Now Tikrit falls to Islamist terrorists: Hundreds of thousands flee as second Iraqi city is seized by the extremist warlord who is more 'virulent and violent than Bin Laden' - and will Baghdad be next?



Islamist militants effectively took control of oil-rich Mosul yesterday after four days of heavy fighting

Today they seized power in Saddam Hussein’s home city of Tikrit - they also freed hundreds of prisoners



Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, 43, known as Adu Dua, has emerged as one of the world's most lethal terrorist leaders



The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant now controls territory in eastern Syria and western and central Iraq

More than half a million Iraqis have been displaced sparking a major refugee crisis



Iraqi prime minister Nouri al-Maliki asked parliament to declare a state of emergency to give him more power

Tonight Turkey warned it will retaliate if any of its 48 citizen taken hostage at its embassy in Mosul are harmed




Iraq was under siege yesterday after Al Qaeda-inspired jihadists seized control of Saddam Hussein’s home town of Tikrit and closed in on the country’s biggest oil refinery.



Coming less than 24 hours after the country’s second city Mosul was overrun by the militants, there were fears that the loss of Tikrit could open the way for an assault on Baghdad just 80 miles to the south.



British security firms working in the capital are said to have been put on high alert amid fears that insurgents will target the ‘Green Zone’ where most of the foreign embassies are based.



As well as Mosul and Tikrit, several other northern towns were reported to have fallen to the spectacular offensive by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).



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Warlord Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has seized control of another Iraqi provincial capital just a day of gaining power in the country's second biggest city Mosul. Pictured: A propaganda video uploaded by jihadist group the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant today, which allegedly shows ISIL militants gathering at an undisclosed location in Iraq's Nineveh province

This afternoon militants took control of the Iraqi city of Tikrit, freed hundreds of prisoners and closed in on Iraq's biggest oil refinery

'All of Tikrit is in the hands of the militants,' a police colonel said of the Salaheddin provincial capital, which lies roughly half way between Baghdad and Iraq's second city Mosul which fell on Tuesday Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, left, is the head of the so called Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. While his may not be a household name, Al-Baghdadi has emerged as one of the world's most lethal terrorist leaders. Right, an Iraqi woman carries her property while fleeing from Mosul to Arbil and Duhok



And the fundamentalist fighters, led by former preacher Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, were today expected to take over the massive Baiji refinery after 250 security personnel abandoned their posts rather than fight.



ISIL was also battling security forces near the town of Samarra, 70 miles north of Baghdad on the main highway to Mosul, and home to a revered Shia shrine.



Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki asked parliament to declare a state of emergency to give him more powers as he called on the international community for help.



The sense of unravelling chaos in the country, from which American troops withdrew in 2011, was compounded this evening by a suicide bomber killing 16 in a Shi'te slum in the country's capital Baghdad.

As night fell, several hundred gunmen were in Tikrit, with clashes still taking place between the insurgents and military units on its outskirts, according to city officials.



While the West has so far refused to assist with military support, the US has said it will come to the aid of the 500,000 people who have fled fierce fighting in Iraq.



A HEADACHE ON BOTH SIDES OF THE ATLANITC: HOW U.S. AND UK HAVE TRIED TO PUT IRAQ BEHIND THEM

By MATT CHORLEY, MAILONLINE POLITICAL EDITOR Iraq is the war everyone tried to forget. Once George W. Bush was out of the White House and Tony Blair left Number 10, politicians on both sides of the Atlantic did their best to distance themselves from the 2003 invasion. The last U.S. troops left in December 2011, seven months after British forces pulled out. Since then international attention has been focussed on other conflicts: Afghanistan, Libya, and Syria. In March, Barack Obama allowed himself to put a positive spin on the war he had staunchly opposed. 'We ended our war and left Iraq to its people and a fully sovereign Iraqi state could make decisions about its own future,' he said. But less than three months later Iraq has become a fresh headache for the U.S. President. Accused of pulling troops out too soon, abandoning a country unable to stand on its own feet, Mr Obama's insistence that he ended the war 'responsibly' is of little comfort to a country once again in the grip of bitter conflict. For Britain, the Conservatives who backed Blair's invasion have long since said they would not have voted for it if they had known the intelligence was flawed. Today Foreign Secretary William Hague insists: 'We're not countenancing any British military involvement at this stage.' This is a political statement, not a military one. David Cameron failed to persuade the Commons - and the country - of the merits of limited intervention in Syria last summer. As a result, Britain will not deploy troops into any conflict any time soon, and certainly not Iraq: Blair's push for war led to 1million marching on the streets in protest. Meanwhile, on the streets of Tikrit, Mosul - and who knows where next - Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's militants are on the rampage, the government backed by the West desperately clinging on. And neither London nor Washington is willing - or able - to do anything about it, but look on in horror.

