Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• Deadly strike in western Iraq, fierce battles in Mosul
• Immigration, disasters, borders: the essential Homeland Security Department
• Factbox: Trump fills top jobs for his administration
• Trump taps Kelly for Homeland Security, third general for top post
• UN scrambling for land to shelter displaced outside Mosul
• Trumps taps retired Marine general for homeland security
• U.N. chief to appoint New Zealand lawmaker as South Sudan envoy
• John Kelly, the Marine General to head Homeland Security
• The real battle in Aleppo and Mosul
• Officials outline steps for resolving Guard bonus scandal
• John Kelly, Trump’s Homeland Security pick, gave a remarkable speech 4 days after his son died serving in Afghanistan
• Iraqi forces face fierce IS attacks after new Mosul push
• New Zealander to head UN mission in South Sudan
• Ohio GOP official's US Senate bid could mean bitter rematch
• All They Do is Nguyen: Two Brothers Go All-in for Wounded Warrior Project
• AP Explains: What next after the downfall of IS in Sirte?
• Ohio man linked to Islamic State appeals sentence in U.S. Capitol plot
• Dozens killed in west Iraq air strike, MPs and medics say
• CIA director visits Albania for counterterrorism talks
• Trump to name retired general Kelly as Homeland Security chief: reports
• Around 1,500 European jihadists return from Mideast: report
• Status of main battle fronts in Iraq and Syria
• Trumps taps retired Marine general John Kelly for DHS
• British premier, Gulf Arab nations pledge to counter Iran
• UAE calls Ohio police killing of Emirati 'painful incident'
• Eyeing re-election, Germany's Merkel takes tougher tone on migrants
• Married under 'caliphate', Iraq couples say 'I do' again
• Mosul campaign could take two more months, Islamic State to remain a threat: U.S. coalition chief
• Amid battle with IS, Iraq parliament approves next budget
• EU urged to share data better to detect militants returning from Syria, Iraq
• Islamic State attacks Iraqi soldiers in Mosul
• Kazakhstan detains suspected oil thieves linked to Islamists
• How Iran closed the Mosul 'horseshoe' and changed Iraq war
• Today in History
• Bangladesh extremist to hang for attack on UK envoy
• Trump lays out non-interventionist U.S. military policy
• Iraqi army launches fresh assault toward Mosul center
• Suitors, husbands spurn Middle Eastern women disfigured by war

Deadly strike in western Iraq, fierce battles in Mosul Posted: 07 Dec 2016 05:54 PM PST An air strike in Iraq has killed dozens of civilians in an area near the Syrian border still controlled by the Islamic State group, officials said. The deadly strike came as Iraqi forces battled jihadists deep inside Mosul, edging closer to the River Tigris that divides the city and looking for a breakthrough in the seven-week-old offensive. The speaker of Iraq's parliament, Salim al-Juburi condemned the air strike "that targeted a market area for civilians and resulted in the death and injury of dozens of them" in the town of Al-Qaim.

Immigration, disasters, borders: the essential Homeland Security Department Posted: 07 Dec 2016 04:30 PM PST The Department of Homeland Security was created in the wake of the September 11 terror attacks to coordinate dozens of disparate government operations and better protect security in the United States. This will be the challenge for former Marine General John Kelly, US President-elect Donald Trump's reported choice to lead the department beginning in January. The third largest US government department, DHS pulls together 22 federal agencies with 240,000 employees who do everything from patrolling the coastline and land borders to protecting the president and visiting dignitaries.

Factbox: Trump fills top jobs for his administration Posted: 07 Dec 2016 04:26 PM PST (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump plans to nominate wrestling magnate Linda McMahon as his choice to head the Small Business Administration, Trump's transition team said in a statement on Wednesday. The following is a list of Republican Trump's selections for top jobs in his administration. All the posts but that of national security adviser require Senate confirmation: TREASURY SECRETARY: STEVEN MNUCHIN Mnuchin, 53, is a relatively little-known but successful private equity investor, hedge fund manager and Hollywood financier who spent 17 years at Goldman Sachs before leaving in 2002.

