Ukraine: Russian Forces On 'Full Combat Alert'

Kremlin Rejects Ukraine Ceasefire 'Ultimatum'

Updated: 10:49pm UK, Friday 20 June 2014

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has declared a week-long ceasefire in the fight against pro-Russian separatists in the east of the country.

But the Kremlin dismissed the move as an ultimatum, as the US said it had evidence Moscow was stockpiling tanks and artillery close to the border with its neighbour, which could be supplied to rebel fighters.

Mr Poroschenko said the declaration of a ceasefire would allow him to formally launch a peace plan for the region, which has been blighted by deadly violence.

He has said it will include amnesty for pro-Russia fighters who have not committed serious crimes, a corridor for fighters from Russia to leave the country, joint security patrols, early local and parliamentary elections, and protections for the use of the Russian language.

But he warned government forces would defend themselves if they came under attack from the rebels.

"We will do everything to defend the territory of our state," said Poroshenko during a visit to the troubled Donetsk region.

But in a statement, the Kremlin said: "This is not an invitation to peace and negotiations but an ultimatum to militias in the southeast of Ukraine to lay down their arms."

Foreign Secretary William Hague has urged Russia to support the peace plan and called on pro-Russia separatists to lay down their arms.

Against the backdrop of continuing tensions, the US said it had information of a Russian build-up of military hardware close to the frontier with Ukraine that could be provided to separatists.

Most of the equipment being stockpiled is of the type still used by Ukrainian forces, which an official said left "the impression that the desire here is to mask the Russian hand and allow the separatists to assert ... that this is material that they've captured on the battlefield from Ukrainians".

Washington also said it had evidence Russia had redeployed several thousand troops to the frontier.

The official said some of the forces were "within a handful of kilometres" of Ukrainian territory, "the closest they have been since the invasion of Crimea" earlier this year.

Nato chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen described the build-up as "a very regrettable step backwards."

But the Kremlin said the forces were simply implementing earlier orders of President Vladimir Putin's to "reinforce the protection of the Russian border".

The latest developments in the Cold War-style stand-off came as the US Treasury Department blacklisted seven Ukraine separatists, saying their activities threaten the peace and sovereignty of the country.

The West has warned Moscow of "more costs" if it does not work to de-escalate the situation.

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China: Thirteen Dead In Police Station Attack

At least 13 people have been shot dead after drivig into a police station in China and setting off explosives, according to local media.

The assailants were shot dead during the attack in Xinjiang, a western province that has been gripped by growing unrest in recent years.

China's official Xinhua news agency, which described the dead as "gangsters", reported three police officers were also wounded.

"The gangsters drove a vehicle to ram the building of the public security bureau of Yecheng County in southern Xinjiang and set off explosives," it said.

The attack comes just weeks after dozens of people were killed in an explosion at a market in Urumqi in the same region.

Xinjiang is home to China's Uighur Muslim population, who believe their freedoms, culture and religion are being eroded by authorities and are fighting for autonomy from the rest of the country.

Separatists and militants from the province have been blamed for a string of atrocities across China, including the massacre at Kunming railway station that left 33 people dead.

Chinese authorities accuse them of having ties to Islamist terrorists abroad but there has been little evidence provided to support the claim.

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Iraq Militants Take Border Post In Bloody Battle

Dozens of Iraqi troops have been killed as Islamist militants seized the al Qaim crossing into Syria, security officials say.

The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) took the border post, about 200 miles west of Baghdad, after heavy fighting throughout Friday that left some 30 Iraqi troops dead.

Although the Sunni militants have been able to cross the border with some ease for months amid the conflict in neighbouring Syria, control of the crossings makes it simpler to move weapons and other heavy equipment between the two countries. 

The al Qaim crossing. Pic: File

The mayor of Rawah confirmed militants had captured the town, some 175 miles (275km) northwest of Baghdad.

Hussein AIi al-Aujail said fighters had ransacked government offices there.

ISIS has seized swathes of land in the west of the country and north of the capital Baghdad in recent weeks and despite many Iraqis reportedly flocking to join the fight against the militants the government is on the back foot.

PM Nouri al Maliki is under increasing pressure as the crisis continues

On Friday hundreds of black-clad Shia militants, members of the newly formed "Peace Brigades", marched in the holy city of Najaf, heeding a call to defend holy sites by cleric Muqtada al Sadr.

The cleric once led a powerful militia, the Mahdi army, that battled US troops and was blamed for attacks on Sunni civilians at the height of Iraq's sectarian conflict in 2006 and 2007.

Militiamen also marched at a parade in Kirkuk, where they were called on to "sacrifice" themselves in defence of their country.

Militiamen loyal to Muqtada al Sadr march in Kerbala

In Baghdad, about 20,000 men marched through the Sadr City district with assault rifles, rocket launchers, artillery and missiles. Similar parades took place in the southern cities of Amarah and Basra.

Some carried Iraqi flags, while others held signs with messages including "We sacrifice for you, O Iraq," "No, no to terrorism," and "No, no to America".

The fall of the crossing comes as Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki faces mounting pressure to form an inclusive government or step aside.

A volunteer shouts as he takes part in a military parade in Najaf

A top Shia cleric and the White House have both strongly hinted that Mr Maliki is in part to blame for the worst crisis in Iraq since US troops withdrew at the end of 2011.

Grand Ayatollah Ali al Sistani, the most respected voice for the country's Shia majority, on Friday joined calls for Mr Maliki to reach out to the Kurdish and Sunni minorities, remarks that could seal his fate.

A day earlier, President Barack Obama challenged him to create a leadership representative of all Iraqis.

There are fears Iraq could be on the brink of civil war

"Only leaders that can govern with an inclusive agenda are going to be able to truly bring the Iraqi people together and help them through this crisis," Mr Obama said.

Mr Maliki has until the end of this month to form a majority coalition after winning the most seats in April's election.

If he were to step aside, President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, would assume the role until a new prime minister is elected, according to the constitution.

But he has been in Germany for treatment since 2012, so his deputy, Khudeir al Khuzaie, a Shia, would step in

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Jihadi Video Brit's Father: 'Give Up Your Guns'

The father of a British student seen in an ISIS recruitment video appealing for Muslims to join the fight in Iraq has pleaded with him to come home.

Ahmed Muthana told Sky News he believes his son Nasser was radicalised in a mosque in the United Kingdom, but did not know which one.

He said: "The way he talks is not Nasser talking, it's someone else … He was a very soft person, he was very nice, but why he left his family I don't know. Who drove him? I don't know.

"The way he talks, the radicalism he is talking about, recruiting, asking British-born Muslims to come Syria is not Nasser's way.

"Nasser has never persuaded anybody like this before. It's the first time for me and devastating for me and my family."

The 20-year-old is seen in the video - released on social media - wearing a white turban and using the name Abu Muthanna al Yemeni.

ISIS fighters have taken control of large areas of Iraq

In the film, entitled "There is no life without Jihad", he claims the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), has fighters from as far afield as Cambodia, Australia and the UK.

His family, from the Cardiff area, said that he travelled to join the conflict with younger brother Aseel Muthana, 17.

Muthana is one of three apparent Britons to feature in the video, which calls for their countrymen to "answer the call and fight for Allah".

