Brit Jihadi Film Leaves Family 'Heartbroken'

Faith Lost In Iraq PM Amid Political Limbo

Updated: 5:46pm UK, Friday 20 June 2014

By Sam Kiley, Foreign Affairs Editor, in Baghdad

The US President, Shia politicians, Sunni chieftans and none other than the Grand Ayatollah Ali al Sistani has joined the clamour for Iraq's Prime Minister to move fast and form a government.

The nation has languished since elections on April 30 in a political limbo that arguably undermined faith in the central government, even among the Shia-dominated armed forces.

That might, partly, explain their rapid collapse in the face of far fewer forces from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) plus their allies.

But now that Iraq's supreme court has ratified the results of the elections what possible reason could Nouri al Maliki have for delay?

One explanation may simply be political.

His stewardship over previous years has entrenched sectarian divisions and seen an explosion in corruption.

His party bloc won 92 of the 328 seats in Iraq's parliament and he'll need 165 to form a coalition administration.

He, therefore, has to get involved in some serious horse trading with other Shia parties to build his coalition.

But they are now losing faith in him. Particularly in his apparent refusal to reach out to Sunni parties and offer them stakes in the central government - such as a security portfolio and a ministry which would give them access to patronage systems such as an education or public works - so that they feel both secure and that they have an investment in the future political structures.

A more conspiratorial thesis, fuelled by the conspiratorial utterances of lame duck ministers left over from the previous administration, is that Iraq's latest travails are the fault of external forces.

Jordan, Saudi Arabia (both Sunni countries), the US and others are being blamed for manipulating the Middle East and somehow creating ISIS.

There is evidence of Saudi individual, and possible state funding, for extremist militant groups in Syria, which may include ISIS.

And Jordan has played a significant role in trying to boost the fortunes of the non-extremist Free Syrian Army.

But Mr al Maliki may have calculated that he can either weather the latest storm - or let ISIS form an impoverished caliphate in the desert north of his country which would leave the Shia with Baghdad and the south.

It's the south, after all, that holds the lion's share of the world's second largest oil reserves.

It can ship its oil out through the Gulf, via Kuwait, or via Iran.

A Shia state or semi-state would not only be self-sufficient - it would be spared the burden of sharing Iraq's spoils with other sectarian groups like the Sunni and the Kurds (who already have their own autonomy and oil industry).

Such a move, or allowing events to drift to this reality, would place the south of Iraq firmly inside Iran's imperial embrace.

That is not something that Saudi Arabia would be able to tolerate in the long term as it vies with Iran for influence in the Middle East.

Nor is it anything that a rump Sunni 'caliphate' would be able to live with - the extremists within it would forever plot how to steal it back by force.

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Iraq Militants Take Border Post In Bloody Battle

Faith Lost In Iraq PM Amid Political Limbo

Updated: 5:46pm UK, Friday 20 June 2014

By Sam Kiley, Foreign Affairs Editor, in Baghdad

The US President, Shia politicians, Sunni chieftans and none other than the Grand Ayatollah Ali al Sistani has joined the clamour for Iraq's Prime Minister to move fast and form a government.

The nation has languished since elections on April 30 in a political limbo that arguably undermined faith in the central government, even among the Shia-dominated armed forces.

That might, partly, explain their rapid collapse in the face of far fewer forces from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) plus their allies.

But now that Iraq's supreme court has ratified the results of the elections what possible reason could Nouri al Maliki have for delay?

One explanation may simply be political.

His stewardship over previous years has entrenched sectarian divisions and seen an explosion in corruption.

His party bloc won 92 of the 328 seats in Iraq's parliament and he'll need 165 to form a coalition administration.

He, therefore, has to get involved in some serious horse trading with other Shia parties to build his coalition.

But they are now losing faith in him. Particularly in his apparent refusal to reach out to Sunni parties and offer them stakes in the central government - such as a security portfolio and a ministry which would give them access to patronage systems such as an education or public works - so that they feel both secure and that they have an investment in the future political structures.

A more conspiratorial thesis, fuelled by the conspiratorial utterances of lame duck ministers left over from the previous administration, is that Iraq's latest travails are the fault of external forces.

Jordan, Saudi Arabia (both Sunni countries), the US and others are being blamed for manipulating the Middle East and somehow creating ISIS.

There is evidence of Saudi individual, and possible state funding, for extremist militant groups in Syria, which may include ISIS.

And Jordan has played a significant role in trying to boost the fortunes of the non-extremist Free Syrian Army.

But Mr al Maliki may have calculated that he can either weather the latest storm - or let ISIS form an impoverished caliphate in the desert north of his country which would leave the Shia with Baghdad and the south.

It's the south, after all, that holds the lion's share of the world's second largest oil reserves.

It can ship its oil out through the Gulf, via Kuwait, or via Iran.

A Shia state or semi-state would not only be self-sufficient - it would be spared the burden of sharing Iraq's spoils with other sectarian groups like the Sunni and the Kurds (who already have their own autonomy and oil industry).

Such a move, or allowing events to drift to this reality, would place the south of Iraq firmly inside Iran's imperial embrace.

That is not something that Saudi Arabia would be able to tolerate in the long term as it vies with Iran for influence in the Middle East.

Nor is it anything that a rump Sunni 'caliphate' would be able to live with - the extremists within it would forever plot how to steal it back by force.

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Ukraine: Russian Forces On 'Full Combat Alert'

Kremlin Rejects Ukraine Ceasefire 'Ultimatum'

Updated: 10:49pm UK, Friday 20 June 2014

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has declared a week-long ceasefire in the fight against pro-Russian separatists in the east of the country.

But the Kremlin dismissed the move as an ultimatum, as the US said it had evidence Moscow was stockpiling tanks and artillery close to the border with its neighbour, which could be supplied to rebel fighters.

Mr Poroschenko said the declaration of a ceasefire would allow him to formally launch a peace plan for the region, which has been blighted by deadly violence.

He has said it will include amnesty for pro-Russia fighters who have not committed serious crimes, a corridor for fighters from Russia to leave the country, joint security patrols, early local and parliamentary elections, and protections for the use of the Russian language.

But he warned government forces would defend themselves if they came under attack from the rebels.

"We will do everything to defend the territory of our state," said Poroshenko during a visit to the troubled Donetsk region.