Trump taps Kelly for Homeland Security, third general for top post Posted: 07 Dec 2016 04:26 PM PST By Steve Holland and Warren Strobel NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President-elect Donald Trump plans to nominate a third retired general for a top job in his new administration with the choice of a battle-hardened Marine commander to lead the agency set up after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks to protect the U.S. homeland. Trump is expected to name former Marine General John Kelly, 66, as head of the Department of Homeland Security, a source familiar with the decision told Reuters on Wednesday. Kelly told Fox News on Wednesday that he has "been asked and would consider it an honor." If confirmed by the Senate, Kelly will be in charge of the agency tasked with securing borders against illegal immigration, protecting the president, responding to natural disasters, coordinating intelligence and counterterrorism.

UN scrambling for land to shelter displaced outside Mosul Posted: 07 Dec 2016 03:09 PM PST UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. is scrambling to find enough land to shelter those displaced by the fighting to retake Mosul from the Islamic State group as humanitarians brace for the exodus of as many as 700,000 people from the city, an official said Wednesday.

Trumps taps retired Marine general for homeland security Posted: 07 Dec 2016 03:07 PM PST Retired Marine Gen. John Kelly carved out a reputation as a highly respected, but often outspoken commander who could roil debate with blunt assessments or unpopular directives on issues ranging from women ...

U.N. chief to appoint New Zealand lawmaker as South Sudan envoy Posted: 07 Dec 2016 02:52 PM PST By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon plans to name New Zealand lawmaker David Shearer as head of the U.N. peacekeeping mission in South Sudan, which has been wracked by violence since 2013. Ban notified the 15-member Security Council on Wednesday of his decision to choose Shearer to succeed Ellen Loj of Denmark, who stood down at the end of November. Ban said Shearer would bring to the role "extensive political and humanitarian experience." He is currently New Zealand's opposition Labour party spokesman for foreign affairs and was Labour party leader in opposition between 2011 and 2013.

John Kelly, the Marine General to head Homeland Security Posted: 07 Dec 2016 02:16 PM PST John Kelly, the Marine Corps general reportedly picked by Donald Trump to be Homeland Security secretary, will be the new administration's lead figure as it pursues the president-elect's goal of boosting the fight against Islamic extremists and illegal immigration. The third general chosen for Trump's cabinet, Kelly spent 45 years in the Marines, holding a range of positions from field commands in Iraq to political liaison in Congress before finishing his career as commander of the US armed forces Southern Command covering Central and South America.

The real battle in Aleppo and Mosul Posted: 07 Dec 2016 01:37 PM PST The world's main body for protecting civilians in war zones, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), is closely watching two tense and pivotal battles in the Middle East. One is Iraq's assault on Islamic State forces in Mosul. The other is Syria's attack on pro-democracy rebels in Aleppo.

Officials outline steps for resolving Guard bonus scandal Posted: 07 Dec 2016 01:26 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — Senior U.S. military officials sought to assure a House oversight panel Wednesday that they're taking aggressive steps to ensure that thousands of soldiers who received enlistment bonuses and served in combat won't be forced to return the money.

John Kelly, Trump’s Homeland Security pick, gave a remarkable speech 4 days after his son died serving in Afghanistan Posted: 07 Dec 2016 01:25 PM PST Four days earlier, Kelly's 29-year-old son, Marine 1st Lt. Robert Michael Kelly, stepped on a land mine while leading a patrol in southern Afghanistan. John Kelly, President-elect Donald Trump's reported pick for Homeland Security chief, never spoke of his fallen son by name during the speech to the Semper Fi Society that he had committed to give long before his son's death. "We are in a life-and-death struggle, but not our whole country," Kelly said in his speech.

Iraqi forces face fierce IS attacks after new Mosul push Posted: 07 Dec 2016 01:13 PM PST MOSUL, Iraq (AP) — Significant Islamic State group counterattacks in southeastern Mosul inflicted heavy losses on Iraqi forces overnight after a new push deeper into the city this week, according to an Iraqi Army officer.

