海角大神

Iraq's army聽sent tanks and armored vehicles to try to dislodge insurgents from the northern city of聽Tikrit聽on Sunday, the second day of a pushback against a Sunni militant takeover of large stretches of聽Iraq.

The hardline Sunni group leading the insurgency, until Sunday known as the Islamic State in聽Iraq and the Levant聽(ISIS), declared itself a "caliphate" on Sunday and called on factions worldwide to pledge their allegiance 鈥� a move analysts saw as a direct challenge to al Qaeda, which disowned ISIS in February, and to Gulf Arab rulers.

滨苍听Baghdad, which is threatened by the rebel advance, top Shi'ite, Sunni, and Kurdish lawmakers scrambled to agree cabinet nominations before parliament meets on Tuesday to try to prevent the rebel advance jeopardizing聽Iraq's future as a unitary state.

They are racing against time as ISIS, which loathes Prime Minister聽Nuri al-Maliki's Shi'ite-led government, consolidates its grip on the north and west. Maliki's political future after eight years in power will be the most contentious issue.

Troops backed by helicopter gunships began an assault on聽Tikrit, the birthplace of former President聽Saddam Hussein, on Saturday, to try to take it back from insurgents who have swept to within driving range of聽Baghdad.

The聽army聽sent in tanks and helicopters to battle ISIS militants near the聽University of聽Tikrit聽in the city's north on Sunday, security sources said. Two witnesses said they saw a helicopter gunned down over northern聽Tikrit, reports not possible to immediately verify independently.

The offensive was the first major attempt by the聽army聽to retake territory after the聽United Statessent up to 300 advisers, mostly special forces, and drones to help the government take on ISIS.

Earlier on Sunday, Deputy Prime Minister for Energy Hussain al-Shahristani, one of聽Iraq's most senior politicians, faulted the US for not doing enough to bolster the country's military, just hours after聽Russia聽delivered five Sukhoi jets.

"Yes, there has been a delay from the Americans in handing over contracted arms. We told them, 'You once did an air bridge to send arms to your ally聽Israel, so why don't you give us the contracted arms in time?'" he told al-Hurra television.

US officials have disputed similar statements from Iraqi officials in the past and say they have done everything possible to ensure the country is equipped with modern weaponry.

The five Russian Sukhoi jets were delivered to聽Baghdad聽late on Saturday. State television said they "would be used in the coming days to strike ISIS terrorist groups".

A Reuters photographer saw the jets unloaded from a transport plane at a military airport inBaghdad聽as Russian and Iraqi soldiers stood on the tarmac.聽Iraq聽has relied largely on helicopters to counter militants and has few aircraft that can fire advanced missiles.

Fighting takes its toll

Iraqi聽army聽spokesman聽Qassim Atta聽told reporters in聽Baghdad聽security forces had killed 142 "terrorists" over the last 24 hours across聽Iraq, including 70 in聽Tikrit, and said the armed forces were in control of聽Tikrit's university. Both claims were impossible to immediately verify.

"Our security forces have taken complete control of the聽University of聽Tikrit聽and they have raised the Iraqi flag on top of the building," Atta said.

Iran has also supported聽Iraq's government聽against the onslaught. An Iranian general said on Sunday his country was ready to help聽Iraq聽fight the revolt using the same methods it deployed against rebels in聽Syria.

"With聽Syria, too, we announced we would not allow terrorists in the hire of foreign intelligence services to rule and dictate to Syrian people. We will certainly have the same approach with聽Iraq," Brigadier General聽Massoud Jazayeri, deputy joint chief of staff of the armed forces and a senior Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps officer, told Iran's al Alam television.

On Sunday, intermittent clashes broke out from the early morning between militants and government forces in the northeastern outskirts of the town of聽Jurf al-Sakhar, 53 miles(83 km) south of聽Baghdad.

The local government and security commanders have asked for backup from聽Baghdad聽to face what they estimate are several hundred ISIS fighters, police sources and the province's governor said.

ISIS declares caliphate聽

In a statement distributed on Islamist forums, ISIS, also known as ISIL, said it was renaming itself "Islamic State" and proclaiming its leader聽Abu Bakr al-Baghadi聽"caliph" of the territory it has seized in聽Iraq聽and聽Syria.

"He is the imam and khalifah (caliph) for the Muslims everywhere," the group's spokesman聽Abu Muhammad al-Adnani聽said in the statement, which was translated into several languages and an Arabic audio speech.

ISIS and allied militias have seized funds, equipment and control of border posts, oilfields and swathes of territory including聽northern Iraq's largest city聽Mosul聽throughout its nearly three-week-old offensive.

ISIS has long vowed to re-create a medieval-style caliphate erasing borders from theMediterranean聽to the Gulf and they deem all Shi'ites to be heretics deserving death.

滨苍听Syria, ISIS fighters crucified eight men in the northern聽Aleppo聽province, a monitoring group said. ISIS accused them of being "Sahwa" fighters, a term it uses for rival fighters it says are controlled by Western powers.

The men were crucified in the town聽square of Deir Hafer聽in eastern聽Aleppo聽and would be left there for three days, the Britain-based聽Syrian Observatory聽for Human Rights said.

Iraq's parliament under pressure

Politicians are under pressure to speed up the normally sluggish process of selecting a new government to face the crisis. A parliament elected in April is due to assemble on Tuesday to begin the process.

In a statement on Sunday, the聽United Nations mission in Iraq聽urged all representatives to attend the session on Tuesday and move forward with selecting a new government.

"Faced with a national crisis, the political leaders of聽Iraq聽should put the interests of the country and its people before everything else," Special Representative of the U.N. Secretary-General for聽Iraq聽Nickolay Mladenov said in the statement.

But the 21-seat bloc of former prime minister聽Iyad Allawi, a secular Shi'ite, said it would skip the session, arguing more time was needed to avoid the previous government's mistakes.

Politicians from the聽National Alliance, parliament's biggest bloc, said they would join the session and seek to follow the timetable for the formation, but were tight-lipped about who they would back for prime minister. A senior member of the聽Patriotic Union of Kurdistan,聽Adnan Mufti, said it would attend.聽