Denouncing ISIS as ‘one of the most dangerous terrorist groups in the world, Stuart Jones, the nominee to be the next US envoy to Baghdad, told US politicians the United States ‘will continue to monitor the situation closely, and will work with our international partners to try to meet the needs of those who have been displaced’.



Today UK Foreign Secretary William Hague played down any suggestion of sending troops to support the Iraqi military.

The White House National Security Council said only: 'President Obama promised to responsibly end the war in Iraq and he did'.

A country into which America poured so much blood and money faces the prospect of dealing with this major new military threat by itself in light of Western governments' insistence that the matter is not their concern.

However, international momentum appeared to be turning as Turkey called a meeting of Nato officials in light of concerns over security and its captured citizens.



Militants seized 48 Turks from the Turkish consulate Mosul today including the consul-general, three children and several members of Turkey's special forces. 28 Turkish lorry drivers were already being held.



Tonight Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu warned it will retaliate if any of its citizens and diplomats are harmed.



'Right now we are engaged in calm crisis management, considering our citizens' security. This should not be misunderstood. Any harm to our citizens and staff would be met with the harshest retaliation,' he said.



The rampage through Mosul - which is near the Turkish and Syrian border - by the black banner-waving insurgents was a heavy defeat for Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki as he tries to hold onto power, and highlighted the growing strength of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

The group has been advancing in both Iraq and neighboring Syria, capturing territory in a campaign to set up a militant enclave straddling the border.



This afternoon the Al Qaeda-inspired militants have seized control of Saddam Hussein's home town of Tikrit.

Iraqi security officials confirmed Tikrit was under the control of Isis and said the provincial governor was missing.

Tikrit, the capital of Salahuddin province, is 80 miles north of Baghdad.



The insurgents expanded their offensive closer to the Iraqi capital as soldiers and security forces abandoned their posts following clashes.

A woman in Baghdad said: 'People are buying up food and may not come to work tomorrow because they think the situation is getting to get worse.'



A Mosul businessman who has fled the city of Mosul told the Guardian: 'The city fell like a plane without an engine.'

Another resident explained that after government forces began to desert the city they felt compelled to leave in case the government started to bomb the city to force out the militants.



Advancing: This image, from a jihadist Twitter account, allegedly shows a new road being built from Syria to Iraq A suicide bomber blew himself up in a gathering of people inside a tent in Baghdad's Shi'ite slum of Sadr city, killing at least 16 people

Government troops fled Mosul after the assault. Pictured: Uniforms reportedly belonging to Iraqi security forces scattered on the road in Iraq's second biggest city The body of a member of the Iraqi security forces lies on a street after radical Sunni Muslim insurgents seized control of the city of Mosul yesterday As many as 500,000 Iraqis have been forced to flee the country's second biggest city of Mosul after militants from an al-Qaeda splinter group seized control

Refugees fleeing from Mosul head to the self-ruled northern Kurdish region in Irbil, Iraq, 350 kilometers (217 miles) north of Baghdad

Today the governor of an Iraqi province said authorities are determined to recapture the northern city.



The Ninevah province governor, Atheel al-Nujaifi, said authorities have a plan to restore security and defeat the militants raiding government buildings, pushing out security forces and capturing military vehicles as thousands of residents fled.



Al-Nujaifi also accused senior commanders of the security forces of providing Baghdad with false information about the situation in Mosul and demanding that they should stand trial.



He also says smaller armed groups joined the al Qaeda breakaway group known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant during the fight for control the city.

This morning Iraq's foreign minister said Baghdad will cooperate with Kurdish forces to flush out militants from Mosul.



'There will be closer cooperation between Baghdad and the regional Kurdistan government to work together and flush out these foreign fighters,' Iraqi foreign minister Hoshyar Zebari said on the sidelines of a EU-Arab League meeting in Athens.



He called on all Iraqi leaders to come together to face the 'serious, mortal' threat to the country.



'The response has to be soon. There has to be a quick response to what has happened,' he said .

Militants have seized the Turkish consulate in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul and efforts are under way to ensure the safety of diplomatic staff, according to two Turkish government sources.



