On Wednesday, militants of the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) kidnapped 80 Turkish nationals in northern Iraq, while they also captured 49 people from the Turkish consulate in Mosul.

Speaking to Al-Alam on Thursday, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Hussein Amir Abdullahian said Iran strongly condemns the ‘heinous act of kidnapping Turkish diplomats”.

Amir Abdullahian said, Iran supports the Iraqi army against radical ISIL militants, adding that, “We are confident that Iraqi armed forces will be able to crush Takfiris and terrorists”.

A state of emergency was declared in Iraq after ISIL militants took control of Nineveh province and provincial capital Mosul on Tuesday, forcing over 500,000 people in and around the city to flee.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has asked the UN, the European Union, and the Arab League to help the country fight the terrorists.

Violence has been also raging elsewhere in the country with bombings and shootings across Iraq.

Iraq’s Interior Ministry has said that militants have launched an open war in Iraq with the aim of pushing the Middle Eastern country into chaos.

SHI/SHI