When asked if he had a message for his son, Mr Muthana said: "My message to Nasser and Aseel is please come back home.

"Your home is the United Kingdom, not the Middle East."

ISIS, which has taken over large parts of Iraq in recent weeks, has launched a global campaign asking Muslims to post messages "to support the Islamic State" on social media.

The three apparent Britons that appear in the video

The militants have used it to release videos of them parading around towns they have claimed in northern Iraq.

One of the co-founders of Twitter has told Sky News the platform remains a "force for good" despite being utilised by groups such as ISIS.

Biz Stone told Digital View: "When you create a large-scale platform where hundreds of millions of people have the freedom of expression you have to take the good with the bad.

"I'd rather this sort of thing be out in the open than hidden in the back waters."

The Home Office said in a statement: "We do not tolerate the existence of online terrorist and extremist propaganda, which directly influences people who are vulnerable to radicalisation.

"We already work closely with the internet industry to remove terrorist material hosted in the UK or overseas."

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Africa 'Must Unite' To Stop Boko Haram Spread

Boko Haram Snatches Young Boys Across Border

Updated: 10:47am UK, Thursday 19 June 2014

By Alex Crawford, Special Correspondent, in Cameroon

The Nigerian-born Islamic militant group Boko Haram is terrorising communities inside neighbouring Cameroon and snatching young boys from across the border and forcing them to join the sect.

We saw abandoned villages and burned-out schools inside Cameroon, despite the presence of hundreds of troops including some of the country's top soldiers from the elite rapid response unit Battalion D'Intervention Rapide (BIR).

The huge 1,243-mile (2,000km) border with Nigeria is mostly unmanned and un-policed, allowing Boko Haram to cross over and mount attacks inside Cameroon with horrifying regularity.

Soldiers from the BIR are desperately trying to stop the spread of Boko Haram in their country.

But the sect, which appears to be trying to create an Islamic fundamentalist belt across West Africa, continues to wreak terror and destruction all along the border.

Nigeria has accused Cameroon of not doing enough and has said Boko Haram fighters and leaders are using the country as a safe haven.

But the country's military leaders insist that is not the case.

Cameroon Defence Ministry spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Badjeck told us: "They are not in Cameroon. Why would we allow that? This is bad for Cameroon.

"We are suffering, too, at the hands of Boko Haram."

He said the country may have reacted slowly to the Boko Haram threat but had reacted as soon as they realised it was growing and encroaching into Cameroon.

There are now hundreds of troops including those from the elite BIR unit, in the north.

The border lines are often difficult to decipher with no markings or obvious difference between the two countries.

In the town of Amchide, the border cuts right through the town with roughly two-thirds of the town under Nigerian control and the remaining third in Cameroon territory.

We were with the elite unit as soldiers patrolled through the town and up to a rope across the road which signalled the end of Cameroon land.

About 100 metres away, some Nigerian soldiers cheerily greeted their counterparts.

There appears to be much more cordial relations on the ground among the foot soldiers than there is between their respective political masters.

In other communities, the villagers told us how Boko Haram militants stormed in during the day, trying to snatch young boys to add to their recruits.

One young lad told us how he was approached by the militants as he worked in the fields.

They at first tried to persuade him to join them. When he refused, the situation turned ugly but somehow he managed to run away.

The eyes of the world are on Syria and Iraq at the moment as the Islamic militants there shock with their brutal attempts to wrestle control of swathes of both countries.

But according to the Cameroon military, the Islamic militants of Boko Haram are fighting a similar terror campaign in West Africa.

The sect is spreading across the northeast of its own country but also spilling over into its neighbours.

Cameroon, with its long, unchecked border, is possibly most vulnerable.

And so far, despite the attempts of even some of its top soldiers, the Boko Haram fighters, far from being defeated, appear to be growing in strength and numbers.

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CIA Toyed With Idea Of Bin Laden Devil Doll

The CIA once considered employing a different kind of weapon in its war on terror: a devil-like Osama bin Laden action figurine.

The doll's face peeled off to reveal demon-like red complexion

The plan was said to have been devised in 2005, when the terror mastermind was still America's most wanted man.

The CIA said three prototypes were created. Pic: Washington Post

The 30cm (12in) dolls featured traditional garb and had faces painted with dissolving material that would peel off and show a demon-like red complexion with black marks and green eyes.

The idea behind the project, code-named Devil Eyes, was to turn children away from bin Laden and counter his influence.

The figurine was produced by the creators of GI Joe. Pic: Washington Post

The CIA turned to the maker of the popular GI Joe toys and a veteran in the business, Donald Levine, according to a Washington Post report.

Prototypes were created in 2006 - all made in China - but the doll never did make it on toy store shelves as the CIA decided to abandon the plan.

The CIA was seeking to counter bin Laden's influence. Pic: Washington Post

"To our knowledge, there were only three individual action figures ever created, and these were merely to show what a final product might look like," CIA spokesman Ryan Trapani told the Post.

"After being presented with these examples, the CIA declined to pursue this idea and did not produce or distribute any of these action figures.

Bin Laden was killed in 2011

"Furthermore, CIA has no knowledge of these action figures being produced or distributed by others."

Bin Laden was killed in 2011 in a US raid by Navy Seals on Abbottabad, Pakistan.

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Iraq Needs New Leaders, Senior Shia Cleric Says

Iraq's senior Shia religious authority has called for a new government for the country as it struggles to stop Sunni militants seizing controls of towns across large areas of the country.

Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani called for the newly-elected parliament to start work without delay after the results of recent elections were ratified by Iraq's federal court.

Iraqi prime minister Nouri al-Maliki, a Shia Muslim, has come under pressure since Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) insurgents took control of Mosul and began moving south towards Baghdad.

Burnt out Iraqi security force vehicles in Mosul, where ISIS have control

Ayatollah Sistani had previously called for Iraqis to join the fight against the militants.

Speaking in the shrine city of Karbala, his spokesman Abdul Mehdi al-Karbalai said the call to arms "was for all citizens, without specifying a religion".

"The goal was to get ready to face the takfiri group called ISIL, which now has the upper hand ... in what is happening in many provinces," he said, using an Arabic word that loosely translates as extremist.

USGS/NASA image of smoke billowing from the Baiji oil refinery

Sky's foreign affairs editor Sam Kiley, in Baghdad, said: "Ali al-Sistani is not only a powerful Ayatollah but he is one of the great voices in the Shia faith.

"Maliki has got to move fast and he has got to incorporate Sunnis, something the Ayatollah has said frequently over the last few months" but now "the signs are that all of the pressure is on him".

Mr Sistani's remarks came after US President Barack OBama said the Iraqi prime minister needed to take urgent steps to heal the sectarian rift, but stopped short of calling for him to go, saying: "It's not our job to choose Iraq's leaders."

"Above all, Iraqi leaders must rise above their differences and come together around a political plan for Iraq's future," he said.

Shia fighters from the Mehdi Army at a military-style training in Najaf

Mr Obama had been announcing that he would send 300 military advisers to Iraq to help the battle against the militants.

He said he was prepared to take "targeted" military action but stressed US troops, who withdrew from Iraq in 2011 after eight years, would not return to combat in the country.

