Militants battle Iraq forces, US-Iran talks broached
18 Jun 2014 4:05 AM IST
Militants and security forces battled for control of a strategic Shiite town in north Iraq on Monday, sparking ‘chaos’ and a mass exodus as Washington and Tehran mooted a landmark meeting over the crisis.
The assault on the town of Tal Afar, which lies along a critical corridor to war-torn Syria, was the latest in a week-long militant offensive that has spurred the American and Australian embassies to begin evacuating some staff.
Militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) jihadist group are also said to have killed scores of Iraqi soldiers as they pushed an advance on the capital, including in a ‘horrifying’ massacre that has drawn international condemnation. Fighters have entered and taken control of several neighbourhoods of Tal Afar, a Shiite Turkman-majority town in Nineveh province, according to officials and residents on Monday.
Abdulal Abbas, the local official responsible for the town and surrounding area, said Tal Afar was dealing with ‘martyrs, wounded, chaos and refugees,’ and that around 200,000 people -- nearly half the area’s population -- had fled.
The town, which lies near the Syrian border in otherwise Sunni Arab and Kurdish-dominated Nineveh province, had briefly held off a militant offensive that saw fighters led by ISIL take control of vast swathes of territory north of Baghdad in a matter of days. Militants also took control of the Al-Adhim area, in Diyala province, north of Baghdad, on Saturday. The sweeping unrest has prompted a partial diplomatic evacuation from Baghdad, confirmed thus far by the United States and Australia. Washington also announced that its sprawling embassy -- which sits in Baghdad’s heavily-fortified Green Zone -- would receive even more security.
State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said some embassy staff would be ‘temporarily relocated’ to US consulates in the southern port city of Basra, and the northern Kurdish regional capital of Arbil, both of which have been insulated from the latest unrest. Others would be flown to the US embassy in Amman, Psaki said, citing ‘ongoing instability’.
The Iraqi government insists it is making progress in retaking territory from militants, who currently hold most or parts of four provinces north of Baghdad.
It said on Sunday that security forces had killed 279 militants and soldiers have recaptured towns north of Baghdad. As troops begin to push back against militants, evidence of brutal violence against soldiers has emerged. The US condemned a massacre in which ISIL militants appear to have killed scores of soldiers around the conflict-hit city of Tikrit, while the burned bodies of 12 policemen were also found in the town of Ishaqi.
Photos posted online were said to show jihadists summarily executing dozens of captured members of the security forces in Salaheddin province, of which Tikrit is the capital, with tweets attributed to ISIL claiming they had killed 1,700 in all. The photos and the claims could not be verified. ‘The claim ... is horrifying and a true depiction of the bloodlust that these terrorists represent,’ Psaki said.
46 Indians stuck in Tikrit, 40 in Mosul
In the city of Tikrit, where Iraq’s security forces are engaged in a fight with Sunni militants, 46 Indians are said to be trapped, according to sources. Besides Tikrit, there are about another 40 Indians stuck in the city of Mosul, which is currently under the control of ISIS militants. Government agencies have seized to exist in these cities. The two closest airports are Baghdad and Erbil, in the semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan.
Meanwhile, in a travel advisory, the Ministry of External Affairs says that ‘in view of the precarious situation prevailing in Iraq, Indian nationals are advised to avoid all travel until further notification.’
The advisory also added that Indian nationals in Iraq may consider leaving the country by commercial means if it is safe to do so.
According to the advisory, nationals living in areas affected by the ongoing armed conflict have been advised to stay indoors and to remain in contact with the Indian embassy in Baghdad for necessary advice.
A 24- hour helpline has been setup for Indian for advice and assistance in Iraq. Helpline numbers: +964 770 444 4899, +964 770 484 3247’.
The assault on the town of Tal Afar, which lies along a critical corridor to war-torn Syria, was the latest in a week-long militant offensive that has spurred the American and Australian embassies to begin evacuating some staff.
Militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) jihadist group are also said to have killed scores of Iraqi soldiers as they pushed an advance on the capital, including in a ‘horrifying’ massacre that has drawn international condemnation. Fighters have entered and taken control of several neighbourhoods of Tal Afar, a Shiite Turkman-majority town in Nineveh province, according to officials and residents on Monday.
Abdulal Abbas, the local official responsible for the town and surrounding area, said Tal Afar was dealing with ‘martyrs, wounded, chaos and refugees,’ and that around 200,000 people -- nearly half the area’s population -- had fled.
The town, which lies near the Syrian border in otherwise Sunni Arab and Kurdish-dominated Nineveh province, had briefly held off a militant offensive that saw fighters led by ISIL take control of vast swathes of territory north of Baghdad in a matter of days. Militants also took control of the Al-Adhim area, in Diyala province, north of Baghdad, on Saturday. The sweeping unrest has prompted a partial diplomatic evacuation from Baghdad, confirmed thus far by the United States and Australia. Washington also announced that its sprawling embassy -- which sits in Baghdad’s heavily-fortified Green Zone -- would receive even more security.
State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said some embassy staff would be ‘temporarily relocated’ to US consulates in the southern port city of Basra, and the northern Kurdish regional capital of Arbil, both of which have been insulated from the latest unrest. Others would be flown to the US embassy in Amman, Psaki said, citing ‘ongoing instability’.
The Iraqi government insists it is making progress in retaking territory from militants, who currently hold most or parts of four provinces north of Baghdad.
It said on Sunday that security forces had killed 279 militants and soldiers have recaptured towns north of Baghdad. As troops begin to push back against militants, evidence of brutal violence against soldiers has emerged. The US condemned a massacre in which ISIL militants appear to have killed scores of soldiers around the conflict-hit city of Tikrit, while the burned bodies of 12 policemen were also found in the town of Ishaqi.
Photos posted online were said to show jihadists summarily executing dozens of captured members of the security forces in Salaheddin province, of which Tikrit is the capital, with tweets attributed to ISIL claiming they had killed 1,700 in all. The photos and the claims could not be verified. ‘The claim ... is horrifying and a true depiction of the bloodlust that these terrorists represent,’ Psaki said.
46 Indians stuck in Tikrit, 40 in Mosul
In the city of Tikrit, where Iraq’s security forces are engaged in a fight with Sunni militants, 46 Indians are said to be trapped, according to sources. Besides Tikrit, there are about another 40 Indians stuck in the city of Mosul, which is currently under the control of ISIS militants. Government agencies have seized to exist in these cities. The two closest airports are Baghdad and Erbil, in the semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan.
Meanwhile, in a travel advisory, the Ministry of External Affairs says that ‘in view of the precarious situation prevailing in Iraq, Indian nationals are advised to avoid all travel until further notification.’
The advisory also added that Indian nationals in Iraq may consider leaving the country by commercial means if it is safe to do so.
According to the advisory, nationals living in areas affected by the ongoing armed conflict have been advised to stay indoors and to remain in contact with the Indian embassy in Baghdad for necessary advice.
A 24- hour helpline has been setup for Indian for advice and assistance in Iraq. Helpline numbers: +964 770 444 4899, +964 770 484 3247’.
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