New Zealander to head UN mission in South Sudan Posted: 07 Dec 2016 01:06 PM PST A New Zealand lawmaker who has led UN aid efforts worldwide is to be named UN mission chief in South Sudan, one of the world's toughest peacekeeping jobs, diplomats said Wednesday. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has sent a letter informing the Security Council of his intention to appoint David Shearer as the UN envoy to South Sudan and head of UNMISS, succeeding Ellen Margrethe Loj of Denmark.

Ohio GOP official's US Senate bid could mean bitter rematch Posted: 07 Dec 2016 12:59 PM PST Republican Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel will again challenge Democratic U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown in 2018, setting up what could be a rematch of what was one of the country's most bitter, expensive and closely watched Senate races four years ago.

All They Do is Nguyen: Two Brothers Go All-in for Wounded Warrior Project Posted: 07 Dec 2016 12:15 PM PST LAS VEGAS, Dec. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- It was the 364th hand of the final table when Qui Nguyen (fittingly pronounced "win") beat out Gordon Vayo to take the title of champion at The World Series of Poker®. Qui, a former nail salon owner, endured nine grueling hours of one-on-one play to take home over $8 million in winnings and the coveted gold bracelet. Gathered behind him in the stands was his family – all wearing matching shirts emblazoned with Qui's name, face, and the logo of Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP).

AP Explains: What next after the downfall of IS in Sirte? Posted: 07 Dec 2016 12:14 PM PST BENGHAZI, Libya (AP) — The Islamic State group this week lost the city of Sirte, its only foothold in Libya, essentially ending its ambition to expand its self-styled "caliphate" into the North African nation, at least for now.

Ohio man linked to Islamic State appeals sentence in U.S. Capitol plot Posted: 07 Dec 2016 11:58 AM PST An Ohio man has appealed his sentence of 30 years imprisonment for plotting to attack the U.S. Capitol in Washington with guns and bombs in sympathy with Islamic State militants, court documents showed. The appeal was filed on Tuesday by lawyers for Christopher Lee Cornell the day after he was sentenced by a federal judge. Cornell, 22, of Green Township, near Cincinnati, was arrested in January 2015 and accused of planning to travel to Washington to attack the U.S. Capitol during President Barack Obama's State of the Union address.

Dozens killed in west Iraq air strike, MPs and medics say Posted: 07 Dec 2016 11:57 AM PST Air strikes killed dozens of people, including many women and children, in an Islamic State-held town near Iraq's western border with Syria on Wednesday, two parliamentarians and local hospital sources said. The hospital sources said 55 civilians were killed, including 12 women and 19 children, in three air strikes.

CIA director visits Albania for counterterrorism talks Posted: 07 Dec 2016 10:55 AM PST TIRANA, Albania (AP) — The United States embassy in Tirana says Central Intelligence Agency Director John Brennan visited Albania to discuss terrorism along with a variety of other bilateral and international issues.

Trump to name retired general Kelly as Homeland Security chief: reports Posted: 07 Dec 2016 10:40 AM PST President-elect Donald Trump has decided to name retired Marine Corps general John Kelly, a veteran of combat in Iraq, to lead the Department of Homeland Security, US media said Wednesday. Kelly would be the third retired general to be named to cabinet-level positions in Trump's administration. The impending appointment was widely reported in the US media but not confirmed by Trump's transition office, apparently because Kelly is out of the country.

Around 1,500 European jihadists return from Mideast: report Posted: 07 Dec 2016 10:30 AM PST Around a third of the estimated 5,000 European jihadists who went to Syria and Iraq have returned to Europe, and some may have orders to attack, an EU report warned Wednesday. Up to 2,500 fighters from Europe remained on the battlefield but their massive return in the short term seemed unlikely, according to the report seen by AFP. Belgium expressed concern last month that jihadists were increasingly returning to Europe as US-backed coalition forces drive the Islamic State (IS) group from territory in Syria and Iraq.