US politicians have suggested that the assistance should be dependant on Mr Maliki stepping aside.

Sunni tribal chief Sheik Ali Hatem al Suleiman, the emir of the Sunni Dulaim tribe from Anbar province, said Mr Obama could no longer rely on Mr Maliki to deal with the insurgency.

US military advisers will be sent into Iraq to help Iraqi forces

"I think that most of President Obama's speech, but not all of it, was shallow and didn't address the heart of the matter," he said.

"It talked about participation, it talked about a national government, but you can't come to Iraq with a speech that doesn't address the truth of the problem.

"And the real problem in Iraq is al Maliki himself. I don't think Obama's speech addressed the reality of today's Iraq. You can't rely on him. The man has become paralysed."

Iran, meanwhile, has accused Mr Obama of lacking the "serious will" to fight terrorism after he declined to immediately meet an Iraqi request for airstrikes.

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'British Jihadist' Video Calls For Iraq Recruits

A video purporting to show British jihadists urging Western Muslims to join them in Iraq has been released on social media.

The footage - which lasts 13 minutes and has not been independently verified - apparently features Britons and Australians fighting for the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

"We are aware of reports of the circulation of a ISIL (ISIS) recruitment video and are looking into them," said a Foreign and Commonwealth Office statement.

The Iraqi prime minister's spokesman in the UK, Dr Zuhair Al-Naher, told Sky News the video proves ISIS is a threat to the West.

"The video seems to show an organisation that respects no borders - this is why they are a danger not just to Iraq and the region but also to the West and Britain," he said.

"These terrorists will come back highly radicalised and militarised."

Militants have posted images purportedly showing the massacre of soldiers

The video emerged as ISIS, who have taken control of large swathes of Iraq, launched a global online campaign asking Muslims to post messages of support.

The organisation aims to get one billion Muslims posting on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram "to support the Islamic State".

Thousands of tweets have been posted using two hashtags.

"Today after Friday prayers we will be launching with the help of God the largest media campaign in support of an Islamic state," tweeted @AL_Bttaar, one of the apparent orchestrators.

An image outlining "duties" of those supporting the campaign is also in circulation.

The duties include talking "about the lies that enemies try to pin on ISIS" and to "tweet the talks of Sheikh Al Baghdadi", an ISIS chief. The image also urges supporters to post translations in English.

Isis released a video showing captured Iraq military personnel

Sky's Foreign Affairs Correspondent Lisa Holland said ISIS is proving as capable on the web as on the battlefield.

"ISIS is calling on Sunni Muslims to join their jihad in a direct way not seen before," she said.

"We've seen fairly unsophisticated videos released by Al Qaeda but this is quite different. ISIS knows how to use the media both in terms of publicising their gains but also promoting their propaganda.

"They even seem to have a media hub."

ISIS has used social media to release videos of its fighters parading around towns they have claimed in northern Iraq.

Last week a series of horrific images of Iraqi soldiers being murdered were posted online.

Meanwhile, Twitter user Abu Rashash Britani, who claimed to be a British ISIS fighter and published a stream of vile tweets, has had his account suspended.

One of the co-founders of Twitter has told Sky News the platform remains a "force for good" despite being utilised by groups such as ISIS.

Biz Stone told #DigitalView, which airs on Saturday at 10.30am: "It's certainly a tool for good. When you create a large-scale platform where hundreds of millions of people have the freedom of expression you have to take the good with the bad.

"I'd rather this sort of thing be out in the open than hidden in the back waters."

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US Military Action In Iraq Crisis 'High Risk'

America says it is alarmed about what will happen next in Iraq but the question it is pondering is what role the US can and will play in halting the crisis in Iraq.

But President Obama doesn't have long to consider his options with ISIS threatening to push forward towards the Iraqi capital Baghdad.

Last year, President Obama abandoned plans for punitive military strikes in Syria following a chemical weapons attack, once it became clear that Congress would not give its backing.

That, you would think, would set the pace over whether American can, and will, now intervene in the current crisis in Iraq.

President Obama has indicated he does not need authorisation from Congress

But the sense from the White House is that when it comes to Iraq it believes the legal framework is already in place to act unilaterally and without the specific backing of Congress.

The President may believe he already has political "top cover" with the Authorisation for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) against al Qaeda and its associated forces passed by Congress in 2001 along with his own powers as Commander-in-Chief.

Iraq has asked for US military assistance - namely airstrikes - to stop the advances of Sunni Islamist militants ISIS who have taken over the second city of Mosul and other towns.

There's been no official response yet to Iraq's request but the feeling is that America believes a military solution alone is not the answer and that political change is also needed from Baghdad.

Jets could be launched from the USS George HW Bush in the Gulf

If America does go down the military route airstrikes are widely considered to be the number one option.

They could be launched from the USS George HW Bush, which is now sitting in the Gulf, using A/F-18 fighter jets.

The strikes would be small and targeted, attempting to pick off ISIS forces.

But that in itself is high risk as there's no sense that ISIS are moving forward towards Baghdad in organised columns like a conventional army - instead moving around among the Sunni population.

ISIS is a fast-moving force, mostly in light vehicles, which may not be easy to identify. Distinguishing them from civilians may be difficult and high risk.

Drones may already be in use for reconnaissance purposes to gather intelligence about the movement of ISIS fighters.

Drones may already be in use to gather intelligence

Guided missiles could also be sent from the destroyer USS Truxton and the cruiser USS Philippine Sea which have both been deployed to the area.

Already, additional US troops have been sent to protect American interests in Iraq - such as the embassy in Baghdad.

But America won't want to get pushed into action.

It would much prefer Shia President Nouri al Maliki to bring political change which could halt some of the support ISIS is enjoying from the Sunni community.

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British ISIS Militants 'Will Target UK'

Timeline: How The Iraq Crisis Unfolded

Updated: 2:12pm UK, Tuesday 17 June 2014

A look back at the main events in the Iraq crisis, which has seen Sunni insurgents from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terror group move to within 50 miles of the capital Baghdad.

December 2011: US troops complete their withdrawal after the 2003 invasion which led to the removal of Saddam Hussein.

August 2013: More than 70 people are killed in attacks at the end of Ramadan. ISIS claim responsibility.

January 2-4, 2014: ISIS declares itself in control of the western city of Fallujah and parts of Ramadi following clashes sparked by the clearing of a Sunni-Arab protest camp.

February: al Qaeda formally disowns ISIS, which was at one time an affiliate, because of its extreme methods.

April: Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki wins the most seats in a general election.

June 10: ISIS seizes all of Nineveh province in the north, including the capital Mosul - Iraq's second city. Mr Maliki asks parliament to declare a state of emergency.

June 11: The militants launch a wave of attacks further south, taking Tikrit and freeing hundreds of prisoners in Baiji. An assault on Samarra, 70 miles (110km) north of Baghdad, is repelled by security forces.

June 12: Iraq's air force strikes fighters' positions near Mosul and Tikrit.

US President Barack Obama says he is looking at "all the options" to help the government, which fails to secure authorisation for a state of emergency.

The army abandons its bases in Kirkuk, leaving Kurdish Peshmerga troops to take control.

June 13: A top Shia cleric issues a call to arms, telling the population to take up arms and defend their country.

