WASHINGTON (AP) — Iran has entered the fight to retake a major Iraqi oil refinery from Islamic State militants, contributing small numbers of troops —some are operating artillery and other heavy weapons — in support of advancing Iraqi ground forces, U.S. defense officials say.

Two U.S. defense officials said Iranian forces have taken a significant offensive role in the Beiji operation in recent days, in conjunction with Iraqi Shiite militia. The officials were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke Friday on condition of anonymity.

One official said Iranians are operating artillery, 122mm rocket systems and surveillance and reconnaissance drones to help the Iraqi counteroffensive.

The Iranian role was not mentioned in a new U.S. military statement asserting that Iraqi security forces, with U.S. help, had managed to establish a land route into the Beiji refinery compound. The statement Friday by the U.S. military headquarters in Kuwait said Iraqis have begun reinforcing and resupplying forces isolated inside the refinery compound.

Iran's role in Iraq is a major complicating factor for the Obama administration as it searches for the most effective approach to countering the Islamic State group. U.S. officials have said they do not oppose contributions from Iran-supported Iraqi Shiite militias as long as they operate under the command and control of the Iraqi government.

Friday's U.S. military statement quoted Brig. Gen. Thomas Weidley as saying that over the past three days Iraqi security forces and federal police have made "steady, measured progress" in regaining some areas leading to the Beiji refinery compound, in the face of suicide vehicle-borne bombs and rocket attacks. Weidley, chief of staff of the U.S.-led military headquarters in Kuwait, recently described the oil refinery as a "key infrastructure and critical crossroads."

The U.S. statement said Iraqis, enabled by the U.S. and its coalition partners, have "successfully cleared and established a ground route" into the refinery to resupply Iraqi troops. It listed U.S. and coalition contributions as including airstrikes, reconnaissance and the use of "advise and assist elements."

Asked about the newly emerging role of Iranian forces in Beiji, the U.S. command in Kuwait declined to comment directly, citing "operational security reasons." It added that all forces involved in Beiji are "aligned with the government of Iraq" and under the control of Iraqi security forces.

Separately, the Pentagon said Friday that the cost of U.S. military operations in Iraq and Syria since U.S. airstrikes began in August is $2.44 billion as of May 7.

IS fighters recently gained substantial control over the Beiji oil refinery, a strategically important prize in the battle for Iraq's future and a potential source of millions of dollars in income for the militants. They also control the nearby town of Beiji, on the main route from Baghdad to Mosul, along the Tigris River.

The militants' move on Beiji largely coincided with its successful offensive in Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province, last week. Iraqi forces withdrew from Ramadi on Sunday, leaving behind large numbers of U.S.-supplied vehicles, including several tanks. The U.S. said Friday that its airstrikes in Ramadi overnight hit an IS fighting unit, destroying five armored vehicles, two tanks and other military vehicles, as well as nine abandoned tanks and other armored vehicles.

Together, the Ramadi and Beiji losses have fueled criticism of the Obama administration's Iraq strategy and prompted the White House to authorize an acceleration of U.S. weapons transfers to Baghdad, including expedited shipments of 2,000 shoulder-fired missiles for use against armored suicide vehicles.

Iran had contributed advisers, training and arms to Iraqi Shiite militias in an attempt to retake the city of Tikrit in March, but that effort stalled. In April, after the U.S. joined the effort with airstrikes, Iraqi security forces and allied Shiite militias succeeded in regaining control of the city.

Tony Cordesman, a Middle East expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said that while some in Tehran see the advantages of a Shiite-led Iraqi government that deals equitably with the Sunni and Kurdish populations in order to achieve national unity, Iranian hardliners do not.

"At best, they are still pursuing a policy of competing with the United States for military influence over the Iraqi military and police, Shiite militias, and even influence over Iraq's Kurds," Cordesman wrote in an analysis published Thursday. "At worst — and 'at worst' now seems more likely than 'at best' — Iran's leaders are seeking an Iraq where Iran has dominant influence" after the Islamic State threat has been overcome.

