Twin suicide bombing kills 26 at a wedding north of Baghdad

Displaced Iraqis who fled their homes due to fighting between Iraqi security forces and Islamic State militants wait to be transferred to camps for displaced people, on the western side of Mosul, Iraq, Wednesday, March 8, 20... Republicans on a pivotal House committee are nearing an initial triumph in their effort to scuttle former President Barack Obama's health care overhaul. Republicans on a pivotal House committee are nearing an initial triumph in their effort to scuttle former President Barack Obama's health care overhaul.

Isis Leader Al-Baghdadi Hiding in Desert

U.S. and Iraqi officials believe the leader of Isis, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, has left operational commanders behind with diehard followers to fight the battle of Mosul, and is now hiding out in the desert, focusing mainly on his own survival. It is impossible to confirm the whereabouts of the Islamic State "Caliph", who declared himself the "ruler of all Muslims" from Mosul's Great Mosque after his forces swept through northern Iraq in 2014.

Trump signs new travel ban, downsizes targeted countries to six

U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order banning nationals of six Muslim countries to enter the United States , excluding Iraq from the list of a previous ban. The new document maintained a 90-day ban on nationals of Syria , Yemen , Sudan, Libya, Iran and Somalia from entering the United States, effective from March 16. "Each of these countries is a state sponsor of terrorism, has been significantly compromised by terrorist organizations, or contains active conflict zones," the order said.

U.S.-backed Iraqi forces capture al-Hurriya bridge in Mosul, spokesman says

The al-Hurriya bridge is the second to be secured by the Iraqi forces in the city, after securing one located further south, in the offensive that started on the western part of Mosul on Feb. 19. "We control the western end of the bridge," said a senior media officer with Rapid Response, the elite unit of the interior ministry leading the charge through the districts alongside the Tigris river. All of Mosul's five bridges over the Tigris have been destroyed but their capture and repair would help the offensive against the militants, who have controlled the northern Iraqi city since 2014.

World News Schedule at 2200 GMT/1700 Et

A spokesman for Barack Obama rejects claims by U.S. President Donald Trump that the then-president had wiretapped Trump in October during the late stages of the presidential election campaign, saying it was "simply false." , moved, by David Shepardson, 917 words) WASHINGTON - The White House budget director confirms that the Trump administration will propose "fairly dramatic reductions" in the U.S. foreign aid budget later this month.

Pentagon sends ISIS options to White House

The Pentagon has sent President Donald Trump what it calls a "preliminary framework" for options to ramp up the US battle against ISIS, in a plan he requested in order to make good on his campaign vow to crush the extremist group. Trump called for the new blueprint to defeat ISIS in Syria and Iraq a month ago, and the document details possible military, diplomatic and financial measures to increase US engagement in the campaign, a US official said.

Pentagon delivers draft plan to defeat Islamic State to White House

A Pentagon-led preliminary plan to defeat Islamic State was delivered to the White House on Monday and U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis was expected to brief senior administration officials, a Defense Department spokesman told reporters. U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis waits to welcome Canada's Minister of National Defense Harjit Sajjan at the Pentagon in Washington, U.S., February 6, 2017.

McCain makes secret trip to Syria to meet US military, Kurds

"Senator McCain traveled to northern Syria last week to visit U.S. forces deployed there and to discuss the counter-ISIL [another acronym for ISIS] campaign and ongoing operations to retake Raqqa," a McCain spokesperson said in an emailed statement on Wednesday, referring to ISIS' Syrian capital. "Senator McCain's visit was a valuable opportunity to assess dynamic conditions on the ground in Syria and Iraq."

Leaflets dropped over western Mosul to warn of Iraqi military offensive

The Iraqi Air Force dropped millions of leaflets over western Mosul late Saturday warning residents of an offensive by ground forces on the ISIS-held part of the city, which has so far been targeted only by airstrikes. Iraqi forces have had control of the eastern part of the city, which is divided by the Tigris River, since January.

Ap Fact Check: Trumpa s messy case that he inherited a mess

President Donald Trump on Thursday made a messy case that he "inherited a mess" from his predecessor. Economic stats and territorial losses of Islamic State insurgents don't support his assertions about the problems handed to him on those fronts.

Obstruction?

Mike Flynn's resigned from Donald Trump's administration. Michael Tracey thinks the reason for it is nonsense: Bill Van Auken offers : In response to the latest revelations about Flynn's meetings with the Russian ambassador and denials of what the CIA has now leaked to the media, leading Democrats mounted a campaign demanding that Flynn be stripped of his security clearance, suspended as national security advisor or fired.

Sources: Pentagon report finds U.S. did not distort progress against ISIS

A Defense Department review delivered to Congress on Tuesday concludes that senior leaders at the U.S. Central Command did not exaggerate the progress the U.S. was making in fighting Islamic State militants , two U.S. officials said. The long-awaited report from the Pentagon's inspector general is not expected to satisfy intelligence analysts who complained that officials were improperly reworking intelligence assessments being prepared for President Barack Obama and other top policymakers to offer a rosier view of U.S. operations against ISIS .

Tears, detentions greet U.S. travelers

Family reunions were blocked, refugees from war-torn countries were turned away and border agents detained scores of unsuspecting travelers at airports as the U.S. began a chaotic implementation of President Donald Trump's plan to fight terrorism by temporarily stopping citizens of seven nations from entering the country. By Saturday night, a federal judge in New York had issued an order temporarily blocking the government from deporting people with valid visas who arrived after Trump's travel ban took effect.