Baku, Azerbaijan, June 13
By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:
Turkey has started to evacuate its citizens from Iraq, Turkish Sabah newspaper reported on June 13.
Currently, some 125,000 Turkish citizens are in Iraq.
Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc said on June 13 that there is no threat to the life of Turkish citizens in Iraq.
He noted that in case of serious danger, Turkey can evacuate its citizens from Iraq.
The Iraqi army lost control over the Samarra city on June 13.
This is the third city in Iraq, which is completely controlled by the militants of the 'Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant' (ISIL) group. Earlier, the ISIL captured the cities of Mosul and Tikrit.
Reportedly, despite the fact that Kirkuk is controlled by Peshmerga (special forces, subordinate to the Kurdish administration), the fights are continuing in several residential areas in northern Iraq between Peshmerga and the ISIL.
On June 10, the ISIL militants captured the administrative center of the Mosul of the northern Iraqi Province of Ninawa, a number of small settlements, as well as part of the Salah al Din Province, including its center - the city of Tikrit.
Edited by CN