'Certain militant groups in Mosul have been directly contacted to ensure the safety of diplomatic staff,' a Turkish government source said, adding there was no immediate information on the status of the diplomats.

Last night militants advanced into the oil refinery town of Baiji, setting the court house and police station on fire and today they are unconfirmed reports that the town 'in flames'.



They said around 250 guards at the refinery had agreed to withdraw to another town after the militants sent a delegation of local tribal chiefs to persuade them to pull out.

Baiji resident Jasim al-Qaisi, said the militants also warned local police and soldiers not to challenge them.

'Yesterday at sunset some gunmen contacted the most prominent tribal sheikhs in Baiji via cellphone and told them: 'We are coming to die or control Baiji, so we advise you to ask your sons in the police and army to lay down their weapons and withdraw before (Tuesday) evening prayer'.'

Militants entered Baiji late on Tuesday evening in around 60 vehicles, releasing prisoners in the town.

Baiji refinery is Iraq's biggest, supplying oil products to most of the country's provinces. A worker there said the morning shift had not been allowed to take over and the night shift was still working.

The United States condemned the siege 'in the strongest possible terms.'

Attacks: Isis movements on the second day of their advance

ABU DUA: IMPRISONED BY THE US, THE MAN WHO HATES THE WEST MORE THAN OSAMA BIN LADEN

The shadowy leader of thousands of Islamist fighters in Syria and Iraq, many of them Westerners, appears to be surpassing Al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahri as the world’s most influential jihadist. 'For the last 10 years or more, [Zawahri] has been holed up in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border area and hasn’t really done very much more than issue a few statements and videos,' said Richard Barrett, a former counterterrorism chief at MI6, Britain’s foreign intelligence service.

'Whereas Baghdadi has done an amazing amount – he has captured cities, he has mobilized huge amounts of people, he is killing ruthlessly throughout Iraq and Syria.

He was taken as a prisoner of the Americans in Bocca Camp between 2005 and 2007 - it was here that one of the only two photos know to be in existence was taken of him 'If you were a guy who wanted action, you would go with Baghdadi,' said Barrett. noting the ISIS leader’s challenge to Zawahri was 'a really interesting development.'

'Where that goes will determine a lot about how terrorism is [carried out],' Barrett said. The ISIS leader, who was born in 1971 in Baghdad, is touted as a battlefield commander and tactician, a crucial distinction compared with Zawahri.

Baghdadi, who has a degrees in Islamic studies, apparently joined the insurgency that erupted in Iraq soon after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion. He was taken as a prisoner of the Americans in Camp Bucca between 2005 and 2007 - it was here that one of the only two photos know to be in existence was taken of him.

He is known as 'The Ghost' to members of the pro-Assad Lebanese Shi-ite militia Hizballah. 'Only a few people know the face of Baghdadi,' Sheik Ahmad, the Hizballah official in charge of investigating ISIS in Syria, told TIME last year. The secretive Baghdadi talks with a scarf covering his face even when dealing with close allies, according to militants who worked with him in Iraq. He addresses his ISIS followers through audio recordings posted to the internet, rather than in public places. In October 2005, American forces said they believed they had killed him in a strike on the Iraq- Syria border.

But that appears to have been incorrect, as he took the reins of what was then known as the Islamic State of Iraq in May 2010 after two of its chiefs were killed in a U.S.-Iraqi raid. Since then, details about him have slowly trickled out.

In October 2011, the U.S. Treasury designated him as a 'terrorist' in a notice that said he was born in the Iraqi city of Samarra in 1971.

And earlier this year, Iraq released a picture they said was of Baghdadi, the first from an official source, depicting a balding, bearded man in a suit and tie.

Lt. Gen. Abdel-Amir al-Zaidi, who heads a northern security command centre, says his forces believe Baghdadi is hiding in Iraq’s Diyala province, but other officials contest this. He is a renegade within al-Qaeda and it was his maverick streak that eventually led its central command to sever ties, deepening a rivalry between his organization and the global terror network

Zawahri has urged ISIS to focus on Iraq and leave Syria to Nusra, but Baghdadi and his fighters have openly defied the Al-Qaeda chief and, indeed, have fought not only Assad, but also Nusra and other rebel groups. He is 'more violent, more virulent, more anti-American [than Osama Bin Laden]' a senior U.S. intelligence official told the Washington Post.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest deplored 'despicable' acts of violence targeting civilians in Mosul. Mr Earnest said the group has gained strength from the situation in neighbouring Syria.



