Islamists are closing in on Baghdad

Jihadists militants in Iraq are now within the 90 kilometer range of the capital city of Baghdad after reportedly taking power over two areas in the region.

Iraqi authorities seem to have been taken completely by surprise by the speed with which islamists are gaining ground.

Propaganda videos reached the internet, showing large groups of Sunni islamists parading through the city of Mosul which has been emptied of all government troops and around half a million of its citizens.

Another video filmed in Saddam Hussein's home town, Tikret, shows islamists marching a column of hundreds of Iraqi troops, all without uniforms.

In the town of Kirkuk, ethnic Kurdish filled in the empty spaces left after the Iraqi government troops fled the city.

The militants are seeking to form a new Islamic state that stands on the Iraqi-Syrian border. They seem to have a rather open road in front of them as cities fall swiftly into their hands and government troops being obviously overwhelmed by the situation.