Turmoil in Iraq: Prime minister declares state of emergency

One of Iraq’s main cities has fallen to guerrilla fighters, and the government in Baghdad is losing its grip.

June 10, 2014 3:21PM ET

by Inside Story Team @AJInsideStoryAM

Ray’s thoughts on the situation in Iraq

An eight year U.S. presence brought down the murderous government of Saddam Hussein, disbanded the Baath Party and the Iraqi army. Americans worked to rebuild the power and water systems, the civil service, the police and army.

The U.S. left Iraq in 2011, unable to reach a deal with the new Iraqi government for keeping troops in the country. Less than three years later, the weaknesses, contradictions and unsolved riddles of creating a post-Saddam Iraq have become apparent.

Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has declared a state of emergency. After days of intensifying violence, more than a thousand fighters from the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) besieged the country's second-largest city, Mosul; on Tuesday morning it fell.

In only a few hours militants were able to free prisoners, overtake key government buildings and seize TV stations and banks in the city. Many Iraqi soldiers and police personnel abandoned their posts, leaving swaths of Nineveh province in the control of the ISIL.

On Tuesday afternoon, Maliki made a televised address to the nation, asking parliament to grant him additional powers to regain control.

We have to declare a comprehensive mobilization and the utmost alert in political, financial and popular capabilities to defeat terrorism and bring life to normal in all areas occupied by terrorists, either in Mosul or any other city.

Nouri al-Maliki

Iraqi prime minister

The ISIL was formed in 2013, built on an Al-Qaeda-affiliated group, but Al-Qaeda severed its ties with the ISIL earlier this year. In the absence of U.S. forces, the ISIL has become one of the most powerful Sunni jihadist groups in the region. In neighboring Syria, the ISIL's insurgents are among the forces fighting President Bashar al-Assad in the country's three-year civil war. The source of the group's financing remains unclear.

Washington says it has no plans to send troops but will send more weapons to help Baghdad. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said, "This is a situation that is very serious and one we are concerned about. We are going to continue our important relationship in terms of providing military assistance to the government of Iraq, but ultimately there is a responsibility by the Iraqi leaders to step up to the plate here."

ISIL fighters marching in Raqqa, Syria, in an undated image posted online Jan. 14, 2014.

Mosul is the second major Iraqi city to be wrested from Baghdad's control by anti-government forces. Earlier this year, a combination of Sunni tribal fighters and the ISIL took over Fallujah. It has been the site of heavy fighting and air strikes from the Iraqi military, using weapons previously supplied by the United States.

The latest decent into regional violence further undermines Maliki's eroding reputation after years of corruption and mismanagement of the country's security forces.

Many Iraqis criticized the Shia prime minister for his handling of the current crisis and his heavy-handed approach to Sunni opposition and protesters. There is concern that emergency powers would give him too much control, which could be difficult to revoke.

A state of emergency requires authorization by Iraq's parliament. A meeting is scheduled for Thursday.

What can the Maliki and his military do to regain control of Mosul?

What are the goals and aims of a group like the ISIL?

To what extent has the ISIL gained the support of the local Sunni population and opposition to Maliki?

Will the U.S. consider further involvement?

We consulted a panel of experts for the Inside Story.