But in a statement, the Kremlin said: "This is not an invitation to peace and negotiations but an ultimatum to militias in the southeast of Ukraine to lay down their arms."

Foreign Secretary William Hague has urged Russia to support the peace plan and called on pro-Russia separatists to lay down their arms.

Against the backdrop of continuing tensions, the US said it had information of a Russian build-up of military hardware close to the frontier with Ukraine that could be provided to separatists.

Most of the equipment being stockpiled is of the type still used by Ukrainian forces, which an official said left "the impression that the desire here is to mask the Russian hand and allow the separatists to assert ... that this is material that they've captured on the battlefield from Ukrainians".

Washington also said it had evidence Russia had redeployed several thousand troops to the frontier.

The official said some of the forces were "within a handful of kilometres" of Ukrainian territory, "the closest they have been since the invasion of Crimea" earlier this year.

Nato chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen described the build-up as "a very regrettable step backwards."

But the Kremlin said the forces were simply implementing earlier orders of President Vladimir Putin's to "reinforce the protection of the Russian border".

The latest developments in the Cold War-style stand-off came as the US Treasury Department blacklisted seven Ukraine separatists, saying their activities threaten the peace and sovereignty of the country.

The West has warned Moscow of "more costs" if it does not work to de-escalate the situation.

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Claim Of 400 ISIS Brits In Iraq Rejected

By Sarah Hajibagheri, Sky News

An American film-maker who has been on the frontline with British fighters in Syria has rejected claims they pose a threat to the UK as "scaremongering".

Bilal Abdul Kareem, who has worked extensively alongside Western jihadi fighters, also said that unlike in Syria, he knows of very few Britons fighting in Iraq.

Speaking to Sky News from Doha, he said: "I have been in contact with the British fighters as recently as this morning, and there may be one, maybe two that have gone out to Iraq - but why would they go to Iraq?

"The fight in Syria has not concluded, it's still as hot as it ever was."

He rejected claims made by senior Kurdish intelligence officer Lahoor Talabani that there are 400 Britons fighting in Iraq.

Mr Kareem told Sky News: "It appears that some people are looking for weaponry, they are looking for additional help and support from the West, so therefore they talk about 400 fighters that are currently there - even British intelligence never had an estimate of 400 fighters that have come and gone in total.

"So where did this magical, mystical number of 400, come from? I have my doubts."

An ISIS fighter near the city of Baiji, north of Baghdad

On Wednesday, David Cameron warned of the threat to the UK if an "extreme Islamist regime" is created in central Iraq.

The Prime Minister said Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) fighters threatening the government in Baghdad were also plotting terror attacks on the UK - and that Britain could not ignore the security threat from jihadists in Iraq and Syria.

Yet Mr Kareem was cautious of the West intervening in the conflict emerging in Iraq, saying: "Any additional interference from the Americans is going to exasperate the situation."

In December, Sky News gained exclusive access to a battalion of British fighters - not affiliated with ISIS - in Syria.

In a series of wide-ranging and frank interviews, they claimed they had no intention of attacking UK targets.

One of the men, identified as Mustafa, told Sky News: "A lot of Syrian people here feel like we are their protectors and that we have come here to help them, but people from England don't feel like that.

"They simply have an equation in mind, where they see, it's very simple - Muslim man, travels abroad, to a war zone, he's a terrorist - that's the equation."

Downing Street said 65 people have been arrested in the past 18 months for Syria-related jihadist activities.

A spokesman was unable to say how many of those arrested were supporters or members of ISIS.

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Africa 'Must Unite' To Stop Boko Haram Spread

Boko Haram Snatches Young Boys Across Border

Updated: 10:47am UK, Thursday 19 June 2014

By Alex Crawford, Special Correspondent, in Cameroon

The Nigerian-born Islamic militant group Boko Haram is terrorising communities inside neighbouring Cameroon and snatching young boys from across the border and forcing them to join the sect.

We saw abandoned villages and burned-out schools inside Cameroon, despite the presence of hundreds of troops including some of the country's top soldiers from the elite rapid response unit Battalion D'Intervention Rapide (BIR).

The huge 1,243-mile (2,000km) border with Nigeria is mostly unmanned and un-policed, allowing Boko Haram to cross over and mount attacks inside Cameroon with horrifying regularity.

Soldiers from the BIR are desperately trying to stop the spread of Boko Haram in their country.

But the sect, which appears to be trying to create an Islamic fundamentalist belt across West Africa, continues to wreak terror and destruction all along the border.

Nigeria has accused Cameroon of not doing enough and has said Boko Haram fighters and leaders are using the country as a safe haven.

But the country's military leaders insist that is not the case.

Cameroon Defence Ministry spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Badjeck told us: "They are not in Cameroon. Why would we allow that? This is bad for Cameroon.

"We are suffering, too, at the hands of Boko Haram."

He said the country may have reacted slowly to the Boko Haram threat but had reacted as soon as they realised it was growing and encroaching into Cameroon.

There are now hundreds of troops including those from the elite BIR unit, in the north.

The border lines are often difficult to decipher with no markings or obvious difference between the two countries.

In the town of Amchide, the border cuts right through the town with roughly two-thirds of the town under Nigerian control and the remaining third in Cameroon territory.

We were with the elite unit as soldiers patrolled through the town and up to a rope across the road which signalled the end of Cameroon land.

About 100 metres away, some Nigerian soldiers cheerily greeted their counterparts.

There appears to be much more cordial relations on the ground among the foot soldiers than there is between their respective political masters.

In other communities, the villagers told us how Boko Haram militants stormed in during the day, trying to snatch young boys to add to their recruits.

One young lad told us how he was approached by the militants as he worked in the fields.

They at first tried to persuade him to join them. When he refused, the situation turned ugly but somehow he managed to run away.

The eyes of the world are on Syria and Iraq at the moment as the Islamic militants there shock with their brutal attempts to wrestle control of swathes of both countries.

But according to the Cameroon military, the Islamic militants of Boko Haram are fighting a similar terror campaign in West Africa.

The sect is spreading across the northeast of its own country but also spilling over into its neighbours.

Cameroon, with its long, unchecked border, is possibly most vulnerable.

And so far, despite the attempts of even some of its top soldiers, the Boko Haram fighters, far from being defeated, appear to be growing in strength and numbers.

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Iraq: US Special Forces To Help Fight Militants

The US is sending 300 military advisers to help the Iraqi government fight Islamist militants - and Barack Obama has warned airstrikes could follow.

Speaking at the White House, the President said he was prepared to take "targeted" military action but stressed US troops, who withdrew from Iraq in 2011 after eight years, would not return to combat in the country.

The announcement came as Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants seized one of Saddam Hussein's chemical weapons factories.

Burnt out Iraqi security force vehicles in Mosul, where ISIS have control

"We are aware that the ISIL (ISIS) has occupied the Al Muthanna complex," state department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement.

However, she said she did not believe the group would be able to produce usable chemical weapons there, because any materials remaining are old and unwieldy.

The US contingent being sent to Iraq will be made up of special forces and will staff joint operations centres for intelligence sharing and planning, officials said.

USGS/NASA image of smoke billowing from the Baiji oil refinery

"American forces will not be returning to combat in Iraq but we will help Iraqis as they take the fight to terrorists who threaten the Iraqi people, the region and American interests as well," Mr Obama said.

The President said he was sending Secretary of State John Kerry to the Middle East and Europe at the weekend for talks with US allies and partners on ways to stabilise the region.

A US official added Mr Kerry was "expected to go Iraq soon" to meet Iraqi officials, but did not specify a date.

Clashes continue at Baiji, the country's largest refinery

Mr Obama stressed Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki needed to take urgent steps to heal Iraq's sectarian rift, but stopped short of calling for him to go, saying: "It's not our job to choose Iraq's leaders."

"Above all, Iraqi leaders must rise above their differences and come together around a political plan for Iraq's future," he said.

Leading US politicians have joined calls for Mr Maliki to quit as a condition for US help.

Shia fighters from the Mehdi Army at a military-style training in Najaf

Sunni tribal chief Sheik Ali Hatem al Suleiman, the emir of the Sunni Dulaim tribe from Anbar province, said Mr Obama could no longer rely on Mr Maliki to deal with the insurgency.

"I think that most of President Obama's speech, but not all of it, was shallow and didn't address the heart of the matter," he said.

"It talked about participation, it talked about a national government, but you can't come to Iraq with a speech that doesn't address the truth of the problem.

US military advisers will be sent into Iraq to help Iraqi forces

"And the real problem in Iraq is al Maliki himself. I don't think Obama's speech addressed the reality of today's Iraq. You can't rely on him. The man has become paralysed."

As Mr Obama announced his most significant response to the Iraqi crisis, the sprawling Baiji refinery, 130 miles (200km) north of the capital near Tikrit, was transformed into a battlefield.

Troops loyal to the Shia-led government held off the ISIS insurgents and their allies who had stormed the perimeter a day earlier, threatening national energy supplies.

New recruits, Shia loyalists, are trained after volunteering in Baghdad

A government spokesman said at one point on Thursday that Iraqi forces were in "complete control", but a witness in Baiji said fighting was continuing. 

Two Iraqi helicopters tried to land in the refinery but were unable to because of insurgent gunfire, and most of the refinery remained under rebel control, witnesses said.

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Boko Haram Threat Spreads Into Cameroon

By Alex Crawford, Special Correspondent, in Cameroon

The Nigerian-born Islamic militant group Boko Haram is terrorising communities inside neighbouring Cameroon and snatching young boys from across the border and forcing them to join the sect.

We saw abandoned villages and burned-out schools inside Cameroon, despite the presence of hundreds of troops including some of the country's top soldiers from the elite rapid response unit Battalion D'Intervention Rapide (BIR).

The huge 1,243-mile (2,000km) border with Nigeria is mostly unmanned and un-policed, allowing Boko Haram to cross over and mount attacks inside Cameroon with horrifying regularity.

Soldiers from the BIR are desperately trying to stop the spread of Boko Haram in their country.

But the sect, which appears to be trying to create an Islamic fundamentalist belt across West Africa, continues to wreak terror and destruction all along the border.

Nigeria has accused Cameroon of not doing enough and has said Boko Haram fighters and leaders are using the country as a safe haven.

Boko Haram militants have hit border communities in Cameroon

But the country's military leaders insist that is not the case.

Cameroon Defence Ministry spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Badjeck told us: "They are not in Cameroon. Why would we allow that? This is bad for Cameroon.

"We are suffering too at the hands of Boko Haram."

He said the country may have reacted slowly to the Boko Haram threat but had reacted as soon as they realised it was growing and encroaching into Cameroon.

There are now hundreds of troops including those from the elite BIR unit, up to the north.

The border lines are often difficult to decipher with no markings or obvious difference between the two countries.

In the town of Amchide, the border cuts right through the town with roughly two-thirds of the town under Nigerian control and the remaining third in Cameroon territory.

We were with the elite unit as soldiers patrolled through the town and up to a rope across the road which signalled the end of Cameroon land.

About 100 metres away, some Nigerian soldiers cheerily greeted their counterparts.

Alex Crawford is with the elite Cameroon unit BIR as it fights extremists

There appears to be much more cordial relations on the ground amongst the foot soldiers than there is between their respective political masters.

In other communities, the villagers told us how Boko Haram militants stormed in during the day, trying to snatch young boys to add to their recruits.

One young lad told us how he was approached by the militants as he worked in the fields.

They at first tried to persuade him to join them. When he refused, the situation turned ugly but somehow he managed to run away.

The eyes of the world are on Syria and Iraq at the moment as the Islamic militants there shock with their brutal attempts to wrestle control of swathes of both countries.

But according to the Cameroon military, the Islamic militants of Boko Haram are fighting a similar terror campaign in West Africa.

The sect is spreading across the northeast of its own country but also spilling over into its neighbours.

Cameroon, with its long, unchecked border, is possibly most vulnerable.

And so far, despite the attempts of even some of its top soldiers, the Boko Haram fighters, far from being defeated, appear to be growing in strength and numbers.

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British ISIS Militants 'Will Target UK'

Timeline: How The Iraq Crisis Unfolded

Updated: 2:12pm UK, Tuesday 17 June 2014

A look back at the main events in the Iraq crisis, which has seen Sunni insurgents from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terror group move to within 50 miles of the capital Baghdad.

