If you don't fight with us, we will kill you'

The inexperienced Iraqi army is in disarray and no match for the well-funded and brutally efficient Isis, writes Shona Murray.

Units of the Kurdish Peshmerga wait on the outskirts of Kirkuk, Iraq, while Isis troops take up position about three kilometres away. Picture: Sebastian Backhaus/AP

The ever-changing nature of hostilities and deepening grip of Isis in Northern Iraq is making the humanitarian and military response there “severely difficult”, according to local NGOs and military on the ground.

“There are areas where our partners are working for a couple of hours and then it changes hands to Isis and it becomes a no-go area,” says senior manager with Save the Children Karl Schembri.

Recently displaced Iraqis say they’re running ...