Iraq parliament fails to meet on emergency state

The Iraqi parliament has adjourned a meeting to vote on declaring a nationwide state of emergency amid the raging violence in the country after the legislative body failed to reach a quorum.

According to Iraqi government officials, the parliament’s Thursday emergency meeting ended without voting after only 128 out of 325 lawmakers showed up in the session.

On June 10, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki submitted a request to the parliament to declare a state of emergency whenmilitants took control of the northern province of Nineveh.

Maliki has demanded that the assembly grant his government additional powers to fight the Takfiri militants belonging to the terrorist Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

The Takfiri attack on Nineveh has forced “over 500,000 people in and around” its capital, Mosul, to flee, according to Geneva-based International Organization for Migration.

Reports also indicate that, on June 11, the militants seized the city of Tikrit. However, shortly afterwards, Iraqi forces managed to recapture the central city, located roughly half way between Baghdad and Mosul.

Clashes continue between Iraqi soldiers and the Takfiri militants, who have vowed to march toward the capital.

Iraq’s premier said on June 10 that his country was involved in a “war against terrorism,” stressing that Baghdad would not allow Nineveh to remain in control of terrorists.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has condemned the acts carried out by the militants, calling on the international community to support the Iraqi government’s fight against Takfiris.

According to reports, Takfiri groups are reportedly entering Iraq from neighboring Syria and Saudi Arabia to undermine security in the country.