December 2011: US troops complete their withdrawal after the 2003 invasion which led to the removal of Saddam Hussein.

August 2013: More than 70 people are killed in attacks at the end of Ramadan. ISIS claim responsibility.

January 2-4, 2014: ISIS declares itself in control of the western city of Fallujah and parts of Ramadi following clashes sparked by the clearing of a Sunni-Arab protest camp.

February: al Qaeda formally disowns ISIS, which was at one time an affiliate, because of its extreme methods.

April: Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki wins the most seats in a general election.

June 10: ISIS seizes all of Nineveh province in the north, including the capital Mosul - Iraq's second city. Mr Maliki asks parliament to declare a state of emergency.

June 11: The militants launch a wave of attacks further south, taking Tikrit and freeing hundreds of prisoners in Baiji. An assault on Samarra, 70 miles (110km) north of Baghdad, is repelled by security forces.

June 12: Iraq's air force strikes fighters' positions near Mosul and Tikrit.

US President Barack Obama says he is looking at "all the options" to help the government, which fails to secure authorisation for a state of emergency.

The army abandons its bases in Kirkuk, leaving Kurdish Peshmerga troops to take control.

June 13: A top Shia cleric issues a call to arms, telling the population to take up arms and defend their country.

Mr Maliki claims government forces have started to clear cities of "terrorists" and implements an emergency plan to protect Baghdad.

President Obama rules out sending back troops to fight ISIS.

The rebels move into the towns of Saadiyah and Jalawla in eastern province of Diyala.

June 14: Iran offers to work with the US to tackle the crisis, as Britain pledges an initial £3m in emergency aid to help refugees fleeing the violence.

The Iraqi army's fightback continues, with forces retaking the towns of Ishaqi, al-Mutasim and Duluiyah in Salaheddin province.

Troops also regain much of Tikrit, Saddam Hussein's home town.

US aircraft carrier USS George HW Bush is ordered to the Persian Gulf.

June 15: Photos emerge appearing to show an ISIS massacre of 1,700 captured government soldiers. Baghdad says number is exaggerated.

Reports say militants have overrun Tal Afar, the largest town in Nineveh province.

A bombing in central Baghdad leaves 15 people dead and dozens injured.

Former PM Tony Blair tells Sky News that critics who believe the violence is the result of the 2003 invasion are "profoundly mistaken".

June 16: Video footage purporting to show an ISIS fighter questioning and killing unarmed Iraqi soldiers draws condemnation.

ISIS takes control of Tal Afar and the al Adhim area of Diyala province.

US Secretary of State John Kerry says Washington is "open to discussions with Iran".

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Spain: Felipe VI Sworn In As New King Of Spain

Felipe VI has been officially sworn in as the new king of Spain at the country's parliament.

His accession to the throne follows the abdication of his father Juan Carlos.

The retiring monarch handed over to his son at midnight, in the first royal transition in the country since the introduction of democracy with the death of dictator General Franco in 1975.

Felipe VI was formally being sworn in at a low-key ceremony in parliament on Thursday, without the usual pomp and ceremony associated with a royal coronation, in recognition of the hardship still being endured by many Spaniards.

Felipe VI with his wife, Queen Letizia, and their children

The 46-year-old was wearing military uniform with a sash, and took an oath of loyalty to Spain's constitution before giving an address.

"I swear to carry out my duties faithfully, to conserve and ensure the conservation of the Constitution and the law and to respect the rights of the citizens and regions," said the 46-year-old king.

He will later be driven through the streets of central Madrid with his wife, Queen Letizia, a former journalist, along a route decorated with red and yellow flowers - the colours of Spain's flag - before hosting an afternoon reception at the Royal Palace with 2,000 guests from all walks of society.

Felipe's mother, Sofia, during the swearing-in ceremony

His father did not attend the swearing in ceremony so as not to distract attention from the new monarch, according to the palace.

Juan Carlos and his wife Sofia, however, will greet crowds from a balcony at the Royal Palace alongside the new royal couple.

Monarchists hope Felipe becoming king will be will bring in a new era for the troubled royal household.

He has remained untouched by a royal corruption scandal, in which his brother-in-law is charged with embezzling millions of euros of public funds in a case that shocked the public.

The outgoing king lost favour after going on an elephant hunting trip

The outgoing king, credited with helping the country's transition to democracy, also lost favour after going on a secret elephant hunting trip at the height of Spain's recession.

Although polls show the decision to hand over to Felipe has boosted the popularity of the royals, nearly two thirds now also support the idea of a referendum on whether Spain should continue to be a constitutional monarchy.

Security forces are taking no chances and police have carried out house-to-house searches along the route King Felipe will be driven, with 7,000 police and 120 snipers out on the streets.

A Republican rally has been refused authorisation by the Madrid authorities.

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PM Crisis Talks On Threat From ISIS Militants

Timeline: How The Iraq Crisis Unfolded

Updated: 2:12pm UK, Tuesday 17 June 2014

A look back at the main events in the Iraq crisis, which has seen Sunni insurgents from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terror group move to within 50 miles of the capital Baghdad.

December 2011: US troops complete their withdrawal after the 2003 invasion which led to the removal of Saddam Hussein.

August 2013: More than 70 people are killed in attacks at the end of Ramadan. ISIS claim responsibility.

January 2-4, 2014: ISIS declares itself in control of the western city of Fallujah and parts of Ramadi following clashes sparked by the clearing of a Sunni-Arab protest camp.

February: al Qaeda formally disowns ISIS, which was at one time an affiliate, because of its extreme methods.

April: Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki wins the most seats in a general election.

June 10: ISIS seizes all of Nineveh province in the north, including the capital Mosul - Iraq's second city. Mr Maliki asks parliament to declare a state of emergency.

June 11: The militants launch a wave of attacks further south, taking Tikrit and freeing hundreds of prisoners in Baiji. An assault on Samarra, 70 miles (110km) north of Baghdad, is repelled by security forces.

June 12: Iraq's air force strikes fighters' positions near Mosul and Tikrit.

US President Barack Obama says he is looking at "all the options" to help the government, which fails to secure authorisation for a state of emergency.

