PRIME Minister Nouri al-Maliki asked the Iraqi parliament to declare a state of emergency today after Islamist fighters seized control of the city of Mosul.

Police and army forces abandoned their posts in the northern city after Islamist fighters overran key buildings.

Mosul is the capital of Nineveh province and the insurgents are believed to have secured control of both the city and surrounding areas of the province.

They are believed to be affiliated with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isis), an al-Qaida splinter group that is behind the bulk of the bloody attacks in Iraq.

“We have lost Mosul this morning,” said an army colonel from the local military command.

“Army and police forces left their positions and the Isis terrorists are in full control.

“It’s a total collapse for the security forces.”

The insurgents seized Mosul’s provincial government complex late on Monday, following days of fighting in the country’s second-largest city.

A former al-Qaida stronghold, it is situated in what has long been one of the more restive parts of Iraq. 

The gunmen also torched several of the city’s police stations, freeing up to 2,500 detainees who had been held in police lockups.

Security forces abandoned their posts after fighters armed with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenade launchers overran the government headquarters and buildings.

Prime suspect Isis is among the most ruthless rebel forces fighting to topple President Bashar al-Assad in neighbouring Syria. 

The group has tried to position itself as a champion for Iraq’s large and disaffected Sunni minority.

Its push comes as Iraq’s embattled Shi’ite Prime Minister, Mr Maliki, struggles to hold onto power following parliamentary elections in late April that left him with the most seats but short of a majority needed to form a new government.

Isis insurgents and their allies remain in control of Fallujah and other parts of Anbar province, which neighbours Ninevah province and like it, shares a long and loosely controlled border with Syria. 

They have also managed to launch frequent co-ordinated attacks on the capital Baghdad.