Teenagers from Islamic State families undergo rehabilitation in Syria, but future still uncertain
May 30, 2023 GMTQAMISHLI, Syria (AP) — For at least four years, thousands of children have been growing up in a camp in northeast Syria housing families of Islamic State group militants, raised in an atmosphere where the group’s radical ideology still circulates and where they have almost no chance for an education.
Biden on Memorial Day lauds generations of fallen US troops who ‘dared all and gave all’
May 29, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden lauded the sacrifice of generations of U.S. troops who “dared all and gave all” fighting for their country and called on Americans to ensure their “sacrifice was not in vain” in Memorial Day observances at Arlington National Cemetery.
IRBIL, Iraq (AP) — Iraq’s prime minister on Saturday announced plans for a $17 billion regional transportation project intended to facilitate the flow of goods from Asia to Europe.
The announcement was made at a one-day conference in Baghdad that convened transport ministers and representatives from Iraq, the Gulf countries, Turkey, Iran, Syria, and Jordan.
5 things to know about Memorial Day including its controversies
May 27, 2023 GMTNORFOLK, Va. (AP) — Memorial Day is supposed to be about mourning the nation’s fallen service members, but it’s come to anchor the unofficial start of summer and a long weekend of discounts on anything from mattresses to lawn mowers.
Iran unveils latest version of ballistic missile amid wider tensions over nuclear program
May 25, 2023 GMTTEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran unveiled on Thursday what it called the latest iteration of its liquid-fueled Khorramshahr ballistic missile amid wider tensions with the West over its nuclear program.
Authorities showed off the Khorramshahr-4 to journalists at an event in Tehran, with the missile on a truck-mounted launcher.
US and allied naval commanders in Mideast transit Strait of Hormuz, in show of force against Iran
May 19, 2023 GMTABOARD THE USS PAUL HAMILTON IN THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ (AP) — The Mideast-based commanders of the U.S., British and French navies transited the Strait of Hormuz on Friday aboard an American warship, a sign of their unified approach to keep the crucial waterway open after Iran seized two oil tankers.
Today in History: May 16, Warsaw Ghetto Uprising ends
May 16, 2023 GMTToday in History
Today is Tuesday, May 16, the 136th day of 2023. There are 229 days left in the year.
Today in History: May 12, Soviets lift Berlin Blockade
May 12, 2023 GMTToday in History
Today is Friday, May 12, the 132nd day of 2023. There are 233 days left in the year.
US probing reports it killed civilian in recent Syria strike
May 9, 2023 GMTQORQANYA, Syria (AP) — The U.S. military is investigating reports that it killed a civilian in a recent strike in northwest Syria that meant to target a senior al-Qaida leader, a military official said in a statement Tuesday.
Officer convicted in Iraq killing of frequent militia critic
May 7, 2023 GMTBAGHDAD (AP) — An Iraqi police officer was convicted and sentenced to death Sunday in the killing of a prominent security analyst and frequent critic of powerful militias. The ruling came nearly three years after the analyst was gunned down outside his Baghdad home following militia threats.
Australia PM: US effort to extradite Assange not worth it
May 5, 2023 GMTCANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese expressed frustration at the United States’ continuing efforts to extradite WikiLeaks founder and Australian citizen Julian Assange, saying: “There is nothing to be served by his ongoing incarceration.”
300 arrested in global crackdown on dark web drug market
May 3, 2023 GMTTHE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Authorities in the U.S. and Europe arrested nearly 300 people, confiscated over $53 million, and seized a dark web marketplace as part of an international crackdown on drug trafficking that officials say was the largest operation of its kind.
Navy commander pulled from job after SEAL candidate death
May 2, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The commander of the Naval Special Warfare Center who was reprimanded in connection with the death last year of a Navy SEAL candidate has been pulled out of his job about two months early, U.S.
Can Biden win again? Here’s how past incumbents fared
May 2, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — No president wants to give up the power and prestige that comes with the office after only one term, and Joe Biden is no exception. He's pushing forward even though polls show a majority of Americans don't want to see him run again.
Erdogan says Turkish forces killed IS chief in Syria
May 1, 2023 GMTANKARA, Turkey (AP) — The leader of the Islamic State group was killed in an operation by Turkish intelligence teams in northern Syria, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced. Turkey's state media said the IS leader blew himself up to avoid capture.
