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Kurds Issue Arrest Warrants for 11 Iraqis as Tensions Brew

Iraqi Kurdish authorities said Monday they had issued arrest warrants for 11 Iraqis including leaders in a powerful paramilitary group, in an apparent tit-for-tat move after Baghdad took similar measures.

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Israel Arrests 51 Palestinians in East Jerusalem Raid

Israeli police raided a Palestinian neighbourhood in annexed east Jerusalem overnight and arrested 51 people accused of violent protests against security forces, authorities said Monday.

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Bahrain Temporarily Frees Female Activist

Bahrain has temporarily freed a female activist who has accused her government of torture in detention, rights groups said Monday.

Ebtisam al-Saegh was released late Sunday pending her trial on "terrorism" charges, Amnesty International and the Bahrain Institute for Human Rights (BIRD) said.

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IS 'Executed' 116 in Syria Town Revenge Campaign

The Islamic State group executed dozens of civilians this month in the Syrian desert, a monitor said Monday, in a gruesome massacre as the jihadists see their "caliphate" collapse.

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9 Killed in South Yemen Attack on Military Base

Four Yemeni soldiers and five assailants were killed in an attack on a military base in the southern province of Abyan on Monday, a security source said. 

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Bahrain Sends Civilian 'Cell' to Military Court

Bahraini authorities have referred a group of civilians accused of targeting security forces to a military court, state media said Sunday, months after a constitutional amendment expanded the court's reach.

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Iraq's Abadi: 'Hero' who Tackled Mission Impossible

When Haider al-Abadi was tasked with forming a new Iraqi government in August 2014, just weeks after a lightning offensive by the Islamic State group, many believed he would fail.

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In Saudi, Tillerson Demands Iranian Militias Leave Iraq

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Sunday demanded that Iranian "militias" leave Iraq at a press conference in Riyadh, where the U.S. diplomat is holding talks with top Gulf officials.

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U.S.-Backed Forces Seize Major Syria Oilfield

A U.S.-backed Arab-Kurd alliance announced on Sunday it had retaken one of Syria's largest oilfields from the Islamic State group in the east of country.

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Russia Likens U.S. Coalition Bombing of Raqa to WWII Dresden

Russia on Sunday accused the U.S.-led coalition in Syria of having flattened Raqa with a Dresden-like bombing campaign and masking the destruction with a rush of humanitarian aid.

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