The army abandons its bases in Kirkuk, leaving Kurdish Peshmerga troops to take control.

June 13: A top Shia cleric issues a call to arms, telling the population to take up arms and defend their country.

Mr Maliki claims government forces have started to clear cities of "terrorists" and implements an emergency plan to protect Baghdad.

President Obama rules out sending back troops to fight ISIS.

The rebels move into the towns of Saadiyah and Jalawla in eastern province of Diyala.

June 14: Iran offers to work with the US to tackle the crisis, as Britain pledges an initial £3m in emergency aid to help refugees fleeing the violence.

The Iraqi army's fightback continues, with forces retaking the towns of Ishaqi, al-Mutasim and Duluiyah in Salaheddin province.

Troops also regain much of Tikrit, Saddam Hussein's home town.

US aircraft carrier USS George HW Bush is ordered to the Persian Gulf.

June 15: Photos emerge appearing to show an ISIS massacre of 1,700 captured government soldiers. Baghdad says number is exaggerated.

Reports say militants have overrun Tal Afar, the largest town in Nineveh province.

A bombing in central Baghdad leaves 15 people dead and dozens injured.

Former PM Tony Blair tells Sky News that critics who believe the violence is the result of the 2003 invasion are "profoundly mistaken".

June 16: Video footage purporting to show an ISIS fighter questioning and killing unarmed Iraqi soldiers draws condemnation.

ISIS takes control of Tal Afar and the al Adhim area of Diyala province.

US Secretary of State John Kerry says Washington is "open to discussions with Iran".

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Kurds Lead Fightback Against ISIS Militants

Timeline: How The Iraq Crisis Unfolded

Updated: 2:12pm UK, Tuesday 17 June 2014

A look back at the main events in the Iraq crisis, which has seen Sunni insurgents from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terror group move to within 50 miles of the capital Baghdad.

December 2011: US troops complete their withdrawal after the 2003 invasion which led to the removal of Saddam Hussein.

August 2013: More than 70 people are killed in attacks at the end of Ramadan. ISIS claim responsibility.

January 2-4, 2014: ISIS declares itself in control of the western city of Fallujah and parts of Ramadi following clashes sparked by the clearing of a Sunni-Arab protest camp.

February: al Qaeda formally disowns ISIS, which was at one time an affiliate, because of its extreme methods.

April: Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki wins the most seats in a general election.

June 10: ISIS seizes all of Nineveh province in the north, including the capital Mosul - Iraq's second city. Mr Maliki asks parliament to declare a state of emergency.

June 11: The militants launch a wave of attacks further south, taking Tikrit and freeing hundreds of prisoners in Baiji. An assault on Samarra, 70 miles (110km) north of Baghdad, is repelled by security forces.

June 12: Iraq's air force strikes fighters' positions near Mosul and Tikrit.

US President Barack Obama says he is looking at "all the options" to help the government, which fails to secure authorisation for a state of emergency.

The army abandons its bases in Kirkuk, leaving Kurdish Peshmerga troops to take control.

June 13: A top Shia cleric issues a call to arms, telling the population to take up arms and defend their country.

Mr Maliki claims government forces have started to clear cities of "terrorists" and implements an emergency plan to protect Baghdad.

President Obama rules out sending back troops to fight ISIS.

The rebels move into the towns of Saadiyah and Jalawla in eastern province of Diyala.

June 14: Iran offers to work with the US to tackle the crisis, as Britain pledges an initial £3m in emergency aid to help refugees fleeing the violence.

The Iraqi army's fightback continues, with forces retaking the towns of Ishaqi, al-Mutasim and Duluiyah in Salaheddin province.

Troops also regain much of Tikrit, Saddam Hussein's home town.

US aircraft carrier USS George HW Bush is ordered to the Persian Gulf.

June 15: Photos emerge appearing to show an ISIS massacre of 1,700 captured government soldiers. Baghdad says number is exaggerated.

Reports say militants have overrun Tal Afar, the largest town in Nineveh province.

A bombing in central Baghdad leaves 15 people dead and dozens injured.

Former PM Tony Blair tells Sky News that critics who believe the violence is the result of the 2003 invasion are "profoundly mistaken".

June 16: Video footage purporting to show an ISIS fighter questioning and killing unarmed Iraqi soldiers draws condemnation.

ISIS takes control of Tal Afar and the al Adhim area of Diyala province.

US Secretary of State John Kerry says Washington is "open to discussions with Iran".

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Explosion At Nigeria World Cup Viewing Centre

At least 21 people have been killed after a suicide bomber targeted football fans at a World Cup screening in northeastern Nigeria.

Witnesses described hearing two blasts at a venue where football fans had gathered in Damaturu on Tuesday night to watch the Brazil Mexico match.

Hospital workers said many people were critically injured.

The bomb was hidden inside a tricycle taxi, AP news agency reported.

Damaturu is the capital of Yobe state, which has been targeted in a series of attacks by militant Islamist group Boko Haram.

There has been no claim of responsibility for the bomb attack.

The group abducted more than 200 girls from a school in neighbouring Borno state in April and frequently times secondary explosions to kill people as they rush to help at the scene of bomb blasts.

The Nigerian government has advised residents to avoid gathering in public to watch the World Cup.

Earlier this month, a bomb exploded at another venue in northeastern Nigeria, killing at least 14 people.

Boko Haram has declared war on all signs of Western influence.

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Fleeing ISIS: Iraqis Tell Of Loss And Tragedy

By Sherine Tadros, Middle East Correspondent

Dozens of Iraqi families who escaped the fighting in Mosul have made their way to a newly-built refugee camp in the northern area of Dohuk.

They are homeless and have nowhere to go.

"Ahmed" was an officer in the Iraqi police force. We've had to change his name because he's afraid he will be targeted again by ISIS militants.

He had just got to the camp with his family when we met him.

He showed us pictures he says he took of his home after ISIS bombed it.

What was once a seven-bedroom villa is now a pile of rubble.

Ahmed took his nine-month pregnant wife and children and came to the Dohuk camp.

It took them 12 hours and now they say they are afraid and on the run.

"People were so scared in Mosul when I left," said Ahmed.

"There was no electricity, no food and we heard explosions. The Islamist fighters were everywhere in the town.

"They wore black masks and were armed. You couldn't speak or reason with them or they'd just kill you."

