海角大神

A daily roundup of terrorism and security issues

The Iraqi government is scrambling to mount a response to jihadists that are pushing south toward the capital of Baghdad after seizing several cities and towns along the corridor leading there from the north.

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, also known as ISIS, shocked many with its swift capture of Mosul, one of Iraq's largest cities and the de facto capital of northern Iraq. It has gained momentum, taking over the oil town of Baiji and Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit, and possibly towns in between. The New York Times reports that today ISIS fighters are advancing on Samarra, only 70 miles north of Baghdad, although there were some reports that after facing resistance, ISIS bypassed Samarra, according to Agence France-Presse. (The Times maps out cities under partial or complete ISIS control聽here.)

An ISIS representative vowed they would continue on to Baghdad and Karbala, a Shiite holy city further south, AFP reports.

Meanwhile, Kurdistan, not quite an ally of Baghdad but also seeking to halt the ISIS advance, took over the oil city of KIrkuk to prevent it from falling into ISIS hands. Known as the peshmerga, the Kurdish forces are disciplined but bear no allegiance to the Iraqi forces. Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, also a Kurd, said the Kurds would work with Baghdad to 鈥渇lush out these foreign fighters," according to The New York Times.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is trying to convince the parliament to declare a national state of emergency that would allow him to take steps such as imposing a curfew and limiting public movement, but AFP reports that the parliament failed to reach a quorum today.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the United States thought the Iraqi security forces were capable of holding off ISIS. Instead, many soldiers just abandoned their post in the face of the fierce but smaller jihadist forces. The Guardian reports:

Bloomberg Businessweek reports that Iraq seems to have scrambled its limited air force, attacking ISIS forces in Tikrit and Mosul. It has also indicated an openness to US airstrikes, the Wall Street Journal reports. The US has only said it is considering a range of options for assistance.聽

The New York Times reports that Mr. Maliki quietly requested the US to consider airstrikes against "extremist staging areas" last month and that the US rejected the request.

The Wall Street Journal reports that other countries still seem to expect that the US will step in whenever there is a crisis: