Iraqi government forces are engaged in heavy clashes with Sunni insurgents who have made major advances in the past week.
Parts of the city of Baquba – just (37 miles) from Baghdad – were briefly taken over by the rebels.
Reports say 44 prisoners were killed during fighting at a police station in the city.
The US is deploying up to 275 military personnel to protect staff at its huge embassy in the capital.
The prime minister of Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region, Nechirvan Barzani, has told the BBC he believes Iraq may not stay together as Sunni areas feel neglected by the Shia-dominated Iraqi government.
He added it would be very hard for Iraq to return to the situation that existed before the Sunni militants, spearheaded by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIS), took control of the northern cities of Mosul and Tikrit in a rapid advance last week, and Tal Afar yesterday Monday.
The Iraqi government issued a statement this morning accusing neighbouring Saudi Arabia of supporting the insurgents and providing them with financial. Turkey has relocated its consulate staff from the southern Iraqi city of Basra to Kuwait because of an increased security risk, its foreign minister has said.