Va. man pleads to terror charge after doing time in Pakistan
April 26, 2023 GMTALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — A northern Virginia man who traveled to Pakistan with four friends nearly 15 years ago seeking to engage in holy war pleaded guilty Wednesday to a terrorism charge, but he is likely to receive only a 1-day jail sentence.
Past Fox firings carry lessons for network after Carlson
April 25, 2023 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — Before ousting Tucker Carlson, Fox News had twice fired wildly popular hosts – and both times the network recovered better than the stars it cut loose.
Fox's dismissals of Glenn Beck in 2011 and Bill O'Reilly in 2017 offer lessons in what the post-Carlson fallout might be.
Longtime Trump ally Laxalt joins PAC supporting DeSantis
April 22, 2023 GMTDES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Former Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt, a longtime Donald Trump ally, will help lead a political action committee encouraging Florida Gov.
UN criticizes Iraq’s hasty closing of camp for displaced
April 19, 2023 GMTIRBIL, Iraq (AP) — The United Nations expressed concern Wednesday over the Iraqi authorities' swift closure this week of a displacement camp that had housed more than 300 families with alleged ties to the militant Islamic State group.
Residents, aid workers surprised by closure of Iraqi camp
April 18, 2023 GMTIRBIL, Iraq (AP) — Iraq on Tuesday shut down a camp housing internally displaced Iraqis with alleged ties to the Islamic State group, the migration and displacement ministry announced.
The statement said the camp’s closure came as part of a government program aiming to “end the displacement file” in the country, where 1.2 million Iraqis remain internally displaced after years of conflict.
US helicopter raid in Syria kills Islamic State leader
April 17, 2023 GMTBEIRUT (AP) — A helicopter raid by U.S. forces in northern Syria early on Monday killed a senior leader of the militant Islamic State group, the U.S. military said.
The U.S. Central Command said in a statement that the IS leader, Abd-al-Hadi Mahmud al-Haji Ali, was “responsible for planning terror attacks in the Middle East and Europe.” Two other alleged IS members, were killed along with al-Haji Ali who was the target of the raid, CENTCOM said.
Ukraine rejects Iraqi offer to mediate talks with Russia
April 17, 2023 GMTBAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq on Monday offered to mediate between Ukraine and Russia to try and find an end to the war in Europe, but Ukraine's top diplomat rejected the offer during a rare visit to Baghdad.
Populist Iraqi cleric announces suspension of his movement
April 14, 2023 GMTBAGHDAD (AP) — Influential Iraqi Shiite cleric and political leader Muqtada al-Sadr announced on Friday that he would suspend the movement he leads for one year, citing “corruption” among some of his followers.
Once everywhere, Saddam’s image scrubbed from Baghdad
April 9, 2023 GMTBAGHDAD (AP) — Of his countless stories of his life as a hairdresser in Iraq, the one Qaiss al-Sharaa most enjoys retelling is about the day April 9, 2003, when he watched Iraqis and American Marines pull down the statue of Saddam Hussein in front of his salon in Baghdad’s Firdos Square.
Iraq, Syria’s Kurdish leader condemn attack on airport
April 8, 2023 GMTBAGHDAD (AP) — The commander of the main U.S.-backed force in Syria and Iraq’s presidency Saturday condemned what they say was a Turkish attack on an airport in northern Iraq.
The condemnation came as the U.S.-backed and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces confirmed Saturday that its chief commander, Mazloum Abdi, was at the airport in northern Iraq at the time of the attack but withheld information until he returned home safely.
Blast at north Iraqi airport raises tension in Kurdish area
April 7, 2023 GMTBAGHDAD (AP) — An explosion struck next to the Suleimaniyah International Airport in northern Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region Friday, local officials said.
The blast came days after Turkey closed its airspace to flights to and from the airport, citing an alleged increase in Kurdish militant activity threatening flight safety.
Thousands still missing from 20 years of Iraq’s turmoil
April 6, 2023 GMTBAGHDAD (AP) — Nawal Sweidan quietly folded her son’s clothes and straightened the bedsheets in his room as she always used to do when he was out at work or at university. She still does it regularly, even though he hasn’t been home for almost 10 years since he was taken away by militiamen.
