re: Insurgents seize Iraqi city of Mosul as troops flee

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“Iraq is undergoing a difficult stage,” al-Maliki said at a televised news conference, after asking parliament to declare a state of emergency. The premier confirmed that militants controlled much of Mosul, and that soldiers had deserted their posts. News reports said militants had overrun the airport, gaining access to military helicopters, and had cranes moving blast walls—erected as protection against terrorist car bombs—to reinforce their positions and block roads against a counterattack. Police stations had been overrun and set afire, and the doors of at least one jail flung open: The Associated Press quoted residents who saw prisoners running down the street still wearing their yellow jump suits.

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