Iraqi PM calls for emergency as militants seize Mosul
Iraqi soldiers gather as their unit is shipped north from the central Shiite Muslim shrine city of Najaf to Mosul following the increased violence, on June 8, 2014. Photo - AFPIraq\’s prime minister has asked parliament to declare a state of emergency over a militant attack in Mosul.
Overnight, hundreds of men armed with rocket-propelled grenades, sniper rifles and machine-guns seized the provincial government\’s offices.
They also destroyed several police stations before overrunning the airport and army\’s operations headquarters.
Meanwhile, a double bomb attack in Baquba has killed at least 20 people.
The blasts, targeting a funeral procession in the capital of Diyala province, about 60km (37 miles) north of Baghdad, also wounded 28 people.
In the past week, the jihadist Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) and its allies have carried out major attacks on cities and towns in western and northern Iraq, killing scores of people.
On Tuesday, several residents told the Associated Press that black flags associated with jihadist groups were flying from buildings and that the militants had announced over loudspeaker that they had "come to liberate Mosul and would fight only those who attack them".
"The situation is chaotic inside the city and there is nobody to help us," said Umm Karam, a government employee. "We are afraid."
Many police stations are reported to have been set on fire – local TV stations showed pictures of plumes of smoke rising over the city – and hundreds of detainees set free.
An interior ministry official admitted that police and soldiers had fled after removing their uniforms, telling the AFP news agency: "The city of Mosul is outside the control of the state and at the mercy of the militants."
Meanwhile, the Turkish consulate in Mosul confirmed reports that 28 Turkish lorry drivers had been abducted by militants in Nineveh.
Iraqi security forces have struggled to stop militants from making gains in several parts of the country. Earlier this year, insurgents seized the city of Fallujah.
The country is dealing with its worst violence since 2008, with U.N. figures showing violence killing about 4,500 people this year. More than 900 of the deaths came last month.
Source- Agencies
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