Mr Maliki claims government forces have started to clear cities of "terrorists" and implements an emergency plan to protect Baghdad.

President Obama rules out sending back troops to fight ISIS.

The rebels move into the towns of Saadiyah and Jalawla in eastern province of Diyala.

June 14: Iran offers to work with the US to tackle the crisis, as Britain pledges an initial £3m in emergency aid to help refugees fleeing the violence.

The Iraqi army's fightback continues, with forces retaking the towns of Ishaqi, al-Mutasim and Duluiyah in Salaheddin province.

Troops also regain much of Tikrit, Saddam Hussein's home town.

US aircraft carrier USS George HW Bush is ordered to the Persian Gulf.

June 15: Photos emerge appearing to show an ISIS massacre of 1,700 captured government soldiers. Baghdad says number is exaggerated.

Reports say militants have overrun Tal Afar, the largest town in Nineveh province.

A bombing in central Baghdad leaves 15 people dead and dozens injured.

Former PM Tony Blair tells Sky News that critics who believe the violence is the result of the 2003 invasion are "profoundly mistaken".

June 16: Video footage purporting to show an ISIS fighter questioning and killing unarmed Iraqi soldiers draws condemnation.

ISIS takes control of Tal Afar and the al Adhim area of Diyala province.

US Secretary of State John Kerry says Washington is "open to discussions with Iran".

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Iraq Forces 'Retake' Oil Refinery From ISIS

Iraqi forces have regained full control of the country's biggest oil refinery after heavy fighting with Sunni militants attempting to seize it, the authorities claim.

The retaking of the plant in Baiji, north of Baghdad, comes amid calls for the Iraqi prime minister Nouri al Maliki to quit as a condition of US help in driving back insurgents who have seized large swathes of the country.

The Baghdad government has requested America launch airstrikes against the ISIS extremists, whose lightning offensive in the north of the country, including the capture of the city of Mosul, saw the US-bankrolled military crumble.

The advance of the al Qaeda breakaway group has only been slowed by a regrouped army, Shia militias and other volunteers.

A member of the Iraqi security forces guards volunteer fighters in Baghdad

Washington has not yet responded to the Iraqi request for drone strikes.

Officials say action is not imminent, partly because intelligence agencies have been unable to identify clear targets on the ground.

Another potential obstacle to US military involvement is Mr al Maliki himself, who has been blamed for alienating Iraq's Sunni minority, leading to sectarian rifts, and contributing to the current crisis.

Several leading figures in Congress from across the political divide have spoken out against the premier.

Dianne Feinstein, the Democrat chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said: "The Maliki government, candidly, has got to go if you want any reconciliation."

David Petraeus has warned over the risks of the US providing air support

Republican senator John McCain backed military support but urged Mr Obama to "make it make very clear to Maliki that his time is up".

Speaking on Sky News, Nato Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen also warned: "Unless the government reaches out to other groups in Iraqi society, there's a clear risk that the country will be split."

And General David Petraeus, who led the US troop surge ahead of America pulling out of Iraq, says there should not even be air support without major change in Baghdad.

The former CIA chief warned Washington risked becoming an "air force for Shiite militias", if it agreed to the request for support.

ISIS militants claim to have captured an airbase in Tal Afar

However, President Barack Obama has indicated he does not need authorisation from Congress to take any steps over action in Iraq.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for Mr al Maliki said the country's leaders felt "abandoned", comparing the situation to the genocide in Rwanda, and "the Nazi occupation of Europe".

He added: "Our focus needs to be on urgent action, air support, logistic support, counter-intelligence support, to defeat these terrorists who are posing a real danger to the stability of Iraq and to the whole region."

He insisted Mr al Maliki's administration was inclusive, with Sunni Muslims represented in key roles.

But so far his government has relied almost entirely on his fellow Shias for support, with officials denouncing Sunni political leaders as traitors.

The US deliberations on military action came amid fierce fighting for the oil refinery in Baiji.

There had been reports the insurgents at one point appeared to control most of the site, although security officials denied the compound has fallen.

But Mr al Malaki's security spokesman said: "The security forces are in full control of the Baiji refinery."

Its capture would not only have threatened power supplies, but would also give ISIS access to a large supply of fuel to add to the weaponry seized in Mosul and across the north.

ISIS also claims to have captured an airbase in Tal Afar, although this cannot be verified.

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Spain's New King Felipe VI Officially Sworn In

Felipe VI has been officially sworn in as the new king of Spain at the country's parliament following the abdication of his father, Juan Carlos.

The swearing-in ceremony was held in parliament without the usual pomp and ceremony associated with a royal coronation in recognition of the hardship being endured by many Spaniards in austere times.

The 46-year-old, wearing military uniform with a sash, took an oath of loyalty to Spain's constitution before giving an address.

Felipe VI with his wife, Queen Letizia, and their children greet the crowds

"We have a great country. We should all be proud of being Spaniards," Felipe, who officially ascended to the throne at midnight, said at the ceremony.

Felipe promised "a renewed monarchy for new times", after scandals tainted his father's reign.

"Today, more than ever, the people rightly demand our public lives be guided by... moral and ethical principles," he told politicians, who shouted "Viva el Rey (Long live the king)!"

He ended his speech by saying "thank you" in three Spanish regional languages - Catalan, Basque and Galician - where independence movements are strongest.

Felipe's mother, Sofia, during the swearing-in ceremony

Felipe, a former Olympic yachtsman, was then honoured with a military parade before being driven through the sunny streets of central Madrid with his wife, Queen Letizia, a former journalist.

Thousands of supporters lined the streets and cheered the king - the occasion providing a welcome distraction to Spaniards reeling from their team's shock exit from the World Cup.

The newly crowned king, his wife and their daughters, Princesses Leonor, 8, and Sofia, 7, then greeted crowds from the balcony of the Royal Palace with other members of the royal family.

Felipe later disappeared to host an afternoon reception at the Royal Palace with 2,000 guests from all walks of society.

His father did not attend the swearing-in ceremony so as not to distract attention from the new monarch, according to the palace.

The outgoing king lost favour after going on an elephant hunting trip

Monarchists hope Felipe becoming king will bring in a new era for the troubled royal household.

He has remained untouched by a royal corruption scandal, in which his brother-in-law is charged with embezzling millions of euros of public funds in a case that shocked the public.

The outgoing king, credited with helping the country's transition to democracy, also lost favour after going on a secret elephant hunting trip at the height of Spain's recession.

Although polls show the decision to hand over to Felipe has boosted the popularity of the royals, nearly two thirds now also support the idea of a referendum on whether Spain should continue to be a constitutional monarchy.

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Kurds Lead Fightback Against ISIS Militants

Timeline: How The Iraq Crisis Unfolded

Updated: 2:12pm UK, Tuesday 17 June 2014

A look back at the main events in the Iraq crisis, which has seen Sunni insurgents from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terror group move to within 50 miles of the capital Baghdad.

December 2011: US troops complete their withdrawal after the 2003 invasion which led to the removal of Saddam Hussein.

August 2013: More than 70 people are killed in attacks at the end of Ramadan. ISIS claim responsibility.

