Security concerns rising in Iraq

BAGHDAD (AP) – Iraqi troops are abandoning their posts in the wake of a surge by al-Qaida inspired insurgents rolling through northern Iraq. The militants took control of Tikrit, the hometown of Saddam Hussein, after earlier capturing Mosul, the second-largest city in Iraq. A spokesman for the group has warned that it will march into Baghdad. Iraq’s prime minister has asked that a state of emergency be declared.