US commander: Partnership with Kurds against IS still strong

ERBIL, Iraq (AP) — A senior U.S. coalition commander said Friday the partnership with Syrian Kurdish forces remains strong and focused on fighting the Islamic State group, despite an expanding Turkish incursion into areas under Kurdish control. The U.S.-Syrian Kurdish relationship, which dates back to...

Judge: US-born woman who joined Islamic State not citizen

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge has ruled the U.S. government was correct when it determined a woman who joined the Islamic State group was not an American citizen despite her birth in the country. Lawyers for the family of the woman said Friday that they plan to appeal the ruling. “While we are...

Germany to assess risks from deported IS suspects

BERLIN (AP) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel says security services will assess the risks posed by suspected Islamic State group members deported home to Germany by Turkey. Merkel said Friday that Germany’s joint counter-terrorism center would apply the same procedures to them as with people...

3 protesters killed in Baghdad as bloody clashes continue

BAGHDAD (AP) — Security forces fired live rounds and tear gas at anti-government protesters in a central Baghdad square Friday, killing three people, in bloody confrontations that continued despite an influential Shiite leader’s call for calm. Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani emphasized support for...

Fuel rations, price hike hit Iranians amid plunging economy

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iranian authorities abruptly raised fuel prices by up to 50% and imposed fuel rationing overnight on Friday, leaving many Iranians angered amid an already plunging economy. Across the capital, Tehran, long lines of cars waited for hours at pumping stations following the changes in...

American IS suspect repatriated from Turkish-Greek border

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — An American citizen suspected of being an Islamic State group member was deported to the U.S. on Friday after spending five days in no man’s land between Turkey and Greece, the Turkish interior minister said. Suleyman Soylu said the suspect — identified by local media as...

The Latest: Iraq: 2 more protesters killed in Baghdad

BAGHDAD (AP) — The Latest on Iraq’s anti-government protests (all times local): 5:40 p.m. Iraqi security and medical officials say two protesters have been killed and at least 25 others wounded in ongoing confrontations with security forces in a central Baghdad square. The officials say the...

Turkey says American IS suspect struck at border with Greece has been deported to US

Egypt: French traveler arrested for packing illegal pills

CAIRO (AP) — Cairo airport authorities say they have arrested a French passenger of Egyptian descent who was allegedly carrying hundreds of pills of banned drugs in his luggage. Ibrahim Abdel Latif, a senior official at the Customs Authority, said Friday that when inspectors searched the passenger’s...

Israel says it has completed Gaza strikes after rocket fire

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel said early Friday it has completed a series of airstrikes on targets linked to the Islamic Jihad militant group in Gaza after overnight rocket fire that rattled a day-old truce. The Palestinian territory’s Hamas rulers, who kept to the sidelines of this...