Residents Say Militants Seize Northern Iraqi Town | WPN World People News

Residents and local Iraqi officials say Sunni militants have seized the northern city of Tal Afar, the latest capture in a surge of fighting that has international condemnation and calls for unity in Iraq.

The seizure early Monday comes after a week in which militants from the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) seized Mosul and Tikrit and threatened to advance on Baghdad.

The United States is adding about 100 soldiers and Marines to boost security at its embassy in Baghdad, while relocating some non-essential staff to sites in Basrah, Irbil and Amman, Jordan. A U.S. aircraft carrier has been deployed to the Persian Gulf.

A senior State Department official said Sunday that Secretary of State John Kerry spoke with his counterparts from Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates about the need to support the people of Iraq and Syria against the threat of ISIL. The official said the ministers also talked about the need for Iraq's leaders to implement a "coordinated and effective approach" to move the country forward.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also stressed the need for political and social measures and an "inclusive national security plan" to address the security threat. He again condemned the violence by ISIL, including what his spokesman called "deeply disturbing" reports of summary executions by the militants.

Pictures the militants posted Sunday on the Internet appear to show fighters executing a group of Iraqi soldiers.

Some of the victims are seen crouching with weapons aimed directly at their heads. The authenticity of the photographs cannot be verified.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's security spokesman, Lieutenant General Qassem Atta, told reporters Sunday that Iraqi forces had "regained the initiative" in their fight against Sunni militants and had killed 279 terrorists since Saturday.

The government's claim and casualty numbers are hard to verify, but Iraqi forces and Shi'ite volunteers are starting to regroup and bolster their defenses, especially around Baghdad.

Many government fighters abandoned their positions and left their weapons and vehicles behind last week as the militants seized territory in the north.

President Barack Obama says no American forces will sent back into Iraq, but he has not ruled out any other action, including air strikes.

Republican Senator Lindsay Graham told domestic television networks Sunday that the U.S. may have to cooperate with Iran to help prevent Baghdad from falling.

Former U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker said on CNN that the United States has to bring Iraqi Sunnis, Shiites, and Kurds together in unified fashion to confront a common threat.

Source: Voice of America