Cleric To 'Shake The Ground' Fighting Militants

Iraq's Shia cleric Moqtada al Sadr has warned his supporters will "shake the ground" fighting the Sunni insurgency sweeping through the country.

In a televised address, al Sadr also expressed opposition to US military advisors who are providing Iraqi commanders with tactical assistance to repel the Sunni militants that have overrun swathes of the country and reportedly killed more than 1,000 people.

Hundreds of Iraqi villagers have been fleeing insurgent incursions orchestrated by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and have crowded at a checkpoint on the edge of the country's relatively safe Kurdish-controlled territory.

Al Sadr warned the US against meeting with Iraqi commanders

Iraq's beleaguered military were initially overcome by the ferocity of the insurgency that captured several strategic cities in Iraq, including Qaim, Rawa, Haditha and Ramadi.

Government forces have since recovered ground and repelled further assaults on other towns and infrastructure, although there are reports the offensive has been bolstered by Islamist rebels from Syria joining their counterparts in Iraq.

Al Sadr also called for "new faces" in a national unity government after elections in April saw Prime Minister Nuri al Maliki win with the most seats, although he failed to secure a majority.

Mehdi Army women loyal to al Sadr parade in Baghdad

But al Maliki warned he would not be sidelined by rivals seeking to use the insurgency and fragile state of the country to try to oust him. 

Such a move was "an attempt by those who are against the constitution to eliminate the young democratic process and steal the votes of the voters," he said.

US officials have also revealed Syria launched airstrikes on militant positions on the Iraq-Syrian border near Qaim on Tuesday in an attempt to disrupt the militants who are fighting both the Syrian and Iraqi governments.

Syrian President Bashar al Assad has been locked in a bloody civil war with opposition groups since 2011.

William Hague said 'polital unity' was the most important challenge

Maliki reportedly confirmed the airstrikes, adding that Iraq did not request the raid, but that it was "welcomed".

The US has made concerted efforts to unite Iraq's fractious political leaders in the face of the offensive, although they have shown little sign of coming together.

Foreign Secretary William Hague is currently in Iraq meet political and community leaders to stress the importance of political unity. 

"The Iraqi state is facing an existential threat, with huge ramifications for the future stability and freedom of this country," he said, adding: "The single most important factor that will determine whether or not Iraq overcomes this challenge is political unity."

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