British Jihadi In Video 'Radicalised In UK'

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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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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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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Pope Excommunicates Mafia Members

Pope Francis has described an Italian crime syndicate as "the adoration of evil", adding Mafiosi "are excommunicated".

He was speaking about the 'ndrangheta group during a Mass in southern Italy.

It was the strongest attack on organised crime since the late Pope John Paul hit out at the Sicilian Mafia in 1993.

Francis made the comments after comforting the father of a murdered youngster during a visit to Calabria.

He also met the two grandmothers of Coco' Campolongo in the courtyard of a prison in the town of Castrovillari.

The three-year-old boy was shot, along with one of his grandfathers and the grandfather's companion, in January in an attack blamed on drug turf wars in the nearby town of Cassano all'Jonio.

The father was in prison at the time.

The gunmen also torched the car with the three victims inside.

The Pope publicly expressed his horror at the attack and promised to visit the town.

Francis embraced the father, who asked him to pray for the boy's mother, who was said to be under house arrest.

According to a Vatican spokesman, he told the father: "May children never again have to suffer in this way."

"The two grandmothers were weeping like fountains," the spokesman added.

More follows...

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South Korean Soldier Kills Comrades And Flees

A South Korean soldier has shot dead five members of his own unit at a guard post near the border with the North, say officials.

The army conscript, who also wounded five others when he opened fire, is on the run after fleeing with his weapon.

An operation is under way to capture him.

The shooting happened at an outpost in Goseong close to the DMZ

The shooting happened at an outpost in Goseong, about 205 miles northeast of the capital Seoul, on Saturday.

It is located just outside the demilitarised zone (DMZ) - a buffer strip that runs the full length of the border, and known as the world's last Cold War frontier.

A spokesman said: "He shot dead five fellow soldiers, wounded five others and then fled the scene with his rifle and ammunition."

The border separating the two Koreas is heavily fortified

There is no indication North Korea was involved, but tensions have been heightened recently, with Pyongyang staging a series of missile and artillery drills.

The rivals have also exchanged fire along their disputed maritime border in the Yellow Sea.

Shootings do happen occasionally on the heavily-fortified border.

Last year, South Korean soldiers shot and killed a man they thought was trying to cross into the North.

In 2011, a 19-year-old marine corporal went on a shooting rampage at a Gwanghwa Island base, just south of the tense maritime border.

And in 2005, a soldier tossed a hand grenade and opened fire at a frontline army unit in a rampage that killed eight colleagues and injured several others.

The Korean Peninsula is still technically in a state of war as the 1950-53 war ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty.

The South Korean military made up of more than 600,000 troops relies heavily on conscription, and military service often involves postings to frontline positions on the border with North Korea.

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Syria: 'Remotely-Guided Car' Bomb Kills 34

A car bomb has killed 34 people and injured more than 50 others in a government controlled village in central Syria.

The blast took place in Hurra, a village close to the city of Hama inhabited by members of the Syrian President Bashar Al Assad's Alawite tribe.

AFP said responsibility was claimed by the Islamic Front, a confederation of a Islamist groups fighting Assad's government.

A video put out by the group's Youtube account showed a large yellow mushroom cloud lighting up the night sky.

Sky News is unable to independently verify whether the video shows the car bombing.

Syria's state news agency SANA described the car bomb as a "terrorist" attack, blaming it on rebels.

The Islamic Front said on Twitter that a "remotely guided car" had been used to target a "gathering of Assad militia".

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an anti-Assad monitoring group, said there were overnight clashes between government forces and Islamist fighters in the area around Hama, as well as bombings by the Syrian army.

The Islamic Front is one of a number of rebel groups fighting government forces in Syria. It is separate from the western-backed Free Syrian Army and the Islamist militant group ISIS, currently also fighting in neighbouring Iraq. 

At least 100,000 people have been killed in the three-year conflict in Syria, according to United Nations. More than three million have fled the country as refugees and 6.5 million have been internally displaced.

A crater left after the blast in Homs

On Thursday, a car bomb exploded in the city of Homs, south of Hama, killing at least six people in a neighbourhood populated by Alawites.

It was the second attack in Homs - Syria's third largest city - in less than a week. No one claimed responsibility but state television blamed it on rebels.

Syrians have begun returning to the Old City of Homs, which has been left shattered by months of attacks by government forces.

Meanwhile, in neighbouring Lebanon, which is said to be suffering a spill-over from the war in Syria, a suicide bomber killed at least two people at a checkpoint on the main highway from Beirut to Damascus.

A Lebanese security source told Reuters that the bomber appeared to target a convoy which included a top security chief. The apparent target was unharmed, the source said. 

The attack, in Dahr el Baydar in the Bekaa Valley, east of Beirut, also left several wounded.

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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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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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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 has not been independently verified - apparently features Britons and Australians fighting for the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

It is titled "There is no life without Jihad", lasts 13 minutes and appears to have been shot in Syria several weeks ago.

One apparent Briton is heard saying: "We go to Iraq in a few days to fight there. We will even go to Jordan and Lebanon - wherever our sheikh wants to send us."

A Home Office spokesperson said "online terrorism" which "influences people who are vulnerable to radicalisation" would not be tolerated.

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

Militants have posted images purportedly showing the massacre of soldiers

Adam Walker, of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association, told Sky News that Muslims in the UK were shocked by the video.

"[The people in the video] are focusing on a really small minority if individuals in the UK who have somehow been influenced by hate preachers, and who feel that somehow Islam promotes that they should go to a foreign country and kill people, which is patently wrong.

"They should respect the values that Britain promotes and that Islam also promotes - of tolerance and respect."

