Militants besiege Iraq's second city as over 150,000 evacuate in panic

More than 150,000 people are trying to flee Mosul after Islamic militants overran government and military buildings.

13:29 11 June 2014

More than 150,000 people evacuate in panic as Islamic militants, armed with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenade launchers overran government and military buildings in Iraq’s second largest city. Security forces were forced to abandon their posts after ISIS, who is believed to be affiliated with Al Qaeda, made Mosul “like hell.” One widow who was leaving the city with his children said that the city is in flames and that death is everywhere. 

 

Republican Senator John McCain reacted to the news saying that the worse is yet to come. He said: "There’s no doubt that we could have left troops behind, as we have in Korea and Germany and Bosnia, and didn’t, and so it is now chaos, and so you will see greater and greater attacks and chaos in Iraq"

 

Meanwhile, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki said that they would arm citizens to fight the militants. 

 

Thousands of families were seen leaving the city. Cars and trucks are queuing at a checkpoint on the boundary of the region.