Thousands Flee Iraq’s City of Mosul, Security Forces Cleanse Baiji

Local Editor

Iraqi security forces fully cleansed Iraq's town of Baiji from "ISIL" militants, after they had recently advanced into the town and also seized the country's second largest city of Mosul on Tuesday, as Iraqi state televison announced on Wednesday.

Militants entered Baiji in around 60 vehicles, releasing prisoners in Baiji and setting the court house and police station on fire later on Tuesday.

The push into Baiji followed the capture of the city of Mosul by militants from "ISIL" earlier on Tuesday, which is also fighting in neighboring Syria.

On Tuesday, an estimated 1,300 "ISIL" fighters overran Iraqi security forces and seized Mosul's airport.

The militant group stormed government buildings, TV stations, banks and freed an estimated 2,400 prisoners from jails in the northern Nineveh province, of which Mosul is the capital.

Iraqi Oil Minister Abdul Kareem Luaibi said on Wednesday that Iraq's southern oil export facilities, currently its only export outlet, were secure, with shipments now running at around 2.6 million barrels per day.

"All our exports now are from the Basra terminal in the south - and it's a very, very safe area," Luaibi told reporters ahead of an OPEC meeting.

Luaibi also said there was better chance of agreement between the central government and the Kurdish region due to the situation in Mosul.

Iraqi prime minister Nouri Maliki has asked parliament to declare a state of emergency on Tuesday. 

"We will not allow Mosul to be under the banner of terrorism...The entire world will suffer if terrorism spreads," Maliki said.

Moreover, Grand Ayatollah Ali Husseini al-Sistani also voiced his support for the Iraqi army engaged in fighting against "ISIL" on Tuesday.
Ayatollah Al-Sistani released a statement, condemning the capture of the Nineveh province by the Takfiri militants. Ayatollah al-Sistani called for unity among all of the country's political factions against the militants.

The head of the Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council [SIIC], Ammar al-Hakim, also phoned several Iraqi political leaders over the security situation in Nineveh province.

A statement by the SIIC said that Hakim phoned top Iraqi and Kurdish leaders, calling all sides to cooperate to relieve Iraq from the current crisis and to hold their responsibilities in saving Iraq and Iraqis.

Furthermore, the US, which invaded Iraq in 2003, condemned the seizure of the city and described the situation as "extremely serious."

US State Department spokeswoman, Jen Psaki, said that, ""ISIL" is not only a threat to the stability of Iraq, but a threat to the entire region," adding that the US backed "a strong coordinated response."

Sources: News Agencies, Edited by website team