But the White House is not saying what additional military assistance the US might provide Iraq in response to the siege. Mr Earnest said the US is committed to its partnership with Baghdad but is urging Iraq's government to take steps to be more inclusive of all Iraqis.

There were no immediate estimates on how many people were killed in the four-day assault, a stark reminder of the reversals in Iraq since U.S. forces left in late 2011.



Earlier this year, Islamic State fighters took control of Fallujah, and government forces have been unable to take it back.



Mosul is a much bigger, more strategic prize. The city and surrounding Ninevah province, which is on the doorstep of Iraq's relatively prosperous Kurdish region, are a major export route for Iraqi oil and a gateway to Syria.



'This isn't Fallujah. This isn't a place you can just cordon off and forget about,' said Michael Knights, a regional security analyst at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. 'It's essential to Iraq.'



Roads were jammed as residents and troops desperately tried to escape after militants from the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)

Islamic militants forced security forces from their posts and seizing the provincial government headquarters, security bases and other key buildings

Regaining Mosul poses a daunting challenge for the Shiite prime minister. The city of about 1.4 milliion has a Sunni Muslim majority and many in the community are already deeply embittered against his Shiite-led government

There were no immediate estimates on how many people were killed in the four-day assault, a stark reminder of the reversals in Iraq since U.S. forces left in late 2011

A woman carries a child as families fleeing the violence in the Iraqi city of Mosul wait at a checkpoint on the outskirts of Arbil, in Iraq's Kurdistan region

An elderly man is assisted as families fleeing the violence. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned the attacks across Iraq in recent days 'that have killed and wounded scores of civilians'

Insurgents and Iraqi troops have been fighting for days in Mosul, but the security forces' hold appeared to collapse late Monday night and early Tuesday

A Kurdish policeman stands guard while refugees fleeing Mosul head to the self-ruled northern Kurdish region in Irbil

Over four days fighters stormed police stations, bases and prisons, capturing weapons and freeing inmates. Security forces melted away, abandoning many of their posts, and militants seized large caches of weapons

Residents said fighters were raising the black banners that are the emblem of the Islamic State

WHY DID THE US RELEASE BAGHDADI RELEASED FROM BOCCA CAMP?

Baghdadi has a $10million bounty on his head by the US that is only second to that of Al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahri at $25million.

He w as taken as a prisoner of the Americans in Camp Bucca between 2005 and 2009 - it was here that one of the only two photos know to be in existence was taken of him.

It is unknown if he came radicalised during his time at the camp where many al-Qaeda commanders were held or if he was already a radical who emerged after the 2003 US invasion.

A US intelligence report from 2005, states: 'Abu Duaa was connected to the intimidation, torture and murder of local civilians in Qaim', says a Pentagon document.

'He would kidnap individuals or entire families, accuse them, pronounce sentence and then publicly execute them.' It is therefore unclear why he was released in 2009. He may have been one of thousands of suspected insurgents granted amnesty as the US began its draw down in Iraq or he may be under several names.

'We either arrested or killed a man of that name about half a dozen times, he is like a wraith who keeps reappearing, and I am not sure where fact and fiction meet,' said Lieutenant-General Sir Graeme Lamb, a former British special forces commander who helped US efforts against al-Qaeda in Iraq told The Telegraph.

'There are those who want to promote the idea that this man is invincible, when it may actually be several people using the same nom de guerre.'



Al-Maliki pressed parliament to declare a state of emergency that would grant him greater powers, saying the public and government must unite 'to confront this vicious attack, which will spare no Iraqi.'



Legal experts said these powers could include imposing curfews, restricting public movements and censoring the media.



Iraqi state television today reported that its legislators would meet on Thursday.



Parliament speaker Osama al-Nujaifi, a Sunni from Mosul, called the rout 'a disaster by any standard.'



Regaining Mosul poses a daunting challenge for the Shiite prime minister.



The city of about 1.4 milliion has a Sunni Muslim majority and many in the community are already deeply embittered against his Shiite-led government.



During the nearly nine-year American presence in the country, Mosul was a major stronghold for al-Qaeda. U.S. and Iraqi forces carried out repeated offensives there, regaining a semblance of control but never routing the insurgents entirely.

'It's going to be difficult to reconstitute the forces to clear and hold the city,' Knights said. 'There aren't a lot of spare forces around Iraq.'

Today UK Foreign Secretary William Hague told ITV News the civilian population of Mosul must be protected.



