Top officers, including Lieutenant General Mehdi Sabah Ghawari, the top commander for Nineveh province where ISIL militants have gained ground, were fired because they "failed to fulfill their professional and military duties", according to a government statement read out on state television.

One of the commanders, Hidayat Abdulraheem, had fled a battle and would be referred to the military court to be tried in absentia, it said.

A major offensive by militants, spearheaded by terrorists from ISIL but involving other groups, overran all of Nineveh and chunks of three more provinces in a matter of days.

Security forces performed poorly during the initial days of the assault, in some cases shedding uniforms and abandoning vehicles to flee.

They seem to have recovered somewhat from the shock of the onslaught, retaking some areas, but the militants continue to gain ground elsewhere.

NJF/NJF