The video emerged as ISIS, who have taken control of large swathes of Iraq, launched a global campaign asking Muslims to post messages of support "to support the Islamic State" on social media.

"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.

Isis released a video showing captured Iraq military personnel

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.

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

"We've seen fairly unsophisticated videos released by Al Qaeda but this is quite different," she said. "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 Digital View, which airs on Saturday at 10.30am: "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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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.

And speaking on Sky News, Nato Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen warned that the government in Baghdad risked splitting the country unless it reached out to all groups.

The administration of Mr al Malaki has requested that 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.

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

US President Barack Obama is to make a statement on the crisis at 5.30pm BST following meetings with his national security team in the White House Situation Room.

The advance of the al Qaeda breakaway group has only been slowed by a regrouped army, Shia militias and volunteers, who have signed up to join the battle against the militants. 

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

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

But unnamed officials have said the President is set to announce the deployment of 100 special forces troops to help train and advise Iraqi forces.

A potential obstacle to US military involvement is Mr al Maliki, 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.

The oil refinery at Baiji has been the scene of fierce fighting

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

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

Mr Rasmussen warned on Sky News: "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.

ISIS militants claim to have captured an airbase in Tal Afar

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

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 PM will not step down, insisting his administration was inclusive, with Sunni Muslims represented in key roles.

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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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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 lacked 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.

To shouts of "Viva el Rey (Long live the king)!", Felipe said: "Today, more than ever, the people rightly demand our public lives be guided by... moral and ethical principles."

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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Boko Haram Threat Spreads Into Cameroon

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."

Cameroon has put elite troops on the border

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.

Alex Crawford is with the elite Cameroon unit BIR as it fights extremists

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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Saddam's Red-Haired Iraq Deputy Back In The Fray

An uncompromising violent extremist movement, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria has an unlikely, secular, ace in its pack - or rather a king.

More precisely, the King of Clubs, as Izzat Ibrahim al Douri - the most senior surviving member of Saddam Hussein's inner circle - was dubbed in the US Most Wanted deck of cards issued during the hunt for members of the Baath Party.

A playing card with an image of al Douri

The former deputy to the executed dictator, al Douri has been reported to have died, twice.

But he has emerged as a galvanising figure behind the enormous success that ISIS has had during its offensive in northern Iraq.

He evaded capture by the Americans and formed the Naqshbandia group of Baathist officers, all of them hardened by war with Iran in the 1980s, to lead attacks against US and allied forces during their occupation of Iraq.

The Baath Party shunned fundamentalist Islam and jailed conservative clerics favouring a pan-Arab secular socialist future which quickly mutated into a reign of terror under Saddam Hussein.

But the Naqshbandia have joined forces with ISIS now because they share a vision of a return to Sunni dominance of Iraq.

This may explain why ISIS has met little resistance from Sunnis in the north of the country who are already deeply suspicious of the Shia-dominated central government in Baghdad.

The tribes around Mosul and in Tikrit were the most fiercely loyal to the Saddam regime.

ISIS fighters in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul

Al Douri's presence in an alliance with ISIS has made it easier to swing the population in the Sunni north behind what both groups hope will escalate into a wider Sunni revolution.

The latest ISIS annual report painstakingly details the tactical and strategic efficacy of every attack in Iraq, sub-grouped by type of weapon, type of attack, and effect on the local population.

It also details efforts to 'reform' Sunni militia who fought al Qaeda and policemen serving the state - part of a programme to rapidly expand ISIS ranks.

Its meticulous detailing of assassination, selective murder and terrorism has all the hallmarks of well-trained senior staff officers from a formal army.

Al Douri was one of the late dictator's most trusted aides

And points further to the close involvement of senior members of Saddam's former military machine.

There have been several unverified social media reports from sources showing detailed insider knowledge of ISIS that some of Saddam's generals have joined their ranks in senior positions.

This, therefore, adds greater urgency to the need to bring Sunnis into the central government.

ISIS has been charting its brutality in annual reports

"We want to do everything we can to avoid sectarian violence. We have been saying for years that the central government must include Sunnis in genuine power with a full state in the future," Dr Dhiya el al Assadi, a recently elected Shia MP said.

The same message has been coming from Sunni leaders, Washington and Tehran.

There is no sign yet that it has been received by Iraq's Prime Minister who seems to believe he has other cards to play.

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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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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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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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Germany Cave Rescue Of Trapped Explorer Filmed

Video has emerged of painstaking attempts by emergency services to rescue a German explorer from a 1,000m-deep cave system.

Johann Westhauser, 52, suffered head injuries during a rock fall on Sunday 8 June while exploring the Riesending caves, near the town of Berchtesgaden by the Austrian border.

Film shot by Italian rescuers shows Mr Westhauser being carried on a stretcher stage-by-stage through the cave after spending nearly a week underground while waiting to be rescued.

In order to reach him the rescue team had to traverse difficult terrain including complex vertical shafts and narrow passages.

Doctors had to manoeuvre some 4km into the cave to reach Mr Westhauser and make sure he was fit and well enough to be brought out safely.

Mr Westhauser was exploring the cave system - the deepest of its kind in Germany - with two other people who were not hurt, when the rock fall happened 6km (3.7 miles) from the entrance.

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Hague: Britons Are Fighting With ISIS

Foreign Secretary William Hague has said a number of Britons are fighting with ISIS which has taken over large parts of Iraq.

He told the Commons that about 400 UK nationals were involved in the conflict in Syria and some of them were fighting for the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). 

Footage has emerged which appears to show an 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.

More follows...

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