QatarEnergy to acquire 25% stake in major Iraqi gas project
April 5, 2023 GMTDUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — QatarEnergy, the Gulf country's state-run petroleum firm, said Wednesday it has agreed to buy a 25% stake in a massive gas project in Iraq, marking the rare entry of a major producer into a market that Western firms have pulled back from in recent years.
Officials reach deal to restart northern Iraq oil exports
April 4, 2023 GMTBAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq's central government and officials from the semi-autonomous Kurdish region reached a deal Tuesday to resume oil exports from northern Iraq via a pipeline to Turkey.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and Masrour Barzani, prime minister of the semi-autonomous Kurdish region, announced the deal at a press conference in Baghdad.
Light, sound show transforms Berlin museum’s exhibits
April 4, 2023 GMTBERLIN (AP) — Hadad, the ancient weather god at Berlin's Pergamon Museum, growls deeply as he casts his neon-blue gaze on visitors, his body bathed in pulsating orange light.
What seems like a scene from a horror movie is in fact the product of a light and sound installation by British contemporary artist Liam Gillick, part of the show Filtered Time that opened Tuesday at one of the German capital's most popular museums.
US military says senior IS commander killed in Syria
April 4, 2023 GMTBEIRUT (AP) — A drone strike carried out by the American-led coalition in northwestern Syria has killed a senior member of the Islamic State group who was in charge of planning attacks in Europe, the United States military said Tuesday.
Iraqi federal and Kurdish officials reach oil export deal
April 2, 2023 GMTBEIRUT (AP) — Authorities in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region said Sunday they have reached a preliminary deal with the central government in Baghdad that will allow oil exports from the northern Kurdish region by way of Turkey to resume.
Today in History: Apr 1, First pro baseball, hockey strikes
April 1, 2023 GMTToday in History
Today is Saturday, April 1, the 91st day of 2023. There are 274 days left in the year. This is April Fool’s Day.
9 killed in Army Black Hawk helicopter crash in Kentucky
March 30, 2023 GMTFORT CAMPBELL, Ky. (AP) — U.S. Army investigators are trying to determine what caused two Black Hawk medical evacuation helicopters to crash during a routine nightime training exercise in Kentucky, killing all nine soldiers aboard.
Senate votes to repeal Iraq War approval many see as mistake
March 30, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate voted Wednesday to repeal the resolution that gave a green light for the 2003 invasion of Iraq, a bipartisan effort to return a basic war power to Congress 20 years after an authorization many now view as a mistake.
Why the debate over repealing Iraq War approval matters
March 29, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Congress is moving toward doing something it hasn't done since the Vietnam War — repealing authorizations for the president's use of military force. For lawmakers, that's an important gesture toward reclaiming a say over the wars America wages abroad.
McConnell opposes as Senate nears repeal of Iraq war powers
March 28, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell says he opposes repeal of the 2002 and 1991 authorizations of force against Iraq, arguing that that authority “bears directly on the threats we face today in Iraq and Syria from Iran-backed terrorists.”
Spiking violence strains sectarian ties in Iraqi province
March 27, 2023 GMTMUQDADIYAH, Iraq (AP) — Hussein Maytham and his family were driving past the palm tree grove near their home after a quiet evening shopping for toys for his younger cousins when their car hit a bomb planted on the moon-lit road.
Iraqi parliament passes controversial vote law amendments
March 27, 2023 GMTBAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi lawmakers passed early Monday controversial amendments to the country's election law that could undermine the chances for smaller parties and independent candidates to win seats in future polls.
Twenty years on, reflection and regret on 2002 Iraq war vote
March 27, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Michigan Sen. Debbie Stabenow was sitting in Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld’s conference room at the Pentagon, listening to him make the case that Saddam Hussein was hiding weapons of mass destruction.
Corruption, deep disparity mark Iraq’s oil legacy post-2003
March 24, 2023 GMTNAHRAN OMAR, Iraq (AP) — The oil is pumped 24 hours a day several meters from Raghed Jasim’s home in Iraq’s crude-rich southern heartland. Gas flares from the field light the night sky bright orange, spewing acrid smoke; when the wind picks up, the 40-year old’s clothes are coated black.