Status of main battle fronts in Iraq and Syria Posted: 07 Dec 2016 10:18 AM PST Rebels in Aleppo called for a five-day truce and the evacuation of civilians after losing more territory including the Old City to a Syrian army offensive. Regime forces scored another important victory when the rebels retreated from the Old City, the historic heart of Aleppo, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group. Pro-government forces now control around 80 percent of east Aleppo, the Observatory said, and at least 80,000 residents have fled their homes.

Trumps taps retired Marine general John Kelly for DHS Posted: 07 Dec 2016 09:20 AM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump is tapping another four-star military officer for his administration. He has picked retired Marine Gen. John Kelly to lead the Homeland Security Department, according to people close to the transition.

British premier, Gulf Arab nations pledge to counter Iran Posted: 07 Dec 2016 09:16 AM PST DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — British Prime Minister Theresa May and leaders from six Gulf Arab countries agreed Wednesday to counter Iran's "destabilizing activities," a pledge meant to calm nerves following the nuclear deal with world powers.

UAE calls Ohio police killing of Emirati 'painful incident' Posted: 07 Dec 2016 08:15 AM PST DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The United Arab Emirates has called the police killing of an Emirati man in Ohio a "painful incident" that the country's diplomats would investigate, just months after another citizen of the U.S.-allied Arab nation was wrongly accused in Ohio of being an Islamic militant.

Eyeing re-election, Germany's Merkel takes tougher tone on migrants Posted: 07 Dec 2016 08:04 AM PST By Paul Carrel ESSEN, Germany (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives toughened their tone on integrating migrants on Wednesday, passing a resolution on tackling forced marriage and honor killings, and cracking down on dual citizenship. A day after Merkel called for a ban on full-face Muslim veils "wherever legally possible", her Christian Democrats (CDU) endorsed that message and stressed the values they want the 890,000 migrants who arrived in Germany last year to adopt. Merkel, who implored the party on Tuesday to help her win a fourth term in office at federal elections next year, told N-TV at the end of a two-day CDU party conference that individual criminals among the migrants must be found and prosecuted.

Married under 'caliphate', Iraq couples say 'I do' again Posted: 07 Dec 2016 07:04 AM PST In Qayyarah, Iraqis are thronging a civil court to get married a second time, register births and replace the documents they were delivered during two years of jihadist administration. "Do you take Ahmad as your lawful husband?", the judge asked Salma in the civil court that recently reopened in Qayyarah, a town on the Tigris river south of the city of Mosul. The young lady said yes, a year after exchanging vows before a Muslim cleric in Mosul, the large northern city where Iraqi forces are battling the Islamic State group.

Mosul campaign could take two more months, Islamic State to remain a threat: U.S. coalition chief Posted: 07 Dec 2016 06:35 AM PST By Michael Georgy ABOARD THE CHARLES DE GAULLE (Reuters) - The offensive against Islamic State in Mosul could take two more months, and even if the group is defeated there it will still pose a threat to Iraq and the West, the commander of the U.S.-led coalition fighting against it said. U.S. Lieutenant-General Stephen Townsend said Iraqi forces had made significant progress since the ultra-hardline militants rampaged through the north of the country in 2014 and then declared a caliphate that also straddled parts of Syria. "I think they are going to be working on Mosul for a number of weeks more, maybe a couple of months more probably," Townsend told Reuters in an interview aboard the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle during a visit with senior military officers.

Amid battle with IS, Iraq parliament approves next budget Posted: 07 Dec 2016 06:17 AM PST BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq's parliament has approved next year's budget of about 100.67 trillion Iraqi dinars, or nearly $85.17 billion.

EU urged to share data better to detect militants returning from Syria, Iraq Posted: 07 Dec 2016 06:03 AM PST The European Union must improve information-sharing internally and with the United States and Turkey to better track Europeans returning from fighting with Islamic State, the EU's counter-terrorism official will tell interior ministers. EU home affairs chiefs will discuss in Brussels on Friday how to increase their ability to intercept such returnees after Islamic State sent back radicalised Europeans to carry out attacks on targets in their home countries. Gilles de Kerchove, the EU's Counter-Terrorism Coordinator, estimates there are some 2,000-2,500 European "foreign terrorist fighters" still in Syria and Iraq.

