Iraq continues to lose control of territory as the Islamic terrorist group ISIS advances towards the capital of Baghdad. However, the help it has asked for has not arrived yet.

Earlier this week the city of Mosul, Iraq's second most populous city, fell to rebel fighters from the Islamist group the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). The group formed during the Syrian civil war and has spilled over into Iraq with the goal of forming a caliphate.

With the capture of Mosul, the group has gathered more momentum and has already captured the city of Tikrit, according to Reuters. The Shiite government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has crumbled in the face of the rising tide from ISIS, with soldiers deserting their positions and handing city after city to the rebels.

The rebels have pledged to take the capital and are coming close to achieve it. Reuters reports that the rebels now control part of the small town of Udhaim, some 60 miles north of Baghdad.

"We are waiting for supporting troops and we are determined not to let them take control. We are afraid that terrorists are seeking to cut the main highway that links Baghdad to the north," said a police officer in Udhaim.

Although morale is low in the million-strong Iraqi Army, many Shiites militants, eager to fill the gaps in defense, have mobilized north to defend the capital from the possible ISIS advance. However, Reuters reports that Samarra had not fallen by Thursday and the Iraqi government has appealed to the U.S. and the U.N. for help, with its ambassador to France asking for weapons and air support from the U.N. Security Council.

As the Iraqi government continues to lose ground, the Kurdish autonomous region, which has prospered, sent troops to secure a nearby city following the retreat of government troops. The Wall Street Journal reports that the Kurdish militia known as the Peshmerga took the city of Kirkuk following the retreat of the Iraqi Army.

ISIS continues to control the northern part of the province and have also made a pledge to continue moving south and to take the cities of Karbala and Najaf, which are considered holy places for Shiite Muslims.

The U.S. government, reports the Wall Street Journal, has not answered Iraq's call for more military help, particularly air support in the form of Apache attack helicopters and attack jets.