Today in History: March 24, Exxon Valdez crashes in Alaska
March 24, 2023 GMTToday in History
Today is Friday, March 24, the 83rd day of 2023. There are 282 days left in the year.
A look at the uranium-based ammo the UK will send to Ukraine
March 24, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Russia threatened to escalate attacks in Ukraine after the British government announced it would provide to Ukraine a type of munition that Moscow falsely claims has nuclear components.
Army: Decorated soldier killed in South Carolina shooting
March 23, 2023 GMTCOLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) —
A decorated 20-year member of the U.S. Army has been identified as one of the five people killed in a shooting Tuesday night at a South Carolina home.
Pentagon: Budget readies US for possible China confrontation
March 23, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military must be ready for possible confrontation with China, the Pentagon's leaders said Thursday, pushing Congress to approve the Defense Department's proposed $842 billion budget, which would modernize the force in Asia and around the world.
Iraq WMD failures shadow US intelligence 20 years later
March 23, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — In his U.S. Capitol office, Rep. Jason Crow keeps several war mementos. Sitting on a shelf are his military identification tags, the tailfins of a spent mortar and a piece of shrapnel stopped by his body armor.
Senate votes to keep 2001 authorization for war on terror
March 23, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to continue congressional authorization for the use of military force in the global fight against terror, turning back an effort by Kentucky Sen.
Kurds remain biggest winners from US-led invasion of Iraq
March 22, 2023 GMTIRBIL, Iraq (AP) — Complexes of McMansions, fast food restaurants, real estate offices and half-constructed high-rises line wide highways in Irbil, the seat of the semi-autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq.
Today in History: March 19, Nevada legalizes casino gambling
March 19, 2023 GMTToday in History
Today is Sunday, March 19, the 78th day of 2023. There are 287 days left in the year.
20 years after U.S. invasion, young Iraqis see signs of hope
March 17, 2023 GMTBAGHDAD (AP) — On the banks of the Tigris River one recent evening, young Iraqi men and women in jeans and sneakers danced with joyous abandon to a local rap star as a vermillion sun set behind them.
Syrian Kurdish force says it lost 9 fighters in Iraq crash
March 17, 2023 GMTQAMISHLI, Syria (AP) — The main U.S.-backed and Kurdish-led force in northeastern Syria said Friday it lost nine fighters, including a commander, when two helicopters crashed this week in neighboring Iraq.
At least 5 killed in mysterious north Iraq helicopter crash
March 17, 2023 GMTDOHUK, Iraq (AP) — A mysterious helicopter crash in northern Iraq has killed at least five people, allegedly including militants belonging to an outlawed Kurdish insurgency group, according to statements Thursday from the Iraqi Kurdish-run counterterrorism agency and the regional government.
Timeline of events: 20 years since U.S.-led invasion of Iraq
March 17, 2023 GMTBAGHDAD (AP) — It’s been 20 years since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq began. Here are some key dates from the invasion and following developments.
Senate takes first step in repealing Iraq War authorizations
March 16, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate took a first step Thursday toward repealing two measures that give open-ended approval for military action in Iraq, pushing to end that authority as the United States marks the 20th anniversary of the Iraq War.
Why US troops remain in Iraq 20 years after ‘shock and awe’
March 15, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Twenty years after the U.S. invaded Iraq — in blinding explosions of shock and awe — American forces remain in the country in what has become a small but consistent presence to ensure an ongoing relationship with a key military and diplomatic partner in the Middle East.
Today in History: March 15, Julius Caesar assassinated
March 15, 2023 GMTToday in History
Today is Wednesday, March 15, the 74th day of 2023. There are 291 days left in the year.
Today in History: March 13, Pope Francis is elected
March 13, 2023 GMTToday is Monday, March 13, the 72nd day of 2023. There are 293 days left in the year.
Today’s highlight in history:
In 1925, the Tennessee General Assembly approved a bill prohibiting the teaching of the theory of evolution.
Iraqi PM promises action to tackle crippling climate change
March 12, 2023 GMTBAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq's prime minister Sunday promised sweeping measures to tackle climate change — which has affected millions across the country — including plans to meet a third of the country's electricity demands using renewable energy.