President Barack Obama considered options for military action to support Iraq's besieged government on Monday, as the United States and Iranian officials held talks to stabilize the region, according to The Associated Press.
Militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant have routed Baghdad's army and seized the north of the country in the past week, threatening to dismember Iraq and unleash all-out sectarian warfare with no regard for national borders, the AP reported.
The fighters have been joined by other armed Sunni groups that oppose what they say is oppression by Maliki, according to the AP.
The United Nations human rights chief said forces allied with ISIL had almost certainly committed war crimes by executing hundreds of non-combatant men in Iraq over the past five days, the AP reported.
Asked if the United States could cooperate with Tehran against the insurgents, Secretary of State John Kerry said: "I wouldn't rule out anything that would be constructive," according to the AP.
As for air strikes: "They're not the whole answer, but they may well be one of the options that are important," Kerry said, the AP reported. "When you have people murdering, assassinating in these mass massacres, you have to stop that. And you do what you need to do if you need to try to stop it from the air or otherwise."
Iran has longstanding ties to Maliki and other Shi'ite politicians who came to power in U.S.-backed elections, according to the AP.
ISIL fighters and allied Sunni tribesmen overran another town on Monday, Saqlawiya, west of Baghdad, where they captured six Humvees and two tanks, the AP reported.
Eyewitnesses said Iraqi army helicopters were hovering over the town to provide cover for retreating troops, according to the AP. A security officer said he saw a helicopter that was shot down by an anti-aircraft machine gun, but there was no official comment from the government.
