By Matthew Weaver

 

A member of Peshmerga forces plants a flag following the clashes with Islamic State (IS) militants in Mosul, Iraq. Peshmerga forces have entered Iraq’s northern town of Makhmur, repelling Islamic State militants. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Here’s a summary of another eventful day in Iraq.

• Haider al-Abadi has been chosen to be Iraq’s new prime minister to replace the much-criticised Nouri al-Maliki. Abadi called on Iraqis to unite against the “barbaric” campaign waged by Islamic militants after being asked to form a new government by Iraq’s president.

• There has been no word yet from Maliki who is expected to resist the new appointment. Last night he accused the president of acting outside the constitution. US Secretary of State John Kerry urged Maliki not to stoke tensions further.

• Senior US officials say the Obama administration has begun directly providing weapons to Kurdish forces. A state department spokesman confirmed that US has been supplying Kurds with weapons for a week. Kurdish government officials pleaded for weapons support from the west, but said they did not want to see foreign troops on the ground.

• Three days of US air strikes have helped Kurdish forces retake some territory from the radical Sunni group Islamic State. The Peshmerga said they overtook Islamic State positions in Makhmur District, a region north of the city of Kirkuk, as well as the nearby town of Gwair, the Wall Street Journal reports. But early on Monday Islamic State militants took control of Jalawla, north of Baghdad.