, but in the past Ankara has disputed accusations of civilian deaths in its campaign. The "Euphrates Shield" operation was launched in northern Syria on August 24 to fight both the Islamic State jihadist group and a Kurdish militia that Ankara considers a "terrorist" group.

Kaine says Clinton would seek updated war-making powers Posted: 24 Oct 2016 08:39 AM PDT Sen. Tim Kaine speaks at Virginia Military Institute's graduation on May 16, 2016. Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine said in an interview published Monday that, if elected, Hillary Clinton would quickly ask Congress for fresh legal authority to make war on the so-called Islamic State and other terrorist groups around the world. Kaine said the former secretary of state will press lawmakers to rewrite the Sept. 14, 2001, Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) that set the stage for the invasion of Afghanistan and has underpinned the entire war on terrorism.

The Latest: UNHCR soon to have shelters for 150,000 people Posted: 24 Oct 2016 08:35 AM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — The Latest on developments in Iraq as the battle for Mosul enters its second week (all times local):

Turkey says its artillery playing role in Mosul, jets on standby Posted: 24 Oct 2016 08:22 AM PDT By Tulay Karadeniz and Ece Toksabay ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish artillery fire has already played a role in the effort to drive Islamic State from the Iraqi city of Mosul and four Turkish fighter jets are on standby to take part in air operations, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Monday. Largely Sunni Muslim Turkey and the Shi'ite-dominated central government in Iraq are at loggerheads about the presence of Turkish troops at a military camp in northern Iraq, and about Ankara's demand to take part in the Mosul operation. Turkey says it has a responsibility to protect ethnic Turkmens and Sunni Arabs in the area around Mosul, once part of the Ottoman empire.

On Syria border, Mosul refugees trapped under IS fire Posted: 24 Oct 2016 08:10 AM PDT Rajm Al-Salibeh (Syria) (AFP) - They have escaped the Islamic State group stronghold of Mosul but hundreds of Iraqis seeking refuge in neighbouring war-torn Syria are now trapped on the border under jihadist fire. The incident heightens the tension and fear at the border, where Iraqis fleeing IS-held Mosul ahead of an army operation to recapture the city are seeking refuge in their war-torn neighbour. Despite the war that is ravaging Syria and has displaced millions of its residents, the Iraqis are desperate to reach the UN-run Al-Hol refugee camp in Syria's Hasakeh province.

Turkey-Iraq relations remain tense on Mosul Posted: 24 Oct 2016 07:58 AM PDT ISTANBUL (AP) — Tensions between Turkey and Iraq showed no sign of subsiding on Monday with Turkish leaders saying the country was engaged in the offensive to retake Mosul from the Islamic State groups while Iraq denied the claim.

Civilians pay price of IS's 'smoke war' around Mosul Posted: 24 Oct 2016 07:33 AM PDT The smoke from fires lit by Islamic State jihadists to provide cover from air strikes has painted the northern Iraqi sky black, providing a dramatic backdrop for the Mosul offensive. The use of smoke in warfare is likely as old as war itself but the masks and technology available to Iraqi forces in this conflict leave civilians, especially children, the most vulnerable. In the area of Al-Tina, south of Mosul, billows of white smoke from a sulphur plant torched by IS were brought rolling in by the wind, mixed at times with black plumes from blazing oil wells.

How the late Tom Hayden went from a fiery activist to a progressive lawmaker Posted: 24 Oct 2016 06:40 AM PDT When Tom Hayden ran in 1976 for the Democratic nomination for the US Senate from California, the famed member of the Chicago Seven said he was a changed man from the student activist who once burned draft cards and organized militant demonstrations on college campuses. While Mr. Hayden lost the election to incumbent Sen. John Tunney, the thought he expressed during his campaign informed the rest of his life as a California politician and author. After 18 years as a state assemblyman and senator, and the author some 20 books, Hayden died at the age of 76 in Santa Monica, Calif., on Sunday night, his wife, Barbara Williams, confirmed.

France begins clearing 'Jungle' refugee camp in Calais Posted: 24 Oct 2016 06:39 AM PDT "The Jungle," a massive shantytown that sprang up 18 months ago in the French port city of Calais, began a controversial days-long mass evacuation on Monday, marking the beginning of the end for the infamous camp. The Jungle is officially home to about 6,500 refugees fleeing war, dictators, or extreme poverty, according to camp authorities. For those living in refugee camps, the goal is either to return home, settle in the host country, or accept settlement in a third country.

Battle for Mosul can shape or break Iraq further Posted: 24 Oct 2016 02:50 AM PDT By Samia Nakhoul, Michael Georgy and Stephen Kalin ERBIL (Reuters) - It has taken two years of training a demoralized army, backed up by the air cover and special forces of the world's greatest powers, for Iraq to mount an offensive to recapture Mosul from Islamic State. If local fighters in Mosul can be persuaded to drop their allegiance to Islamic State, there is a chance that the battle can be brought to a more speedy conclusion, and that could have major implications for the future of Iraq. Against a background of splits and rebellions in the Islamic State ranks in Mosul, some opposing commanders believe that a successful attempt to win over those local fighters could mean the battle lasts only weeks rather than months.

Attack in Iraq's Kirkuk over, 74 IS jihadists dead: governor Posted: 24 Oct 2016 02:50 AM PDT Iraqi security forces on Monday ended an attack by the Islamic State group in Kirkuk city, killing at least 74 jihadists in three days of clashes, the provincial governor said. "The attack is over and life has returned to normal," Najmeddin Karim, the governor of Kirkuk province, told AFP.

Iraqi lawmaker, rights group urge inquiry into mosque attack Posted: 24 Oct 2016 02:26 AM PDT An Iraqi lawmaker has called on her government to investigate a suspected air strike at a Shi'ite mosque during fighting in nearby Kirkuk last week, saying U.S.-led forces could have been involved - a suggestion dismissed by the coalition. Human Rights Watch echoed the call from Shi'ite Muslim MP Hanan al-Fatlawi for an enquiry, saying on Monday only Iraqi and U.S.-led coalition forces were known to carry out air attacks in the region. Iraq's army said it was investigating.

Tom Hayden, prominent social activist, politician dead at 76 Posted: 24 Oct 2016 02:17 AM PDT (Reuters) - Veteran social activist and politician Tom Hayden, a stalwart of America's New Left who served 18 years in California's state legislature and gained a dash of Hollywood glamour by marrying actress Jane Fonda, has died aged 76, according to media reports. Hayden died in Santa Monica, California, after a long illness, The Los Angeles Times reported on its website. "A political giant and dear friend has passed," Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti wrote on Twitter, adding "Tom Hayden fought harder for what he believed than just about anyone I have known." Hayden, who forged his political activism as a founding member of Students for a Democratic Society, which stood at the core of the 1960s anti-war and civil rights movements, was principal author of the group's revolutionary manifesto, the Port Huron Statement.

A look at the fight for control of the Senate Posted: 24 Oct 2016 01:12 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:

WHERE THEY STAND: Clinton, Trump on the issues Posted: 24 Oct 2016 12:47 AM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — A look at where Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump stand on three dozen issues:

Limited gains in first week of Iraq's Mosul offensive Posted: 24 Oct 2016 12:32 AM PDT KHAZER, Iraq (AP) — In the week since Iraq launched an operation to retake Mosul from the Islamic State group, its forces have pushed toward the city from the north, east and south, battling the militants in a belt of mostly uninhabited towns and villages.

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