January 2-4, 2014: ISIS declares itself in control of the western city of Fallujah and parts of Ramadi following clashes sparked by the clearing of a Sunni-Arab protest camp.

February: al Qaeda formally disowns ISIS, which was at one time an affiliate, because of its extreme methods.

April: Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki wins the most seats in a general election.

June 10: ISIS seizes all of Nineveh province in the north, including the capital Mosul - Iraq's second city. Mr Maliki asks parliament to declare a state of emergency.

June 11: The militants launch a wave of attacks further south, taking Tikrit and freeing hundreds of prisoners in Baiji. An assault on Samarra, 70 miles (110km) north of Baghdad, is repelled by security forces.

June 12: Iraq's air force strikes fighters' positions near Mosul and Tikrit.

US President Barack Obama says he is looking at "all the options" to help the government, which fails to secure authorisation for a state of emergency.

The army abandons its bases in Kirkuk, leaving Kurdish Peshmerga troops to take control.

June 13: A top Shia cleric issues a call to arms, telling the population to take up arms and defend their country.

Mr Maliki claims government forces have started to clear cities of "terrorists" and implements an emergency plan to protect Baghdad.

President Obama rules out sending back troops to fight ISIS.

The rebels move into the towns of Saadiyah and Jalawla in eastern province of Diyala.

June 14: Iran offers to work with the US to tackle the crisis, as Britain pledges an initial £3m in emergency aid to help refugees fleeing the violence.

The Iraqi army's fightback continues, with forces retaking the towns of Ishaqi, al-Mutasim and Duluiyah in Salaheddin province.

Troops also regain much of Tikrit, Saddam Hussein's home town.

US aircraft carrier USS George HW Bush is ordered to the Persian Gulf.

June 15: Photos emerge appearing to show an ISIS massacre of 1,700 captured government soldiers. Baghdad says number is exaggerated.

Reports say militants have overrun Tal Afar, the largest town in Nineveh province.

A bombing in central Baghdad leaves 15 people dead and dozens injured.

Former PM Tony Blair tells Sky News that critics who believe the violence is the result of the 2003 invasion are "profoundly mistaken".

June 16: Video footage purporting to show an ISIS fighter questioning and killing unarmed Iraqi soldiers draws condemnation.

ISIS takes control of Tal Afar and the al Adhim area of Diyala province.

US Secretary of State John Kerry says Washington is "open to discussions with Iran".

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'Mona Lisa' Of Stamps Sets New Auction Record

A postage stamp from a 19th century British colony in South America has become the world's most valuable stamp - again.

The 1856 British Guiana One-Cent Magenta has sold for $9.5m (£5.6m) at a Sotheby's auction in New York.

It was the fourth time it has broken the auction record for a single stamp in the 158 years since it was made.

The British Guiana, which went to an anonymous buyer, was expected to fetch between $10m and $20m.

Nonetheless, Sotheby's vice chairman David Redden still labelled the sale "a truly great moment for the world of stamp collecting".

"That price will be hard to beat, and likely won't be exceeded unless the British Guiana comes up for sale again in the future," he added.

A Sotheby's employee examines the highly valuable stamp

The previous auction record for a single stamp was held by an 1855 Swedish stamp, which sold for $2.3m (£1.35m) in 1996.

Measuring 1in by 1¼in (2.5cm by 3.2cm), the British Guiana has not been on public view since 1986 and is the only major stamp absent from the British Royal Family's private Royal Philatelic Collection.

"You're not going to find anything rarer than this," said Allen Kane, director of the Smithsonian National Postal Museum. "It's a stamp the world of collectors has been dying to see for a long time."

David Beech, former curator of stamps at the British Library, has described the British Guiana as the Mona Lisa of stamps.

Printed in black on magenta paper, it bears the image of a three-masted ship and the colony's motto, in Latin: "We give and expect in return."

It went into circulation after a shipment of stamps was delayed from London and the postmaster asked printers to create three stamps until the others arrived: a one-cent magenta, a four-cent magenta and a four-cent blue.

Of these, only the one-cent stamp is known to exist today.

The last owner was John E. du Pont, an heir to the du Pont chemical fortune who paid a record $935,000 (£550,000) for it in 1980.

The stamp was sold by his estate, which will designate some of the proceeds to the Eurasian Pacific Wildlife Conservation Foundation that du Pont championed.

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Why Li's Handshake With Queen Is Uncomfortable

The desire for Britain and China to take their relationship in trade and investment to a new level is obvious.

Put simply, China has the cash and the spending power that could really help Britain.

Equally, the UK has experience and expertise which China could use in so many sectors from energy, design and innovation to finance, education and health.

That seems to explain why Britain has rolled out the red carpet in a big way for Premier Li on his three-day London trip.

There was an audience with the Queen - unusual given Mr Li is Prime Minister, not head of state. There was a guard of honour too.

But watching Mr Li shake hands with the Queen and then inspect the soldiers from the Coldstream Guards, formed up in his honour, makes some observers feel uncomfortable.

The reason? Two words: "human rights". It is a loaded phrase, I know. It means different things in different contexts and to different people.

The Chinese premier was given the red carpet treatment in London

In Britain there is sometimes frustration, even outrage, when convicted foreign criminals are allowed to remain in the UK because deportation infringes their "human rights".

But what about when the phrase is applied to China, as it so often is?

There is a tendency to throw the phrase into conversations and news reports without any context. What does it mean? How does it relate to China?

Here are a few thoughts:

:: Political freedom

I met a tourist in Beijing the other day. We got talking. Politics came up. It had entirely slipped his mind that there are no elections in China.

These days, the country has such a dynamic and capitalist feel that, for some, it's easy to forget that it remains a one-party state. Its people are unable to choose who governs them.

The Tiananmen Square massacre was a brutal suppression of political freedom

:: Freedom of expression

Not only are they unable to choose their government, but they are unable to question the government either.

Chinese citizens are far from free to express their political opinions. Since the new leaders took over in March last year (the fifth generation of continuous Communist rule) there has been a step change in the number of people detained for attempting to express their opinions either at gatherings or online.

Using the catch all phrase "rumour-spreading" the government has detained people in unprecedented numbers.

They include prominent scholars, academics, lawyers, even relatives of those who died in the 1989 Tiananmen Massacre.

Trials often take place in private - off limits to the media, which isn't free to report what it wants anyway.

:: The internet and the media

Journalists in China face restrictions and intimidation

Visitors to China are often shocked to discover that Facebook, Twitter, YouTube are all blocked in China. So too are several news websites.

On television, BBC World and CNN International both regularly "go to black" when reports about China are aired. A Chinese censor in a control centre somewhere literally presses a button to cut transmission.

All this in a country that is now considered a grown-up global player. 

:: Foreign reporters

As a foreign correspondent in China, I find myself subjected to extraordinary obstruction in my attempts to report on certain issues such as trials, anniversaries of sensitive events, investigations into forced abortions and the persecution of Christians and Muslims.

We are intimidated, physically assaulted and constantly reminded that our visas need to be renewed annually. In other words: "Behave or you're out".

:: The death penalty

A woman shouts as she is sentenced to death before her execution in 2001

There are plenty of countries around the world that use the death penalty, but according to Amnesty International, China executed more people last year than every other country combined.

