11 June 2014 Last updated at 14:36 ET
Heavy fighting was reported in Tikrit as militants swept in
Militiamen consolidate their hold on Tikrit
Tikrit is the second major gain for the militants in two days
Iraqi insurgents 'seize new city'
PM Nouri Maliki blamed the fall of Mosul on a conspiracy
Islamist insurgents in Iraq have seized the city of Tikrit, their second major gain after capturing Mosul on Tuesday, security officials say.
Tikrit, the hometown of former leader Saddam Hussein, lies 150km (95 miles) north of the capital Baghdad.
Iraqi PM Nouri Maliki vowed to fight back against the jihadists and punish those in the security forces who fled offering little or no resistance.
The insurgents are from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS).
ISIS, which is also known as ISIL, is an offshoot of al-Qaeda.
It controls considerable territory in eastern Syria and western and central Iraq, in a campaign to set up a Sunni militant enclave straddling the border.
Civilians crossed the Tigris river to escape the fighting in Mosul, as the BBC's Paul Adams reports
There were also reports on Wednesday of fighting further south, in Samarra, 110km north of Baghdad.
Separately, at least 21 people were killed and 45 hurt by a suicide bomber at a Shia meeting in Baghdad, police said.
'Do not give in'
As many as 500,000 people fled Mosul after the militants attacked the city. The head of the Turkish mission in Mosul and almost 50 consulate staff are being held by the militants, Turkish officials say.
Turkey's foreign minister warned there would be "harsh retaliation" if any of its citizens were harmed.
Heavy fighting was reported in Tikrit as militants swept inMilitiamen consolidate their hold on TikritTikrit is the second major gain for the militants in two days
The insurgents moved quickly south, entering the town of Baiji late on Tuesday.
There were heavy clashes reported in Tikrit, with dozens of insurgents attacking security forces near the headquarters of the Salaheddin provincial government in the city centre.
One eyewitness told the BBC that gunmen had entered the city from four different directions and a police station had been set on fire.
AFP news agency quoted police and witnesses as saying there was fighting at the northern entrance to Samarra.
Earlier Mr Maliki vowed to fight back against the militants. He has asked parliament to declare a state of emergency.BBC
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