___

Follow Robert Burns on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/robertburnsAP

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Irish Senator 'exhilarated' by historic gay marriage vote

By Conor Humphries and Padraic Halpin

DUBLIN (Reuters) - Gay couples flocked to central Dublin to celebrate a "historic watershed" on Saturday as a large majority in the traditionally Catholic country voted to allow same-sex marriage, the culmination of a four-decade struggle for gay rights.

Waving rainbow flags, embracing and crying, two thousand people gathered to watch the official results in the courtyard of Dublin Castle after voters, young and old, accounted for one of the highest turnouts in a referendum for decades.

"The amount of people who came out to vote is just such an emotional thing for us," said Fred Schelbaum, 48, standing with his civil partner Feargal Scott, 43, who he said he intended to marry.

"Up to now a lot of gay people felt they were tolerated in Ireland. Now we know that it's much more than that."

The crowds cheered as gay rights icons appeared on the square, including David Norris, whose campaign led to the 1993 decriminalization of gay sex and, and Rory O'Neill, whose Panti Bliss drag queen character became the face of the campaign.

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Supporters in favour of same-sex marriage pose for a photograph as thousands gather in Dublin Castle …

"The future for young LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) people in this country is incredible," O'Neill said.

"I'm just glad to be here on the day this Ireland came into being."

Jean Webster, a 54-year-old administrator who came out as a lesbian eight years ago after separating from her husband, said that after the birth of her children, this was the happiest day of her life.

"A lot of my family have voted no in this campaign so at a personal level it has been very traumatic," she said. "I needed to wake up this morning to have thousands of people affirm my rights when certain people in my family weren't."

The emergence of a new generation of young voters was a "historic watershed" in Irish politics that had the potential to finally break the link between church and state, she said.

"We woke up today to a new Ireland. The real Irish Republic that I have dreamed of my whole life," she said.

Several high-profile Irish figures who have come out as gay since the start of the campaign hailed the new atmosphere it had ushered in the country.

"Ten years ago Ireland was still a very dark place," said former minister Pat Carey, who waited until his late 60s to open up about being gay.

"There was a lot of raw wounds that needed to be healed. I think the young people of Ireland have grabbed this country by the neck and it's unrecognizable to what it was 10 years ago."

(Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)

CLEVELAND (AP) — A white Cleveland patrolman who fired down through the windshield of a suspect's car at the end of a 137-shot barrage that left the two unarmed black occupants dead was acquitted Saturday of criminal charges by a judge who said he could not determine the officer alone fired the fatal shots.

Michael Brelo, 31, put his head in hands as the judge issued a verdict that prompted angry, but peaceful, protests: Outside the courthouse protesters chanted "Hands up! Don't Shoot!" while across the city others held a mock funeral with some carrying signs saying, "Will I be next?"

The acquittal came at a time of nationwide tension among police and black citizens punctuated by protests over deaths of black suspects at the hands of white officers — and following a determination by the U.S. Department of Justice that Cleveland police had a history of using excessive force and violating civil rights.

Before issuing his verdict, Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge John P. O'Donnell noted the recent unrest in Ferguson, Missouri, and Baltimore over the deaths of black suspects but said he would not "sacrifice" Brelo to an angry public if the evidence did not merit a conviction.

"Guilty or not guilty, the verdict should be no cause for a civilized society to celebrate or riot," he said.

Ohio City businesses prep for possible protests (video)

His sister, Michelle Russell, said she believed Brelo would ultimately face justice, despite the judge's decision.

"He's not going to dodge this just because he was acquitted," she said. "God will have the final say."

Michelle Russell urged protesters to be peaceful and work for real solutions.

"We need to organize and figure out a way to stop this from happening again," she said.

Dozens of people walked in a mock funeral procession in a park near where the country prosecutor lives. Protesters carried a black, plywood coffin and softly sang "I'm going up yonder, we're marching, we're marching."