Many had sentences handed down in closed trials. This week alone, it emerged that 13 Uighur Muslims were executed for offences ranging from arson to organising terror attacks.

The trials were closed and the fate of the accused only announced after the executions. China has 55 capital offences, including many non-violent crimes.

:: Religious freedom

Chairman Mao is often quoted as having said that "religion is poison". Sixty-five years since his revolution brought the Communists to power in China, it's still not straightforward to practise religion in China - as we discovered in December. 

:: The one child policy

Liu Xinwen was forced to have an abortion because of the one child policy

Concessions were made this year in China's continued policing of the one child policy. If couples meet certain criteria they can now have a second child.

Yet in many provinces and for many couples, one child is all they are allowed. If they fall pregnant again, the consequences can be, frankly, heartbreaking.

This is not an exhaustive list. Far more details can be found on the British Government's website. Their list certainly suggests that the UK isn't ignoring China's human rights record in favour of investment opportunities.

Indeed, diplomats tell me that the stronger the economic and political relationship, the easier it is to raise human rights concerns.

Still, in the context of what "human rights" means in China, it makes the visit with the Queen and the pomp on the parade square feel, for some, unpalatable.

A last point...

Millions now out of poverty: people power or Communist triumph?

China is, these days, more willing than ever to confront the accusation that it has an appalling human rights record.

Its argument is this - the Communist leaders talk of human rights in collective terms rather than individual ones.

The Communist Party argues that it has "pulled millions people out of poverty" through economic and social reforms.

In that context, they say they have vastly improved the human rights of millions of Chinese citizens.

Others would argue that it wasn't the Communists who "pulled" the people out of poverty, it was simply the decision to "unshackle" them economically which allowed the Chinese people pull themselves out of poverty.

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PM Warns Iraq Terrorists Will 'Hit UK At Home'

Timeline: How The Iraq Crisis Unfolded

Updated: 2:12pm UK, Tuesday 17 June 2014

A look back at the main events in the Iraq crisis, which has seen Sunni insurgents from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terror group move to within 50 miles of the capital Baghdad.

December 2011: US troops complete their withdrawal after the 2003 invasion which led to the removal of Saddam Hussein.

August 2013: More than 70 people are killed in attacks at the end of Ramadan. ISIS claim responsibility.

January 2-4, 2014: ISIS declares itself in control of the western city of Fallujah and parts of Ramadi following clashes sparked by the clearing of a Sunni-Arab protest camp.

February: al Qaeda formally disowns ISIS, which was at one time an affiliate, because of its extreme methods.

April: Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki wins the most seats in a general election.

June 10: ISIS seizes all of Nineveh province in the north, including the capital Mosul - Iraq's second city. Mr Maliki asks parliament to declare a state of emergency.

June 11: The militants launch a wave of attacks further south, taking Tikrit and freeing hundreds of prisoners in Baiji. An assault on Samarra, 70 miles (110km) north of Baghdad, is repelled by security forces.

June 12: Iraq's air force strikes fighters' positions near Mosul and Tikrit.

US President Barack Obama says he is looking at "all the options" to help the government, which fails to secure authorisation for a state of emergency.

The army abandons its bases in Kirkuk, leaving Kurdish Peshmerga troops to take control.

June 13: A top Shia cleric issues a call to arms, telling the population to take up arms and defend their country.

Mr Maliki claims government forces have started to clear cities of "terrorists" and implements an emergency plan to protect Baghdad.

President Obama rules out sending back troops to fight ISIS.

The rebels move into the towns of Saadiyah and Jalawla in eastern province of Diyala.

June 14: Iran offers to work with the US to tackle the crisis, as Britain pledges an initial £3m in emergency aid to help refugees fleeing the violence.

The Iraqi army's fightback continues, with forces retaking the towns of Ishaqi, al-Mutasim and Duluiyah in Salaheddin province.

Troops also regain much of Tikrit, Saddam Hussein's home town.

US aircraft carrier USS George HW Bush is ordered to the Persian Gulf.

June 15: Photos emerge appearing to show an ISIS massacre of 1,700 captured government soldiers. Baghdad says number is exaggerated.

Reports say militants have overrun Tal Afar, the largest town in Nineveh province.

A bombing in central Baghdad leaves 15 people dead and dozens injured.

Former PM Tony Blair tells Sky News that critics who believe the violence is the result of the 2003 invasion are "profoundly mistaken".

June 16: Video footage purporting to show an ISIS fighter questioning and killing unarmed Iraqi soldiers draws condemnation.

ISIS takes control of Tal Afar and the al Adhim area of Diyala province.

US Secretary of State John Kerry says Washington is "open to discussions with Iran".

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Pilot Forced To Jump As Skydiver Damages Plane

A pilot who had to take his first jump as his skydiving plane was spiralling out of control has recounted the shaky moment he leapt out of the aircraft.

Shawn Kinmartin was flying four clients of Fly Free Skydiving out of an airport in Missouri's Crystal City when he suddenly had to fight to control his Cessna 182 after the last jumper's parachute damaged the aircraft's tail.

The 21-year-old, who has been flying skydivers for years, managed to steer the plane away from a populated farmland and then decided to bail.

"I thought, 'What am I doing?' But I knew it was the right decision," Mr Kinmartin told the AP news agency.

"I know things were getting bad, and I felt the controls getting less and less responsive," he said.

"At that point, (my boss) was recommending bailing out."

He was already wearing a parachute, as his employer requires of his pilots on such flights.

Nobody was injured

Ultimately, the plane slammed harmlessly into a corn field, while Mr Kinmartin landed safely, and no one was injured.

Even in the scary circumstances he said he felt the "rush of skydiving".

"I saw the aircraft spiralling underneath me, and once I knew no one was going to be harmed, at that point it was a relief.

"I had some fun, even if it was short," he said.

"I can't wait to get back up there. This is what I'm born to do. This won't stop me."

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Fleeing ISIS: Iraqis Tell Of Loss And Tragedy

By Sherine Tadros, Middle East Correspondent

Dozens of Iraqi families who escaped the fighting in Mosul have made their way to a newly-built refugee camp in the northern area of Dohuk.

They are homeless and have nowhere to go.

"Ahmed" was an officer in the Iraqi police force. We've had to change his name because he's afraid he will be targeted again by ISIS militants.

He had just got to the camp with his family when we met him.

He showed us pictures he says he took of his home after ISIS bombed it.

What was once a seven-bedroom villa is now a pile of rubble.

Ahmed took his nine-month pregnant wife and children and came to the Dohuk camp.

It took them 12 hours and now they say they are afraid and on the run.

"People were so scared in Mosul when I left," said Ahmed.

"There was no electricity, no food and we heard explosions. The Islamist fighters were everywhere in the town.

"They wore black masks and were armed. You couldn't speak or reason with them or they'd just kill you."

These are considered the lucky ones as they have a roof over their heads

Many more people are pouring into the camp, bringing with them stories of loss and tragedy.

Hundreds of thousands have recently fled the areas now under the control of ISIS and their allies.

Some are in camps, but even more went further into towns close to the border.

The town of Al Qosh near the Syrian border with Iraq has taken in hundreds in the past week.

This ancient Christian community is now opening its doors to Iraqis of different religions. It is providing a safe haven for those seeking protection.

