The governor of an Iraqi province overrun with militants says authorities are determined to recapture the northern city of Mosul after large parts of it were seized by Islamist insurgents.
The Ninevah province governor, Atheel al-Nujaifi, said authorities have a plan to restore security and defeat al Qaida-inspired militants who seized most of Mosul, raiding government buildings, pushing out security forces and capturing military vehicles as thousands of residents fled.
Al-Nujaifi also accused senior commanders of the security forces of providing Baghdad with false information about the situation in Mosul and demanding that they should stand trial.
He also says smaller armed groups joined the al Qaida breakaway group known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant during the fight for control the city.