The crowd was a mix of blacks and whites walking peacefully in the park and along city streets as neighbors looked on.

Several Cleveland police officers followed the march on foot and on horses.

Some carried signs saying "I Can't Breathe" and "Freddie Gray Lynched," references to a pair of police-involved deaths: the chokehold death of Eric Garner in New York City and the death of a Baltimore man who suffered a spinal injury while in custody.

Community and city leaders braced for the possibility of unrest in response to the verdict, which came as investigators work toward a decision on whether charges will be filed in the death of a black 12-year-old boy carrying a pellet gun who was shot by a white rookie officer late last year.

One activist, Carol Steiner, said the verdict is "a very bad precedent for Cleveland" with a decision still to come in the death of the 12-year-old, Tamir Rice. "Police murder people of color and not have to serve one day in jail."

The U.S. Justice Department, U.S. Attorney's Office and the FBI will begin reviewing the testimony and evidence and review all available legal options, said Vanita Gupta, head of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division.

"We will continue our assessment, review all available legal options, and will collaboratively determine what, if any, additional steps are available and appropriate given the requirements and limitations of the applicable laws in the federal judicial system," said the joint statement.

After the verdict, about 30 sheriff's deputies stood in front of the courthouse bearing clear shields as protesters with bullhorns chanted. One demonstrator bowed his head with hands folded in front of the phalanx of deputies, praying in silence.

O'Donnell spent nearly an hour summing up his conclusion, an involved explanation that included mannequins marked with the gunshot wounds that the two motorists suffered on Nov. 29, 2012.

Brelo could have been convicted of lesser charges of felonious assault, but O'Donnell determined his actions were justified in shooting, which included reports of shots being fired from Russell's car, because they perceived a threat.

Brelo's lead attorney, Patrick D'Angelo, told reporters after the verdict his team was "humbled by the verdict but not emboldened by it."

"Officer Brelo risked his life on that night," D'Angelo said, only to be attacked by prosecutors in a case he called a "blood fight."

"I've never in my 37 years witnessed such a vicious and unprofessional prosecution of a police officer," he said.

Cuyahoga County prosecutor Tim McGinty said he respects the judge's decision and urged others to do so, as well.

Zach Reed, a councilman who represents a black area of southeast Cleveland, said he thought Brelo should have been guilty of felonious assault. "We may not agree with the decision but we will not pillage, loot and burn the city as a result of this verdict," he said.

Thirteen officers fired at the car with Russell and Malissa Williams inside after a 22-mile high-speed chase that involved 62 marked and unmarked cars and reached 100 mph. The pursuit began when Russell's car backfired as he sped past Cleveland police headquarters and police officers and bystanders thought someone inside had fired a gun.

Brelo was the only officer charged because prosecutors said he waited until the pair no longer a threat to fire his final 15 rounds.

Russell, 43, and Williams, 30, were each shot more than 20 times. While prosecutors argued they were alive until Brelo's final salvo, medical examiners for both sides testified that they could not determine the order in which the fatal shots were fired.

Brelo has been on unpaid leave since he was indicted May 30, 2014.

Authorities never learned why Russell didn't stop. He had a criminal record including convictions for receiving stolen property and robbery and had been involved in a previous police pursuit. Williams had convictions for drug-related charges and attempted abduction. Both were described as mentally ill, homeless and addicted to drugs. A crack pipe was found in the car.

In addition to the charges against Brelo, a grand jury charged five police supervisors with misdemeanor dereliction of duty for failing to control the chase. All five have pleaded not guilty and no trial date has been set.

The shooting helped prompt a months-long investigation by the Department of Justice, which concluded last December that the Cleveland police department had engaged in a pattern and practice of using excessive force and violating people's civil rights. The city and DOJ are currently negotiating a reform-minded consent decree that a federal judge will approve and independent monitors will oversee.

