Iraq Civil War News Updates -- June 23, 2014

In Iraq, Militants Press On Toward Baghdad -- CNN

Baghdad, Iraq (CNN) -- Militant fighters tightened their grip Sunday on western Iraq as security forces withdrew from a handful of towns in Anbar province, moving closer to Baghdad.

The news that Iraqi forces withdrew from at least three towns in the province raised questions about whether Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's government is giving up on the region.

It also comes the same day that Iran's religious leader condemned any U.S. involvement in Iraq, saying al-Maliki's government can handle its own problems.

"The United States is trying to portray this as a sectarian war. But what is happening in Iraq is not a war between Shiite and Sunnis," Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a statement carried by the state-run IRNA news agency.

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Iraq Civil War News Updates -- June 23, 2014

ISIS Takes Control Of Rutba On Iraq's Western Border With Jordan -- IBTimes
ISIS fighters control much of Iraq’s western border after seizing three more towns -- Washington Post
ISIS Takes Four More Towns and Three Border Crossings -- Slate
Isis captures more Iraqi towns and border crossings -- The Guardian
ISIS Militants Seize Iraqi Border Crossings With Jordan and Syria -- NBC
Video: Caught In Crossfire As ISIS Claims More Iraqi Cities -- NPR
Insurgents in Iraq seize main border crossing with Jordan as Kerry arrives for talks -- Washington Post
Isis advance threatens Iraq's very future, claims John Kerry -- The Guardian
Kerry seeks 'inclusive' leadership from Iraqi PM as ISIS insurgency spreads -- CSM
Kerry Presses for Iraq Peace But Warns Militants Could Force U.S. Action -- Time
Iraqi leaders seen as desperate as Kerry arrives in Baghdad -- FOX News
Anti-U.S. Cleric Muqtada al-Sadr Retakes Stage Amid Iraq Turmoil -- NBC
Kurdish Fighters Mull Whether to Defend Iraq -- Rebecca Collard, Time
Iran rejects U.S. action in Iraq, ISIL tightens Syria border grip -- Reuters
Shared U.S.-Iran Worry: ISIS Targeting Samarra’s Shiite Shrines -- WSJ
The View From Baghdad as It Braces for ISIS Onslaught -- Janine di Giovanni, Newsweek