Prominent Shiite cleric calls on Iraqis to defend country against ISIS advance
BAGHDAD - A representative for Iraq's top Shiite cleric on Friday urged Iraqis to defend their country as militants who have seized large swaths of the nation's Sunni heartland captured two towns in an ethnically mixed province northeast of Baghdad.
Neighboring Shiite powerhouse Iran signaled its willingness to confront the growing threat from this week's militant blitz, which the United Nations estimates has claimed hundreds of lives. (Associated Press)
