Iraq has implemented an emergency plan to defend Baghdad as a representative for its most senior Shi'ite cleric urged people to take up arms and defend their country.
Sheikh Abdulmehdi al Karbalai, a representative for Grand Ayatollah Ali al Sistani, said: "People who are capable of carrying arms and fighting the terrorists in defence of their country ... should volunteer to join the security forces to achieve this sacred goal."
Islamist insurgents are edging closer to the country's capital after seizing large swathes of territory as they head south on the road from Mosul to Baghdad.
Brigadier General Saad Maan told the AFP news agency: "The plan consists of intensifying the deployment of forces, and increasing intelligence efforts and the use of technology such as (observation) balloons and cameras and other equipment."
Insurgents have taken control of the northern cities Mosul and Tikrit, having previously seized Fallujah and parts of Ramadi.
The militants have also moved into the towns of Saadiyah and Jalawla in the eastern province of Diyala, after security forces abandoned their positions.
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