Baghdad: The al-Qaida-inspired group that captured two key Sunni-dominated cities in Iraq this week vowed today to march on to Baghdad, raising fears about the Shiite-led government's ability to slow the assault following the insurgents' lightning gains.
Fighters from the militant group known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant took Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit yesterday as soldiers and security forces abandoned their posts and yielded ground once controlled by US troops.
That seizure followed the capture of much of Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city, the previous day. The group and its allies among local tribesmen also hold the city of Fallujah and other pockets of the Sunni-dominated Anbar province to the west of Baghdad.
Baghdad does not appear to be in imminent danger from a similar assault, although Sunni insurgents have stepped up car bombings and suicide attacks in the capital in recent months.The capital, with its large Shiite population, would be a far harder target for the militants.
So far, Islamic State fighters have stuck to the Sunni heartland and former Sunni insurgent strongholds where people are already alienated by the Shiite-led government over allegations of discrimination and mistreatment.
The militants also would likely meet far stronger resistance, not only from government forces but by Shiite militias if they tried to advance on the capital.
In contrast, online video posted today showed some Tikrit residents celebrating the militant takeover.
As Islamic State fighters drove through largely empty streets in a captured military Humvee and a pickup truck mounted with an anti-aircraft gun, what appeared to be a few dozen people shouted “God is great,” and celebratory gunfire could be heard.
The video appeared authentic and was consistent with AP reporting.
