Children are taking up arms in Iraq against the jihadist forces threatening to march on Baghdad in the latest worrying development in the crisis-hit country.
Images coming out of Iraq today show youths brandishing automatic rifles as they march with the militias forming in the capital to fight back against the forces of ISIS. Similar pictures also emerged from Basra, Iraq's second-largest city, 340 miles south-east of Baghdad.
As ISIS militants closed in on the Iraqi capital, nearly 300 armed American forces are being positioned in and around Iraq to help secure U.S. assets as President Barack Obama nears a decision on an array of options, including airstrikes or a contingent of special forces.
The U.S. and Iran also held an initial discussion on how the longtime foes might co-operate to ease the threat from the Al Qaeda-linked militants that have swept through Iraq.
However, the White House ruled out the possibility that Washington and Tehran might co-ordinate military operations in Iraq.
In a further indication that the West is attempting to strengthen relations with Iran, British Foreign Secretary William Hague was expected to announce steps that could lead to the re-opening of the British embassy in Tehran, the BBC reported.
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An Iraqi young boy holds a weapon from the window of a car as people gather to show their readiness to join Iraqi security forces in the fight against Jihadist militants
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An Iraqi young boy holds a weapon from the window of a car as people gather to show their readiness to join Iraqi security forces in the fight against Jihadist militants
A Iraqi young boy and tribesmen hold up their weapons in the capital Baghdad today as they prepare for an ISIS attack
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A Iraqi young boy and tribesmen hold up their weapons in the capital Baghdad today as they prepare for an ISIS attack
Young jihadi: A child is pictured on an ISIS-supporting Twitter feed wearing a balaclava and holding a sign saying 'God is greatest'
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Young jihadi: A child is pictured on an ISIS-supporting Twitter feed wearing a balaclava and holding a sign saying 'God is greatest'
A pictured posted on social media shows Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant militants executing members of the Iraqi forces on the Iraqi-Syrian border
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A pictured posted on social media shows Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant militants executing members of the Iraqi forces on the Iraqi-Syrian border
Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki had announced the Iraqi government would arm and equip civilians who volunteer to fight, and so far thousands have signed up.
Militants attacked and took control of parts of the central Iraq city of Baquba, but security forces eventually repelled the assault today killing 30 ISIS fighters, army and police officers said.
The overnight attack took place in the centre of Baquba, capital of Diyala province just 50 miles from Baghdad, and according to the officers, saw militants temporarily occupying several neighbourhoods.
The Sunni militants have also captured a key northern Iraqi town along the highway to Syria, compounding the woes of the Shiite-led government a week after it lost a vast swathe of territory to the insurgents in the country's north.
They have vowed to attack Baghdad but their advance to the south seems to have stalled in recent days.
Read more:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2658858/ISIS-jihadists-tighten-grip-Iraq-capture-Tal-Afar-UN-hits-deeply-disturbing-soldier-massacre-pictures-shocking-world.htmlVideo report at link.
There is a reason I admire the people there. This would be one of them. In many ways, the "regular" citizens of Syria, Iraq, Egypt - hell even Somalia - remind me of the best of the USA. Leave us alone, let us get on with the business of living and raising families. Stepping on us would be a damned bad idea though.
