Masoud Barzani, president of the Kurdish regional government in northern Iraq, appealed to his retired peshmergas -- troops of the Kurdish army -- to stand ready to defend the Kurdish region after facing an ever-growing threat from militants of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or ISIL.
"I have a call for all retired peshmergas: Help peshmerga forces and work with them. Communicate your headquarters constantly. Be prepared for all developments," Barzani said in a message Wednesday.
He also called on Kurds to make donations to the peshmerga forces.
ISIL, which already controls parts of Syria, has extended its reach into Iraq since June 10, when it seized Iraq's second-largest city Mosul and soon afterwards took near-complete control of the northern city of Tikrit.
Iraq has seen a marked increase in sectarian violence between Sunni and Shi'a Muslims in recent months, which the Iraqi government blames on ISIL.
aa.com.tr/en
