Government forces in Iraq have used their limited air power to hit Islamist-led militants advancing from the north towards the capital Baghdad.

They are fighting to push back ISIS and its allies in Diyala and Salahuddin provinces, after the militants overran the second city, Mosul, last week.

The militants are reported to have made advances in the west, with new fighting in the city of Ramadi.

In the capital, wealthier residents are stockpiling food and water.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki appeared on television with Sunni Muslim and Kurdish leaders on Tuesday to issue a call for national unity, in the face of the advance of ISIS (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) and its Sunni Muslim allies. They demanded that non-state forces lay down their arms.

However, such a call is unlikely to have much effect as Mr Maliki has openly sponsored the formation of Shia Muslim militias to fight alongside regular Iraqi troops, the BBC’s Jim Muir reports from Irbil in northern Iraq.

UK Prime Minister David Cameron will hold talks with his senior security advisers on Wednesday to discuss the crisis, warning that ISIS represents a „real threat” to Britain.
Unity call

In the western province of Anbar, where the capital is Ramadi, the militants said they had made advances, with a number of police stations near the town of Hit going over to dissident tribes.

In the north, the Iraqi government said it had recaptured the citadel in the strategic town of Tal Afar, where militants were said to have taken control on Monday.

In unusually strong language, Mr Maliki accused Saudi Arabia – which is largely Sunni – of backing ISIS.

He also fired four army commanders for failing to halt the sweeping advance by the militants. They included the top commander for Nineveh, the first province where ISIS fighters made major gains.

Meanwhile, Qasem Suleimani, the commander of an elite unit of Iran’s revolutionary guards, is reported to be in Baghdad, helping military and Shia leaders co-ordinate their campaign against the rebels.

With Shia areas of the capital bombed almost daily, correspondents say inhabitants of Baghdad have developed a siege mentality.

People with enough money have started to stockpile essential items of food, correspondents say, which has increased prices dramatically.
Source: bbc.com