US exploring new bases in Saudi Arabia amid Iran tensions

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The U.S. military is exploring the possibility of using a Red Sea port in Saudi Arabia and an additional two airfields in the kingdom amid heightened tensions with Iran, the military said Tuesday. While describing the work as "contingency" planning, the U.S. military said...

Austin wins Senate confirmation as 1st Black Pentagon chief

WASHINGTON (AP) — Lloyd J. Austin, a West Point graduate who rose to the Army's elite ranks and marched through racial barriers in a 41-year career, won Senate confirmation Friday to become the nation's first Black secretary of defense. The 93-2 vote gave President Joe Biden his second Cabinet member;...

Islamic State claims deadly and rare twin blasts in Baghdad

BAGHDAD (AP) — The Islamic State claimed responsibility for a rare suicide attack that rocked central Baghdad, killing 32 people and wounding dozens. The bombing targeted "apostate Shiites," the group said in a statement on an IS-affiliated website late Thursday. At least 32 people were killed and over...

Twin suicide bombings rock central Baghdad, at least 32 dead

BAGHDAD (AP) — Twin suicide bombings ripped through a busy market in the Iraqi capital on Thursday, killing at least 32 people and wounding dozens, officials said in what was the first massive bombing in years, harkening back to darker days of rampant militant attacks. The rare suicide bombing hit the Bab...

Iraqi military says death toll in twin suicide bombings in Baghdad rises to at least 28 dead, 73 wounded

Iraqi State TV reports suicide bombing in central Baghdad, unknown number of casualties

Amid crippling sanctions, Iran traders seek lifeline in Iraq

DOHUK, Iraq (AP) — Piles of plush carpets line the floors of a northern Iraq shopping center hosting traders from neighboring Iran who hope the spangle of their ornate handicrafts might offer a lifeline out of poverty. In their own country, the economy is in tatters amid crippling U.S. sanctions. ...

Macron calls on Biden for greater US military involvement

BREST, France (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron hoped on Tuesday that U.S. President-elect Joe Biden will show a greater military commitment to fight against Islamic extremists in several theaters of conflict and especially in the Middle East. Macron, who made his New Year’s speech to the...

Iraq postpones date for early elections by four months

BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq's Cabinet voted Tuesday to postpone early elections for four months based on a recommendation by the country's electoral commission, which proposed the change citing technical reasons. Elections will now be held in October, according to a statement from the prime minister's office...

Pentagon says US has dropped to 2,500 troops in Afghanistan

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military has met its goal of reducing the number of troops in Afghanistan to about 2,500 by Friday, a drawdown that may have violated a last-minute congressional prohibition. The reduction could complicate matters for the incoming Biden administration, which must determine how to...