These are considered the lucky ones as they have a roof over their heads

Many more people are pouring into the camp, bringing with them stories of loss and tragedy.

Hundreds of thousands have recently fled the areas now under the control of ISIS and their allies.

Some are in camps, but even more went further into towns close to the border.

The town of Al Qosh near the Syrian border with Iraq has taken in hundreds in the past week.

This ancient Christian community is now opening its doors to Iraqis of different religions. It is providing a safe haven for those seeking protection.

We came across a school that has been turned into a shelter for 30 families who came from Mosul.

Mattresses line the floors, there are flies everywhere.

Umm Younis says she came here with her children because she heard it was safe. It's been a week now and it's been tough.

"Life is unbearable. There's no water, no medicine, no clean place. It's crowded and cramped. If anyone catches a disease then everyone gets it," she told us.

One of the hardest things for these people is that they don't know when or even if they'll be able to go back home.

All the women in the school share one bathroom and the water only comes on every other day.

One of the biggest problems is food, there are only two cookers here to service over 140 people.

And these are considered the lucky ones because they have a roof over their heads and a garden for the children to play.

But in another few weeks this school will re-open and the little they have will be taken away.

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Gunmen 'Kill Ten' In Second Kenya Attack

Islamist gunmen have killed ten people in a night-time raid on Kenya's coast just 24 hours after an attack left at least 50 dead, police have said.

Somalia-based militant group Al Shebaab claimed responsibility claiming they killed as many as 20 people.

Police spokesman Masoud Mwinyi said the militants attacked Majembeni village in Lamu County.

The area is close to Mpeketoni, on the coast between Mombasa and the Somali border, where the extremists murdered dozens of people in a raid on Sunday night.

It is thought that the two attacks were carried out by the same group.

Majembeni and Mpeketoni are in Lamu County, Kenya, close to Somalia

Al Shabaab military operations spokesman Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab threatened the onslaught would continue and said: "We raided villages around Mpeketoni again last night. Our operations in Kenya will continue."

The official government figure for the number killed in Sunday nights attack was 48, but Sky sources in the area counted 50 bodies.

A group of gunmen entered Mpeketoni on minibuses and started "shooting people around in town", a spokesman for the interior ministry said.

People watching a World Cup game were among those targeted and three hotels, a bank and a petrol station were also hit.

Al Shabaab, an al Qaeda-linked group which carried out an attack on a shopping mall in Nairobi last year, said the first attack was a revenge for attacks inside Somalia by Kenyan forces. Foreign tourists were warned to stay out of Kenya.

Lamu had previously been popular with foreign visitors but tourism has been suffering in recent years because of increasing violence.

More follows...

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Iraq: US Troops Deployed To Protect Embassy

The US is deploying armed troops to Iraq to safeguard American personnel in Baghdad as the government struggles to deal with Islamist insurgents.

President Barack Obama informed Congress on Monday that up to 275 troops could be sent to Iraq to provide security for US personnel and the US Embassy.

Some 170 of the soldiers have already arrived in the Iraqi capital, with the remainder on standby in case they are needed, a US official said.

As the US and arch-enemy Iran discussed the crisis on the sidelines of nuclear talks, it was reported that the commander of Tehran's elite Quds Force, General Ghasem Soleimani, was in Iraq on Monday to discuss how to halt the insurgents' gains.

Images showing ISIS insurgents killing Iraqi soldiers have sparked outrage

British Foreign Secretary William Hague is due to outline the UK's relationship with Iran when he appears in the House of Commons later.

While the US and Iran have ruled out military co-operation, State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said the two nations have a shared interest in ensuring militants do not have a "foothold any more in Iraq".

Mr Obama has vowed to keep US forces out of combat in Iraq, but acknowledged the troops in Baghdad are equipped for direct fighting.

The White House is also considering sending special forces to train and advise Iraqi troops.

One official said up to 100 special forces soldiers could be sent.

Former secretary of state Hillary Clinton said last week that Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki must be presented with a set of conditions before any military support was agreed.

She said: "That's a delicate and difficult task for our government because we certainly don't want to fight their fight.

Security in Baghdad has been stepped up

"Because you'd be fighting for a dysfunctional, unrepresentative, authoritarian government and there's no reason on earth that I know of that we would ever sacrifice a single American life for that."

Mr al Maliki has vowed to recapture territory lost to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), which has seized towns in Iraq after a week of fighting and vowed to attack Baghdad.

The insurgents captured Tal Afar after a dawn raid, along with the al Adhim area in Diyala province, north of Baghdad.

Security forces patrol near the borders between Karbala and Anbar provinces

An Iraqi army helicopter was also shot down near the city of Fallujah.

But Iraq's army has stalled ISIS's advance in Samarra.

Footage has emerged which purports to show ISIS insurgents questioning and killing unarmed Iraqi soldiers.

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Palestinian Speaker Held Over Missing Israelis

Israeli Arrests Risk Igniting A New Conflict

Updated: 9:39am UK, Monday 16 June 2014

By Tom Rayner, Middle East Reporter, Jerusalem

In the intense hunt for three kidnapped teenagers, Israel has spared nothing, rounding up more than 150 Palestinians in a wave of night raids and deploying hundreds of troops across the West Bank.

But it is playing a dangerous game.

Prime Minister Netanyahu says he knows 'for a fact' that the Gaza-based Hamas are behind the kidnapping of 16 year-olds Naftali Frankel, Gilad Shaar and 19 year-old Eyal Yifrach.

The operation to find the teenagers has taken on a deeply political character - with leaders and members of Hamas making up the majority of those so far detained.

For Mr Netanyahu, this incident is proof of the error made by the West in its readiness to accept the recently-announced Palestinian unity government, which saw the Hamas back an effort by President Abbas' Fatah faction to end the rift between the West Bank and Gaza.

But while Israel's military insist the operation is focused on the 'task at hand' - finding those who've been kidnapped - it is clear the Israeli government sees this as a political opportunity too.

By taking out the Hamas leadership, through arrests in the West Bank, and through airstrikes in Gaza, they are pursuing two goals.

The first, to strike a blow at the organisation's ability to operate and emphasise its 'terrorist' character by the de-facto criminalisation of its detained members.