Two years after the deaths of Russell and Williams, a white officer fatally shot Rice, the 12-year-old, in a Cleveland park after police received a report of a man with a gun. Surveillance video showed the officer firing on Rice within two seconds of his patrol car skidding to a stop next to him.

____

Associated Press writers Andrew Welsh-Huggins and John Coyne contributed to this report.


Ohio patrolman acquitted in 2 shooting deaths

Michael Brelo was found not guilty in the deaths of two unarmed suspects amid a 137-shot barrage.
Could face lesser charges

BAGHDAD/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Shi'ite Muslim militiamen and Iraqi army forces launched a counter-offensive against Islamic State insurgents near Ramadi on Saturday, a militia spokesman said, aiming to reverse potentially devastating gains by the jihadi militants.

The fall of Ramadi, the Anbar provincial capital, to Islamic State on May 17 could be a shattering blow to Baghdad's weak central government. The Sunni Muslim jihadis now control most of Anbar and could threaten the western approaches to Baghdad, or even surge south into Iraq's Shi’ite heartland.

Anbar provincial council member Azzal Obaid said hundreds of Shi'ite fighters, who had assembled last week at the Habbaniya air base, moved into Khalidiya on Saturday and were nearing Siddiqiya and Madiq, towns in contested territory near Ramadi.

Two police officers later told Reuters the pro-government forces, which they said included locally allied Sunni tribesmen, had advanced past those towns to within one kilometer of Husaiba al-Sharqiya, an Islamic State-run town 7 kilometers (4 miles) east of the Ramadi city limits.

One officer said the Shi'ite-led forces exchanged fire with Islamic State but there was no immediate word on casualties.

Jaffar Husseini, spokesman for Shi'ite paramilitary group Kataib Hezbollah, said more than 2,000 reinforcements had joined the pro-government advance and they had managed to secure Khalidiya and the road linking it to Habbaniya.

"Today will witness the launch of some tactical operations that pave the way to the eventual liberation of Ramadi," he told Reuters by telephone.

At the same time, Islamic State units have been pushing toward Fallujah to try to absorb more territory between it and Ramadi that would bring them closer to Baghdad, the Iraqi capital, around 80 km (50 miles) to the east.

Islamic State has controlled Fallujah for more than a year.

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Ramadi residents who fled their homes as the Islamic State (IS) took over the city, travel to Baghda …

Ramadi's loss is the most serious setback for Iraqi forces in almost a year and has cast doubt on the effectiveness of the U.S. strategy of air strikes to help Baghdad roll back Islamic State, which now holds a third each of Iraq and adjacent Syria.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, a Shi'ite, sent Shi'ite paramilitary groups out to Anbar to try to retake Ramadi despite the risk of inflaming tensions with the province's aggrieved, predominantly Sunni population.

But he had little choice given the poor morale and cohesion within government security forces.

A U.N. spokesman said on Friday that some 55,000 people have fled Ramadi since it was stormed by Islamic State earlier this month, with most taking refuge in other parts of Anbar, a vast desert province that borders on Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

ISLAMIC STATE FLAG AT PALMYRA CITADEL

In Syria, Islamic State fighters raised their flag over an ancient citadel in the historic city of Palmyra, pictures posted online overnight by the group's supporters showed.

The militants seized Palmyra, known as Tadmur in Arabic and strategically significant with nearby natural gas fields and roads leading southwest to Damascus, on Wednesday after days of heavy fighting with the Syrian army.

"Tadmur citadel under the control of the caliphate," read a caption on one picture posted on social media sites. In another, a smiling fighter is shown carrying the group's black flag and standing on one of the citadel's walls.

It was not possible to verify the images' authenticity.

U.S.-led coalition forces have conducted a further 22 air strikes on Islamic State positions in Iraq and Syria since Friday, including near Ramadi and Palmyra, the U.S. military said.

