DHAKA: Iraqi government forces, backed by Shia Muslim and Kurdish militias, are reportedly holding back an advance by Sunni militants north of Baghdad.

A number of towns have been retaken from the rebels, but they still control the key cities of Tikrit and Mosul.

Reports speak of heavy clashes round the city of Tal Afar, west of Mosul, with mortar shelling of some districts.

A US aircraft carrier has been deployed to the Gulf in response to the escalating violence.

In a televised news conference, Iraqi army spokesman Lt Gen Qasim Ata, said the military had ‘regained the initiative’, scoring successes against the militants in several areas and killing 279 of them.

However, the government’s figures could not be independently verified, reports the BBC.

BDST: 2109 HRS, JUNE 15, 2014