The second, to pre-empt the potential for the missing teenagers being used as bargaining chips in negotiations to release Palestinian prisoners - every arrest made during the operation, dilutes the impact of a prisoner exchange.

But with the first Palestinian deaths connected to the search operation occurring overnight, during unrest sparked by Israeli raids in Ramallah and Jenin, the tensions and the stakes are rising.

If, as the Israeli authorities have claimed, they have a track record of foiling such kidnap attempts in the past – then it seems the number of arrests made so far either represents a gross intelligence failure, or a form of collective punishment.

Making Hamas pay for a crime they've been accused of may make sense in the Israeli mind-set, but unleashing military force on a political organisation inevitably impacts the lives of civilians living in and around them.

In Hebron, the most populous Palestinian city in the West Bank if you do not include East Jerusalem, road blocks and checkpoints have blocked and restricted all access in and out..

Given the Palestinian security apparatus is in fact co-operating with the search effort, the sense that those representing them are party to the repression will only fuel the sense of disenfranchisement and push normal Palestinians towards extreme positions.

Equally, the rhetoric being used by Netanyahu may fulfil his need to show strength, but it also risks inciting retribution by Jewish extremists.

In the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the kindling is always there.

With the resentment, fear and anger that is building up on both sides, it would take very little to spark something much more dangerous.

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Israeli Arrests Risk Igniting A New Conflict

By Tom Rayner, Middle East Reporter, Jerusalem

In the intense hunt for three kidnapped teenagers, Israel has spared nothing, rounding up more than 150 Palestinians in a wave of night raids and deploying hundreds of troops across the West Bank.

But it is playing a dangerous game.

Prime Minister Netanyahu says he knows 'for a fact' that the Gaza-based Hamas are behind the kidnapping of 16 year-olds Naftali Frankel, Gilad Shaar and 19 year-old Eyal Yifrach.

The operation to find the teenagers has taken on a deeply political character - with leaders and members of Hamas making up the majority of those so far detained.

For Mr Netanyahu, this incident is proof of the error made by the West in its readiness to accept the recently-announced Palestinian unity government, which saw the Hamas back an effort by President Abbas' Fatah faction to end the rift between the West Bank and Gaza.

(L-R) Gilad Shaar, Naftali Frenkel and Eyal Yifrach

But while Israel's military insist the operation is focused on the 'task at hand' - finding those who've been kidnapped - it is clear the Israeli government sees this as a political opportunity too.

By taking out the Hamas leadership, through arrests in the West Bank, and through airstrikes in Gaza, they are pursuing two goals.

The first, to strike a blow at the organisation's ability to operate and emphasise its 'terrorist' character by the de-facto criminalisation of its detained members.

The second, to pre-empt the potential for the missing teenagers being used as bargaining chips in negotiations to release Palestinian prisoners - every arrest made during the operation, dilutes the impact of a prisoner exchange.

The Israeli army says it believes the teens are still in the West Bank

But with the first Palestinian deaths connected to the search operation occurring overnight, during unrest sparked by Israeli raids in Ramallah and Jenin, the tensions and the stakes are rising.

If, as the Israeli authorities have claimed, they have a track record of foiling such kidnap attempts in the past – then it seems the number of arrests made so far either represents a gross intelligence failure, or a form of collective punishment.

Making Hamas pay for a crime they've been accused of may make sense in the Israeli mind-set, but unleashing military force on a political organisation inevitably impacts the lives of civilians living in and around them.

In Hebron, the most populous Palestinian city in the West Bank if you do not include East Jerusalem, road blocks and checkpoints have blocked and restricted all access in and out..

Palestinians were killed and injured in protests over the Israeli raids

Given the Palestinian security apparatus is in fact co-operating with the search effort, the sense that those representing them are party to the repression will only fuel the sense of disenfranchisement and push normal Palestinians towards extreme positions.

Equally, the rhetoric being used by Netanyahu may fulfil his need to show strength, but it also risks inciting retribution by Jewish extremists.

In the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the kindling is always there.

With the resentment, fear and anger that is building up on both sides, it would take very little to spark something much more dangerous.

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Kenya Islamists 'Kill 48' As Hotels Set On Fire

Suspected Islamist insurgents in Kenya have raided a police station and set on fire at least three hotels and a petrol station, reportedly killing at least 34 people.

The group of gunmen entered the western coastal town of Mpeketoni and started "shooting people around in town", the interior ministry said.

The assault began at around 8pm on Sunday, with gunshots reported up to four hours later.

Cafes and bars were reported to have been busy with people watching the World Cup on television.

The gunmen entered the town in three vehicles. Pic: Dihoff Mukotu/eNCA

District deputy commissioner Benson Maisori said: "There were around 50 attackers, heavily armed in three vehicles, and they were flying the Shabaab flag.

"They were shouting in Somali and shouting 'Allahu Akbar' (God is Greatest)."

Area police chief Hamaton Mwaliko said: "Attackers hijacked a van from Witu town which they used for the attacks. They raided Mpeketoni police station first and opened fire."

The Red Cross said 48 people had been killed.

A police station was among the buildings attacked. Pic: Dihoff Mukotu/eNCA

Kenyan army spokesman Major Emmanuel Chirchir said the "assailants (were) likely to be al Shabaab", Somalia's al Qaeda-linked insurgents.

However, no group has claimed responsibility.

Kenya has seen a drop in tourists in recent months following a string of gun and grenade attacks blamed on al Shabaab, Somalia's al Qaeda-linked insurgents, or its sympathisers.

Mpeketoni lies on the mainland some 20 miles (30km) southwest of Lamu island, a popular tourist destination and UNESCO World Heritage site.

Nairobi's Gikomba Market was the scene of a deadly bomb attack in May

Al Shabaab, which has fought a bloody seven-year campaign to impose its interpretation of Islamic law inside Somalia, has said it wants to take revenge for Kenya's deployment of troops in the Horn of Africa nation.

In May, explosions in Nairobi and Mombasa followed a decision by Britain, the US, France and Australia to issue warnings about travel to the east African country.

At least 400 tourists cut short their holidays and left hotels along the Indian Ocean coast.

Kenya called the alerts "unfriendly", saying they would increase panic and play into the hands of those behind the gun and grenade assaults.