Palmyra is home to a UNESCO World Heritage site, and Syria's antiquities chief has said the insurgents would destroy its 2,000-year-old ruins, including well-preserved Roman temples, colonnades and a theater, if they took control of them. While hundreds of statues have been taken to safe locations, there are fears for larger monuments that cannot be moved.

Islamic State destroyed ancient monuments and antiquities they see as idolatrous in areas of Iraq they captured last year.

Supporters have also posted videos they say show the group's fighters going room to room in government buildings in Palmyra searching for government troops and pulling down pictures of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his father.

Some activists have said more than 200 Syrian soldiers died in the battle for the city in the center of Syria.

(Reporting by Baghdad Bureau, Mariam Karouny in Beirut; and Tom Miles in Geneva; Writing by Stephen Kalin; Editing by Mark Heinrich)



Shi'ite militias ready to take on IS in Ramadi

The Shi'ite Muslim militia and Iraqi army forces are launching a counter-offensive to reverse stunning gains by the jihadis.
U.S. strikes

Jyachhen Ka-nying Lama Gumba in Duwachaur VDC, Sindhupalchok. Photographer: Post Photo: Anup Ojha

KATHMANDU, MAY 22 - An estimated 200 Buddhist nuns and monks died after more than 1,000 monasteries collapsed in the 14 districts hit hardest by the earthquake s, according to the Buddhist Philosophy Promotion and Monastery Development Committee (BPPMDC).

The committee, under the Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development, said that all 215monasteries in Sindhupalchok district were flattened by the April 25 earthquake and its aftershocks. Six monks have been reported dead in the district so far.

A total of 150 Buddhist monasteries collapsed in Gorkha, 105 in Dhading, 60 in Rasuwa and 60 in Solukhumbu. There are reports of them destroyed in Nuwakot, Dolakha, Ramechhap, Okhaldhunga, Makwanpur, Lamjung and Syangja as well. “What we have is a preliminary report of damages caused by the quake,” said Bhadra Bahadur Golay, under-secretary at the BPPMDC.

The devastating earthquake has destroyed many well-known monasteries including Seto Gumba in Ramkot; Rato Gumba in Sitapaila; Khumchey Gumba in Gorkha; Chrighyang Gumba in Dolakha and Chirite Gumba in Sindhupalchok.

Karma Tsering Tashi Lama, president of the BPPMDC who recently visited many of theearthquake -affected areas in Sindhupalchok and Rasuwa with an inspection team, said he did not see a monastery that stands straight. “The monasteries we visited had either fallen or were on the verge of collapse,” said Lama. “Of those that remain, there is eerie silence.”

With the collapse of monasteries along with their houses in the area, most Buddhist disciples said they feel helpless. “If only the monastery had remained, people would have gone to pray for the departed souls,” said Udar Man Tamang, 37, of Baskharka Village Development Committee. All the eight monasteries in the VDCs have been destroyed by the quake. “People here have nowhere to go,” he said.

The Buddhist committee said it has deployed teams to the districts for a survey of themonasteries . The teams have been collecting the details of destruction in coordination with the local authorities.

“Since monasteries are often built on hilltops, landslide has cut off the way for rescue,” said Lama.

A total of 2,200 monasteries have been registered with the committee but officials say there are about 5,000 in the country.

“The death toll could rise as we have been collecting data only from the registeredmonasteries ,” said Lama.

Fallen monasteries

- 150 in Gorkha, 105 in Dhading, 60 in Rasuwa and 60 in Solukhumbu

- Seto Gumba in Ramkot, Rato Gumba in Sitapaila, Khumchey Gumba in Gorkha, Chrighyang Gumba in Dolakha and Chirite Gumba in Sindhupalchok now in ruins

- Damages yet to be known in Nuwakot, Dolakha, Ramechhap, Okhaldhunga, Makwanpur, Lamjung and Syangja

- Since monasteries are often built on hilltops, landslide has cut off the way for rescue

- 2,200 monasteries registered with the committee

- Officials say there are about 5,000 in the country