We came across a school that has been turned into a shelter for 30 families who came from Mosul.

Mattresses line the floors, there are flies everywhere.

Umm Younis says she came here with her children because she heard it was safe. It's been a week now and it's been tough.

"Life is unbearable. There's no water, no medicine, no clean place. It's crowded and cramped. If anyone catches a disease then everyone gets it," she told us.

One of the hardest things for these people is that they don't know when or even if they'll be able to go back home.

All the women in the school share one bathroom and the water only comes on every other day.

One of the biggest problems is food, there are only two cookers here to service over 140 people.

And these are considered the lucky ones because they have a roof over their heads and a garden for the children to play.

But in another few weeks this school will re-open and the little they have will be taken away.

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Gunmen 'Kill 15' In Second Kenya Attack

Islamist gunmen have killed at least 15 people in a night-time raid on Kenya's coast just 24 hours after an attack left at least 50 dead, police have said.

Somalia-based militant group Al Shabaab claimed responsibility, claiming it had killed as many as 20 people.

Police spokespeople said the militants attacked the villages of Majembeni and Poromoko in Lamu County at about 1am local time.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph Ole Lenku said: "These attacks are unfortunate and the perpetrators must be held accountable.

"We condemn yesterday's killings and the latest attack today where about 15 other people were killed and houses burnt."

Majembeni and Mpeketoni are in Lamu County, Kenya, close to Somalia

The area is close to Mpeketoni, on the coast between Mombasa and the Somali border, where the extremists murdered dozens of people in a raid on Sunday night.

It is thought that the two attacks were carried out by the same group.

Al Shabaab military operations spokesman Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab threatened the onslaught would continue and said: "We raided villages around Mpeketoni again last night. Our operations in Kenya will continue."

The official government figure for the number killed in Sunday night's attack was 48, but Sky sources in the area counted 50 bodies.

A group of gunmen entered Mpeketoni on minibuses and started "shooting people around in town", a spokesman for the interior ministry said.

People watching a World Cup game were among those targeted, and three hotels, a bank and a petrol station were also hit.

Al Shabaab, an al Qaeda-linked group which carried out an attack on a shopping mall in Nairobi last year, said the first attack was a revenge for attacks inside Somalia by Kenyan forces. Foreign tourists were warned to stay out of Kenya.

Lamu had previously been popular with foreign visitors, but tourism has been suffering in recent years because of increasing violence.

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Iraq: Footage Of Militant-Held Mosul Emerges

Timeline: How The Iraq Crisis Unfolded

Updated: 2:12pm UK, Tuesday 17 June 2014

A look back at the main events in the Iraq crisis, which has seen Sunni insurgents from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terror group move to within 50 miles of the capital Baghdad.

December 2011: US troops complete their withdrawal after the 2003 invasion which led to the removal of Saddam Hussein.

August 2013: More than 70 people are killed in attacks at the end of Ramadan. ISIS claim responsibility.

January 2-4, 2014: ISIS declares itself in control of the western city of Fallujah and parts of Ramadi following clashes sparked by the clearing of a Sunni-Arab protest camp.

February: al Qaeda formally disowns ISIS, which was at one time an affiliate, because of its extreme methods.

April: Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki wins the most seats in a general election.

June 10: ISIS seizes all of Nineveh province in the north, including the capital Mosul - Iraq's second city. Mr Maliki asks parliament to declare a state of emergency.

June 11: The militants launch a wave of attacks further south, taking Tikrit and freeing hundreds of prisoners in Baiji. An assault on Samarra, 70 miles (110km) north of Baghdad, is repelled by security forces.

June 12: Iraq's air force strikes fighters' positions near Mosul and Tikrit.

US President Barack Obama says he is looking at "all the options" to help the government, which fails to secure authorisation for a state of emergency.

The army abandons its bases in Kirkuk, leaving Kurdish Peshmerga troops to take control.

June 13: A top Shia cleric issues a call to arms, telling the population to take up arms and defend their country.

Mr Maliki claims government forces have started to clear cities of "terrorists" and implements an emergency plan to protect Baghdad.

President Obama rules out sending back troops to fight ISIS.

The rebels move into the towns of Saadiyah and Jalawla in eastern province of Diyala.

June 14: Iran offers to work with the US to tackle the crisis, as Britain pledges an initial £3m in emergency aid to help refugees fleeing the violence.

The Iraqi army's fightback continues, with forces retaking the towns of Ishaqi, al-Mutasim and Duluiyah in Salaheddin province.

Troops also regain much of Tikrit, Saddam Hussein's home town.

US aircraft carrier USS George HW Bush is ordered to the Persian Gulf.

June 15: Photos emerge appearing to show an ISIS massacre of 1,700 captured government soldiers. Baghdad says number is exaggerated.

Reports say militants have overrun Tal Afar, the largest town in Nineveh province.

A bombing in central Baghdad leaves 15 people dead and dozens injured.

Former PM Tony Blair tells Sky News that critics who believe the violence is the result of the 2003 invasion are "profoundly mistaken".

June 16: Video footage purporting to show an ISIS fighter questioning and killing unarmed Iraqi soldiers draws condemnation.

ISIS takes control of Tal Afar and the al Adhim area of Diyala province.

US Secretary of State John Kerry says Washington is "open to discussions with Iran".

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Kurdish Female Force Ready To Battle Militants

By Sherine Tadros, Middle East Correspondent, in Sulaymaniyah

Three hours from Irbil, in the mountains of Sulamaniya, Kurdish Peshmerga forces are training hard. They are well-armed, disciplined and ready to fight to defend Kurdistan.

But these are not your ordinary Peshmerga. This is the elite women's force.

Colonel Rasheed decided to start the women's unit so she could help defeat former president Saddam Hussein after his militias killed her uncle.

Her three brothers are Peshmerga and fighting in Kirkuk right now.

At the moment the troops are protecting towns and villages

"We told the commanders in Kirkuk we are ready to fight against ISIS," she told Sky News.

"The female forces have combat experience and we have had the same training as the men.

"It's our responsibility too."

Their main task though is to help protect town centres and villages.

There are only around 600 recruits - but what they lack in numbers they make up for in sheer determination.

The division started in 1997

Nineteen-year-old Daria says all she ever wanted to do was join the force; her mother is also a fighter.

"I became a Peshmerga to protect Kurdistan against the enemies who want to attack us, we have to stay united at this time," Daria said.

Kurdish female fighters have a long history in this region and the PKK's female guerrillas have become an effective and well known fighting force.

The Peshmerga women's division started in 1997.

There is a long history of Kurdish female fighters in the region

For the recruits it is a source of pride and national duty.

First they fought against Saddam loyalists and then al Qaeda fighters.

Now they say they are ready to fight against Islamist militants if needed.

As the Iraqi Army continues to fracture, so far the Peshmerga have managed to stick together, putting the security of Kurdistan above religion and politics.

They are a united force in a divided country.

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Iraq: On The Front Line In The Conflict

By Stuart Ramsay, Chief Correspondent, in Kirkuk

Along dusty roads, past huge but now abandoned Iraqi military bases, a Kurdish military convoy makes its way to the front line on the western edge of the city of Kirkuk.

