Iraq crisis: Embattled PM Nouri Maliki in show of force

Security forces loyal to Iraqi PM Nouri Maliki have appeared in force in the capital Baghdad after he went on state TV to criticise the president, the BBC reported.

Mr Maliki is seeking a third term but has faced calls to step down amid the jihadist insurgency in the north.

The US, which has urged Iraq to form an inclusive government, issued a statement backing President Fuad Masum.

Earlier, Iraqi Kurds appealed for international military aid to help defeat the Islamist militants.

The US has already launched four rounds of air strikes targeting Islamic State (IS) fighters near Irbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan.

A Kurdish official said recent US air strikes on IS militants in Nineveh province had helped the Kurdish Peshmerga fighters retake the towns of Gwer and Makhmur after heavy fighting.

In his televised address, Mr Maliki said he intended to take President Masum to court for violating constitutional rules.

Mr Maliki's coalition won the most seats in April's elections but parliament has not agreed to give him a third term and President Masum has declined to intervene.

Mr Maliki said Mr Masum had missed a deadline for asking the biggest political bloc to nominate a prime minister.

"This attitude represents a coup on the constitution and the political process in a country that is governed by a democratic and federal system," Mr Maliki said.

"The deliberate violation of the constitution by the president will have grave consequences on the unity, the sovereignty, and the independence of Iraq and the entry of the political process into a dark tunnel."

Within an hour, Shia militiamen and security forces loyal to Mr Maliki appeared at key centres in Baghdad. There were no reports of violence.