Iraqi Militants Threaten Move on Baghdad
Islamist Sunni militants are threatening to advance on Iraq’s capital after seizing several other key cities in a blow to the country’s Shi’ite-led government.
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
A spokesman for the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), and al-Qaida offshoot, said in a message posted Thursday that the militants also want to take the city of Karbala, which is home to one of the holiest sites for Shi’ite Muslims.
Kurdish forces control Kirkuk
In another development, officials said Kurdish forces have taken control of the disputed northern city of Kirkuk. The city is in an area Kurds want to incorporate into their autonomous region, against the wishes of the central government.
“The whole of Kirkuk has fallen into the hands of peshmerga,” said Jabbar Yawar, a spokesman, referring to the Kurdish forces. “No Iraqi army remains in Kirkuk now.”
The U.N. Security Council is set to discuss the situation in Iraq during a session Thursday. Ahead of the meeting, it issued a statement strongly criticizing the ISIL militants for their attack on Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city, which they seized earlier this week.
The members said “no act of violence or terrorism” can reverse Iraq’s path toward peace and democracy.
US considers options
The United States is also weighing how to help Iraq counter the surge by the militants who now control Mosul, Tikrit and Fallujah.
U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said one in a range of options under consideration is whether to send drones to Iraq.
White House Deputy Press Secretary Josh Earnest said the U.S. will continue giving Iraq “all appropriate assistance” to fight the al-Qaida offshoot ISIL, but did not give details of specific aid.
State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki also declined to give specifics, but said the U.S. is working with Iraqi leaders on a coordinated response. She also highlighted expedited shipments of military equipment to Iraq earlier this year, as well as increased training of Iraqi security forces.
Russia Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Thursday Russia is concerned about unrest in Iraq that threatens the country’s territorial integrity, Russian news agencies quoted Lavrov as saying, as reported by Reuters.
“We are concerned about what’s happening in Iraq,” Lavrov said, according to Interfax news agency. “The (territorial) integrity of Iraq is in question.”
Maliki urges residents to retake Mosul
Iraq’s Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and Ninevah Provincial Governor Athil Nujeifi called on residents to fight to retake Mosul.
Maliki blasted Iraqi military officials who deserted their posts and fled Mosul, claiming in a speech Wednesday that they were part of a plot.
ISIL said in a statement it was now advancing on Baghdad.
The International Organization for Migration said the fighting there caused 500,000 people to flee their homes.
Iraq is dealing with its worst violence since 2008, with the U.N. saying that about 4,500 people have been killed this year. More than 900 of the deaths came last month.
(VOA)