Islamic State attacks Iraqi soldiers in Mosul Posted: 07 Dec 2016 04:47 AM PST By Ahmed Rasheed BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Islamic State militants attacked Iraqi soldiers near a hospital in southeast Mosul on Wednesday, an army officer and the jihadist group's new agency said, trying to repel the army's deepest advances of the seven-week Mosul campaign. The fighting came a day after the army's operations commander for Mosul said soldiers surged into the city and took over the Salam hospital, less than a mile (1.5 km) from the Tigris river which divides eastern and western Mosul. It said a suicide bomber blew himself up near the hospital, killing 20 soldiers.

Kazakhstan detains suspected oil thieves linked to Islamists Posted: 07 Dec 2016 04:39 AM PST Kazakhstan's state security service has detained several people suspected of stealing oil and fuel from a refinery and being linked to radical Islamists, it said on Wednesday. The large-scale raid took place in the city of Aktobe, the National Security Committee said in a statement, the site of a deadly Islamist attack last June in which 25 people, including 18 attackers, were killed. The security service said it had seized several tanker trucks loaded with oil and oil products.

How Iran closed the Mosul 'horseshoe' and changed Iraq war Posted: 07 Dec 2016 04:35 AM PST By Dominic Evans, Maher Chmaytelli and Patrick Markey BAGHDAD/ERBIL, Iraq (Reuters) - In the early days of the assault on Islamic State in Mosul, Iran successfully pressed Iraq to change its battle plan and seal off the city, an intervention which has since shaped the tortuous course of the conflict, sources briefed on the plan say. The original campaign strategy called for Iraqi forces to close in around Mosul in a horseshoe formation, blocking three fronts but leaving open the fourth - to the west of the city leading to Islamic State territory in neighboring Syria.

Today in History Posted: 06 Dec 2016 09:01 PM PST Today in History

Bangladesh extremist to hang for attack on UK envoy Posted: 06 Dec 2016 08:54 PM PST Bangladesh's highest court on Wednesday upheld the death sentence handed down to a top militant and two of his followers for a 2004 attack on the British ambassador that left three people dead. The Supreme Court rejected the appeals by Mufti Abdul Hannan, head of Harkatul Jihad Al Islami (HuJI) and two members of the banned militant group.

Trump lays out non-interventionist U.S. military policy Posted: 06 Dec 2016 06:43 PM PST By Steve Holland FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (Reuters) - President-elect Donald Trump laid out a U.S. military policy on Tuesday that would avoid interventions in foreign conflicts and instead focus heavily on defeating the Islamic State militancy. In the latest stop on a "thank you" tour of states critical to his Nov. 8 election win, Trump introduced his choice for defense secretary, General James Mattis, to a large crowd in this city near the Fort Bragg military base, which has deployed soldiers to 90 countries around the world. "We will stop racing to topple foreign regimes that we know nothing about, that we shouldn't be involved with," Trump said.

Iraqi army launches fresh assault toward Mosul center Posted: 06 Dec 2016 06:10 PM PST By Ahmed Rasheed and Patrick Markey BAGHDAD/ERBIL, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraqi army units surged toward the center of Mosul on Tuesday in an attack from the city's southeastern edges that could give fresh impetus to the seven-week-old battle for Islamic State's Iraqi stronghold. Campaign commander Lieutenant General Abdul Ameer Rasheed Yarallah was quoted by Iraqi television as saying troops had entered Salam Hospital, less than a mile (1.5 km) from the Tigris river running through the city center. If confirmed, that would mark a significant advance by the Ninth Armoured Division, which had been tied up for more than a month in close-quarter combat with Islamic State on the southeastern fringes of the city.

Suitors, husbands spurn Middle Eastern women disfigured by war Posted: 06 Dec 2016 06:01 PM PST By Lin Taylor AMMAN (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Ahzan was shopping in a market in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad when an explosion ripped through the street, lifting her off her feet and shattering her lower body.

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