Unlike the Iraqi army they did not flee as ISIS gunmen rampaged their way through this part of northern Iraq, previously considered a stronghold of Baghdad's army.

Hundreds of Peshmerga soldiers man a mud berm. The ISIS fighters are a short distance away on the other side and there is regular contact between the two sides.

Bullets whistle overhead as Kurd fighters look for targets and any sign of movement by the Islamists.

The soldiers say that ISIS are holed up in Sunni villages about 800m away and for the past few days have attacked the Kurdish positions, sometimes from trucks mounted with heavy weapons and sometimes with mortars.

Kurdish Peshmerga forces took control of Kirkuk as Iraqi troops fled

The Kurds just want to contain ISIS and keep them from entering Kirkuk once again.

ISIS are now heavily armed after looting the Iraqi army stores and here, as with much of Iraq, they are digging in and consolidating their positions.

Getting them out is going to prove very difficult.

The Kurdish commanders are staggered at the collapse of the Iraqi army but doubt that ISIS can get into Baghdad.

Sheltering from the blistering sun, Brigadier Sideeq Heerani told me he believes that someone gave the orders for the Iraqi Army to withdraw rather than defend their positions.

Kirkuk lies outside the Kurds semi-autonomous region

"There is a hand behind this. Someone is responsible and should be brought to justice, it makes no sense," he says wiping sweat from his eyes.

On the questions of Baghdad falling to ISIS he shakes his head and smiles.

"You think America would let this happen, Iran would let this happen?" he says.

He is probably correct in his analysis, but the microcosm of the Kurdish containment of ISIS in specific northern areas is not a working plan for huge swathes of the rest of Iraq.

Kirkuk was briefly terrorised by ISIS, but is now under the control of the Kurds and life has returned to normal.

The Kurds are trying to contain ISIS around Kirkuk

In his heavily guarded offices, city governor Dr Najmaddin Karim is warning that ISIS will consolidate, introduce Sharia law and fundamentally change the lives of all citizens living in the areas they now control.

He believes that there needs to be an international response and it has to move quickly.

"ISIS are joining forces with former Baath party members and are growing," he says.

"There needs to be a response and it needs to be in Iraq and in Syria where these people have come from. Tony Blair is right this needs to be coordinated action," he says, promising Kurdish support.

While the government in Baghdad, the United States, Iran and a host of other countries consider how to respond to a problem that flowed here from Syria, but was exacerbated by internal rivalries and politics, the fact is that the Kurds are now the only northern resistance to ISIS and its brutal take over.

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North Korea's Kim Jong-Un Joins Submarine Crew

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has been photographed taking a ride on the pride of his navy - an aging submarine.

Photos appeared on state television of the dictator posing on the galley of the submarine's conning tower, meeting the ship's crew and apparently directing naval manoeuvres.

South Korea's government expressed surprise at the move as the pictures clearly showed the inside of one of the North's most powerful ships.

The South's Yonhap News Agency said the "rusty, green submarine" was thought to be a 1,800-ton Soviet-built Romeo-class vessel, built in the 1950s.

Lines on the side of the conning tower suggest it has been repaired

Pictures of the side of the conning tower showed what looked like furrows or lines where the metal could have undergone repairs.

Yonhap said that the pictures were taken during a visit by Kim to the Korean People's Army's Naval Unit 167.

It quoted North Korea's own news agency KCNA which said that Kim toured "submarine No. 748", guided a navy drill aboard the vessel and taught "navigation methods to its captain".

KCNA quoted Kim as saying: "The Party Central Committee is attaching great importance to the combined units of submarines.

"The commanding officers and seamen should clearly see through the motives of the hateful enemies watching for a chance to invade our land and put spurs to combat preparations, thinking about battles only."

The vessel is thought to be a 1950s Soviet Romeo-class submarine

South Korea's defence ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said: "It is quite unusual that North Korea revealed even the inside of its submarine.

"It appears that Pyongyang aims to show off its submarine might, but the submarines that our Navy holds are far superior to (the North's), as ours do not make much noise and it can stay underwater far longer."

The South Korean ship Cheonan is believed to have been sunk by a torpedo fired from a North Korean submarine in 2010.

According to a multinational report written for the UN's security council looking into the incident, North Korea has around 70 submarines, including about 20 Romeo-class vessels, 40 Sango class (300 tons) and 10 midget submarines (70-80 tons).

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Captured Iraqi Troops Made To Chant ISIS Slogan

Footage has emerged which appears to show an Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) fighter questioning and killing Iraqi soldiers.

It comes after the insurgents, who have seized large swathes of territory in the past week, released graphic pictures purporting to show some of the 1,700 Shia soldiers they claim have shot dead near Tikrit.

According to a translation of the first clip, militants order their prisoners to chant the ISIS slogan "Baqiya", which is thought to mean "(ISIS) will remain in existence" or "Islamic state will stay".

When asked where the government forces are, a soldier replies they have left.

The soldiers appear to be taunted before being killed

The fighters then threaten to chop off the head of one of the soldiers.

The earlier images posted online showed the Sunni insurgents loading captives on to flatbed trucks, forcing them to lie face-down in a ditch with their arms tied behind their backs before they were shot dead.

The militants claimed to have captured 2,500 soldiers, although that number has not been verified.

Chief Iraqi military spokesman, Lieutenant General Qassim al Moussawi, confirmed the authenticity of the earlier pictures and said he was aware of cases of mass murder of captured soldiers in areas held by ISIS.

Two of the soldiers ISIS apparently captured

Jen Psaki, spokeswoman for the US State Department, condemned the "bloodlust" of ISIS.

She said: "While we cannot confirm these reports, one of the primary goals of ISIL is to set fear into the hearts of all Iraqis and drive sectarian division among its people."

Sky's Diplomatic Editor Tim Marshall said the release of the images means the militants have now "got the attention of the world".

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki has vowed to recapture the territory seized by the insurgents last week.

Militants have posted images purportedly showing the massacre of soldiers

In the latest fighting, residents of the northern town of Tal Afar, near the Syrian border, said ISIS had taken control after a dawn raid.

Fighters have swept through towns and cities along the Tigris but have since halted around an hour's drive north of Baghdad.

Security in the capital has been tightened, but despite this three explosions there have left at least 15 people dead and dozens injured.

Iraq's army is holding out in Samarra, which has been the subject of numerous attacks by militants.

A convoy travelling there to reinforce troops was ambushed by Sunni fighters on Sunday near the town of Ishaqi.

The US, which is planning to evacuate some of its staff and boost security at its embassy in Baghdad, is reportedly preparing to stage direct talks with arch-enemy Iran over the situation.

The US aircraft carrier USS George HW Bush has arrived in the Persian Gulf as President Barack Obama considers how to tackle the threat posed by ISIS.

The USS Mesa Verde, with 550 Marines and Osprey aircraft on board, has also entered the Gulf to evacuate Americans if necessary, navy officials say.

Peshmerga soldiers on patrol in northern Iraq

Foreign Secretary William Hague has spoken with his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif, about the crisis.

However, the Foreign Office declined to disclose the contents of the telephone call.

The Government has put a draft order before Parliament to proscribe ISIS as a terrorist organisation.

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