He added: 'We left Iraq in the hands of elected Iraqi leaders with armed forces, with their own security forces, so it is primarily for them to deal with.'



'It’s very important that Iraqis take the leadership and responsibility of dealing with this, working with neighbouring countries.



National Security Council spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan said the U.S. would continue to help the Iraqi government fight ISIS.

'President Obama promised to responsibly end the war in Iraq and he did,' she said, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Iraqi policemen man a checkpoint in the capital Baghdad after a state of emergency was declared by the government

An Iraqi policeman searches the passengers of a car at checkpoint as the country descends into further chaos





Iraqi policemen are seen inside a military base in Baghdad after the declaration of a state of emergency by the government

Members of the Kurdish security forces stand at a checkpoint during an intensive security deployment on the outskirts of Kirkuk

WESTERN FORCES IN THE MIDDLE EAST

Although the British and U.S. governments have been unambiguous in refuting suggestions they might send troops in to deal with Isis, substantial forces are available should they choose to intervene. The United States military has thousands of troops stationed in the Middle East, as well as significant aerial capacity. The U.S. Middle Eastern contigent, in fact, outnumbers Isis's estimated strength.

A Pentagon official told MailOnline that the U.S. maintains a fighting force of approximately 10,000 troops in Kuwait and 2,000 in Jordan. The units in Jordan include a detachment of F-16 fighter jets and a Patriot missile battery that remained behind after the 2013 joint 'Eager Lion' drills with the Jordanian military.

The U.S. also maintains a Combined Air Operations Center in Qatar, and the Navy's 5th fleet in Bahrain. American interests also extend to the Incirlik Air Base in Turkey, which is also used by the RAF. British planes are also stationed in Cyrpus to the west of the country. The RAF used to house planes in Qatar to the south-east, but withdrew in 2009. U.S. ground forces continue to be posted there. Nato assets are also posted in Turkey - amid escalating fears over the Syrian conflict six Patriot missile batteries were sent there, and have been operational since early 2013.



White House spokesman Josh Earnest deplored what he called the 'despicable' acts of violence against civilians in Mosul.

He said Washington is committed to its partnership with Baghdad but is urging the government to take steps to be more inclusive of all Iraqis.



U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned the attacks across Iraq in recent days 'that have killed and wounded scores of civilians.'



He urged all political leaders 'to show national unity against the threats facing Iraq, which can only be addressed on the basis of the constitution and within the democratic political process,' according to U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric.



Insurgents and Iraqi troops have been fighting for days in Mosul, but the security forces' hold appeared to collapse late Monday night and early Tuesday.



Gunmen overran the Ninevah provincial government building - a key symbol of state control - Monday evening, and the governor fled the city.



The fighters stormed police stations, bases and prisons, capturing weapons and freeing inmates. Security forces melted away, abandoning many of their posts, and militants seized large caches of weapons.



They took control of the city's airport and captured helicopters, as well as an airbase 60 kilometers (40 miles) south of the city, the parliament speaker said.

Later Tuesday, Islamic State fighters took over the large town of Hawija, 125 kilometers (75 miles) south of Mosul, according to officials there.



On Tuesday, the militants appeared to hold much of the eastern half of Mosul, which is bisected by the Tigris River. Residents said fighters were raising the black banners that are the emblem of the Islamic State.



Video taken from a car driving through the streets of Mosul and posted online showed burning vehicles in the streets, black-masked gunmen in pickup trucks mounted with anti-aircraft guns, and residents walking with suitcases.



Children stand next to a burnt vehicle during clashes between Iraqi security forces and al Qaeda-linked Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)

Iraq's prime minister Nouri Maliki asked parliament to declare a state of emergency to grant him more powers

ISIL supporters posted photos on social media showing fighters next to Humvees and other U.S.-made military vehicles captured from Iraqi forces.



The video and photos appeared authentic and matched Associated Press reporting of the events.



A government employee who lives about a mile from the provincial headquarters, Umm Karam, said she left with her family Tuesday morning.



FILIPINO TERRORIST WITH LINKS TO AL QAEDA CAPTURED IN MANILA

Philippine army troops and police today captured a top Filipino commander of the Abu Sayyaf extremist group who is on the U.S. list of most-wanted terrorists and has acknowledged receiving al-Qaeda funds to finance bombings in the country.

Philippine security officials said Khair Mundos was arrested in a slum community near Manila's international airport but it was not immediately clear why he was in the capital. The military and police have been hunting him for his alleged involvement in bombings and kidnappings.

