There were reports, too, that Sunni insurgents have attempted to target convoys of Shia volunteers being bussed to the front lines north of the capital.įighting was also reported near Kirkuk in northern Iraq, where an attack by militants was repelled after an hour of clashes. Associated Press said 44 Sunni detainees were executed by pro-government Shia militiamen after Sunni insurgents reportedly tried to storm the jail near Baquba, but the Iraqi military put the death toll at 52 and said the Sunni prisoners were killed by mortar shells. Insurgents had taken control of parts of Baquba overnight, but were pushed back.
Hague's announcement came amid reports of the clashes in Baquba, less than 40 miles north of Baghdad, and the closest the fighting has come to the Iraqi capital since Isis took over most of the northern part of the country last week. But it was given an urgent push by the need to try to involve Iran in stabilising Iraq. The UK-Iranian rapprochement has been in the making for months following last year's Iranian election, President Hassan Rouhani's more conciliatory approach, and an interim agreement on Iran's civil nuclear programme. He also described talk of joint military action in Iraq as "far too ambitious and unrealistic". William Hague, the foreign secretary, said the UK and Iran shared an interest in stability in the region. In London David Cameron warned that Isis militants in Iraq and Syria were the "biggest threat to national security that exists today", as Britain announced plans to reopen its Tehran embassy, closed since an attack in 2011. Senior Democrats have expressed growing caution about the risks of being sucked back in to any conflict. Iranian-backed militiamen were out in force in Shia areas of the capital in an attempt to assure residents that they have a highly volatile situation under control.Īs the fighting continued, there was no sign of imminent military moves by the US, with the White House warning of several days of further consultation before any intervention. Heavy clashes were reported from Baquba after it was taken over by fighters of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Isis), and in Baghdad eight people were killed by a suicide bomber. Iraqi government forces fought off jihadi rebel forces north of Baghdad on Tuesday amid signs from the US that the Obama administration is hesitating before being drawn into a new war.
0 kommentar(er)
