In Photos: Mosul seized by ISIL militants
Militants have taken over most of Iraq's second city, Mosul, with thousands fleeing their homes and prisoners freed from jail
Hundreds of thousands of people are said to have fled their homes in Iraq's Nineveh province (AFP)
Published date: 12 February 2015 13:30 GMT
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Last update: 9 years 8 months ago
Thousands of people are fleeing their homes in Mosul, Iraq's second largest city, after militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) seized the city.
Iraqi soldiers and security service officers have reportedly been taking off their uniforms, abandoning their vehicles and fleeing Mosul to escape feared attacks from ISIL militants.
There have been reports that armed members of ISIL have freed over two thousand detainees from a prison in Mosul.
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has called for a state of emergency, with ISIL now in control of more than 75 percent of Mosul, leaving the remaining residents to wake up on Tuesday morning to smoke and uncertainty about what will happen next.
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