Mundos is one of the highest-ranking terrorist suspects to be captured in the country in years.

He was captured in 2004 but escaped in 2007.

Military intelligence chief Maj. Gen. Eduardo Ano described Mundos' capture as a major blow to Abu Sayyaf, where he has served as a top commander, financial and logistical officer, trainer and planner of attacks.

The U.S. State Department says Mundos, who also faces money laundering charges, has acknowledged that he arranged the transfer of al-Qaida funds to the Abu Sayyaf to finance bombings and other attacks in the Philippines.

The State Department announced a $500,000 reward in 2009 for the killing or capture of Mundos. U.S. authorities said he has worked as a financier for Abu Sayyaf.

He has led Abu Sayyaf militants on southern Basilan and is known to have links with members of the Southeast Asian militant network Jemaah Islamiyah.

Abu Sayyaf, which has an estimated 300 armed fighters split into about six factions, has been blamed for deadly bomb attacks, ransom kidnappings and beheadings. It was founded in the early 1990s on jungle-clad Basilan, near Zamboanga, a region 860 kilometers (540 miles) south of Manila where American counterterrorism troops have been stationed for more than a decade.

Washington has declared Abu Sayyaf a terrorist group and blames it for deadly attacks on American troops and civilians in the southern Philippines.



'The situation is chaotic inside the city and there is nobody to help us,' she said 'We are afraid. ... There is no police or army in Mosul.' She spoke on condition she be identified only by her nickname for fear of her safety.



An estimated 500,000 people have fled Mosul, according to a U.N. spokesman in New York, citing the International Organization for Migration.



The spokesman said aid organizations hope to reach those in need with food, water, sanitation and other essential supplies as soon as the volatile security situation permits.



The Islamic State has ramped up its insurgency over the past two years, presenting itself as the Sunni community's champion against al-Maliki's government



The group was once al-Qaida's branch in Iraq, but under its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi it has escalated its ambitions, sending fighters into Syria to join the rebellion against President Bashar Assad.

Its jihadists became notorious as some of the most ruthless fighters in the rebellion - and other rebels turned against it, accusing it of trying to hijack the movement.

Al-Qaida's central command, angered over its intervention in Syria, threw the group out of the terrorist network.

But it has been making gains on both sides of the border. In Syria, it took control of an eastern provincial capital of Raqqa, and in the past month it has launched an offensive working its way toward the Iraqi border.



Islamic State fighters in eastern Syria crossed into Iraq to help their brethren in the Mosul area, activists on the Syrian side said.



They tried to take the border crossing itself, but Kurdish fighters on either side fended them off. The militants were able to seize the nearest Iraqi town to the border, Rabeea, the activists said.



The group earlier this year took over Fallujah and parts of Sunni-dominated Anbar province, and has stepped up its long-running campaign of bombings and other violence in Baghdad and elsewhere.



The Mosul crisis comes as al-Maliki is working to assemble a coalition after elections in late April, relying even more on Shiite parties. Sunnis and Kurds have grown increasingly disillusioned with al-Maliki, accusing him of dominating power.



The autonomous Kurdish region in the north has its own armed forces - the peshmerga - and on Tuesday, the region's prime minister suggested his willingness to intervene beyond the formal borders of the self-ruled enclave.



That could be politically explosive, since the Mosul region lies on Kurdistan's doorstep, has a significant Kurdish population, and the Kurds claim parts of the area.



Militant gains in territories the Kurds consider theirs could push them 'to send in their own troops to protect communities they consider as part of their jurisdiction,' said Jordan Perry, an analyst at risk analysis firm Maplecroft.



Kurdistan's prime minister, Nechirvan Barzani, sharply criticized Baghdad's handling of the Mosul crisis, saying the Kurds had tried unsuccessfully to work with Iraqi security forces to protect the city.



'Tragically, Baghdad adopted a position which has prevented the establishment of this cooperation,' he said in a statement.



Barzani urged the Kurds to aid those displaced from Mosul and called on the U.N. refugee agency to help with the relief effort.

He said the peshmerga are prepared to handle security in areas outside the regional government's jurisdiction - presumably referring to parts around Mosul inhabited by Kurds that are disputed with the central government.



Kurdish official Razgar Khoushnaw said about 10,000 Mosul residents took refuge Tuesday in the Kurdish province of Irbil, while security officials in neighboring Dahuk province said 5,000 displaced people were let in there.



Far larger numbers of people are believed to have fled Mosul for other communities in the Ninevah countryside.