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Election Workers Killed In Afghan Bomb Attack

At least 11 people, including four election workers, have been killed in a roadside bomb attack in Afghanistan, officials say.

The governor of the northern province of Samangan said the attack, which happened on Saturday evening in the capital Aybak, blew up a bus.

It came after polls closed in the second round of the country's presidential election, between former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah and former finance minister Ashraf Ghani.

Around 60% of eligible voters cast ballots despite the violence

"Three local IEC (Independent Election Commission) workers and two observers from Dr Abdullah's team were among them," Khairullah Anosh told the Reuters news agency.

His spokesman, Sediq Azizi, told AP the blast killed six women, four men and one child.

The deaths took the civilian death toll on election day to 31, according to Reuters.

Abdullah Abdullah casts his ballot

A further 11 people had their ink-stained fingers chopped off by the Taliban as a punishment for voting in western Herat province.

Eleven policemen and 15 soldiers have also been killed in clashes.

The Taliban have denounced the election as a US ploy and vowed to derail it.

Ashraf Ghani finished second in the first round of voting

According to the electoral commission, more than seven million people cast ballots, a turnout of around 60%.

This is similar to the first round of voting, when neither candidate gained the required 50% to avoid a run-off.

Mr Abdullah and Mr Ghani are vying to replace Hamid Karzai, who has been in power since the US-led invasion toppled the Taliban in 2001.

Both have promised to improve ties with the West and sign a much-delayed security pact which will allow nearly 10,000 US troops to stay in the country for another two years.

Preliminary results are set to be announced on July 2, with final results published on July 22.

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Israel: Arrests In Hunt For Missing Teens

Israeli forces have detained approximately 80 Palestinian suspects in the search for three missing teenagers who may have been kidnapped by Palestinian militants.

The Israel Defence Forces confirmed the arrests on its Twitter account.

From left to right: Gilad Shaar, Naftali Frenkel and Eyal Yifrach

The trio, one of whom is understood to be a US citizen, are students at a Yeshiva, or religious school, in Gush Etzion, a Jewish settlement bloc in the West Bank, deemed illegal under international law.

They are 16-year-olds Naftali Frankel, from Nof Ayalon, and Gilad Shaar, from Telman, and 19-year-old Eyal Yifrach, from Elad.

Local media reports suggest they left the school on Thursday and were last seen hitch-hiking outside the settlement, which is just south of the Palestinian city of Bethlehem.

An Israeli soldier stands guard in the West Bank city of Hebron

The country's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said on Saturday: "Our teenagers were kidnapped by a terror organisation with all certainty; there is no doubt about it."

Diplomatic sources have told Sky News they have received solid assurances that the security and intelligence forces of the Palestinian Authority are working closely with their Israeli counterparts to establish the whereabouts of the missing teenagers.

Troops, helicopters and drones have been deployed across the West Bank in an effort to find them.

Palestinians argue with Israeli soldiers in Hebron

Checkpoints have been set up on roads throughout the southern West Bank, in particular around the city of Hebron and the surrounding area.

Israeli soldiers are believed to have carried out raids in the nearby villages of Dura, al-Samu, Tarqumia, and Beit Kahil.

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Blair Denies Iraq Violence Result Of 2003 War

Tony Blair has said critics who believe the violence in Iraq today is a result of the 2003 invasion are "profoundly mistaken".

Speaking to Sky News' Dermot Murnaghan, he said the West's inability to get tough with Syria's Bashar al Assad and failure in Libya had allowed terrorism and chaos to spread across the Middle East.

Mr Blair says the 2003 invasion is not to blame

The former Prime Minister said that had the UK not acted to get rid of Saddam Hussein 11 years ago the country would have been in a worst state than Syria now.

He said Britain had to "get involved" to end the crisis in the Middle East but he was not suggesting a "full-scale intervention" with troops on the ground like in 2003.

Mr Blair, who is now Middle East peace envoy, argued there was no way Britain could stay out of Syria because "ultimately, extremist groups also intend to target us".

He said security services in the UK, Germany and France now all say the greatest risk to those countries is jihadist fighters returning from Syria.

Mr Blair also took responsibility for the decision to go into Iraq in 2003 and said the situation in the country would have been the same had Saddam Hussein not been removed because the whole region had been hit by uprisings.

He said: "Some people will say 'well if we hadn't removed Saddam in 2003 we wouldn't have the problem today in Iraq and the reason I think that is profoundly mistaken is this: since 2011 there have been these Arab revolutions sweeping across the whole of the region - Tunisa, Libya, Yemen, Egypt, Bahrain, nextdoor to Iraq in Syria - and we can see what would have happened if we left Saddam there in 2003.

"We have left Bashar Assad in Syria. The result is that there have now in the last three years in Syria been virtually the same number of people killed in Syria as in the whole of Iraq. You have have nine million people displace from Syria, you have chaos and instability being pushed across the region."

Mr Blair said the Syrian situation had allowed Islamist militants to gain a stranglehold and the West would have to act because otherwise the terrorists would target the West.

He suggested that it was not impossible to overthrow Mr Assad in part because the opposition had fragmented into the camps of moderates and extremists. He said the way forward would be to establish an "inclusive government".

"Inaction over Syria" is also to blame, says Mr Blair

He also cautioned working with Iraq after the president Hassan Rouhani offered to "work with" the US to tackle the Iraq insurgency. 

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State John Kerry said American assistance to Iraq would only work if Iraqi leaders overcame deep divisions, the State Department said on Saturday.

After Mr Kerry spoke with Iraqi foreign minister Hoshyar Zebari, the State Department said in a statement: "He emphasised to the Foreign Minister that assistance from the United States would only be successful if Iraqi leaders were willing to put aside differences and implement a coordinated and effective approach to forge the national unity necessary to move the country forward."

Iran's president has said he would consider working with the US

In Iraq, the defence ministry said its forces are having some air strike successes against ISIS fighters who have made dramatic gains in the Sunni heartlands north of Baghdad after overrunning Iraq's second-largest city of Mosul.

"The last three days the Iraqi Army Air Wing has carried out effective missions on militant targets," said General Hamid al Maliki, Commander of the Iraqi Army Air Wing.

:: Tony Blair will be appearing on the Murnaghan programme on Sky News at 10am today.

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