Al-Qaida Militants Seize Iraqi City

Al-Qaida militants in Iraq have seized control of the embattled western city of Fallujah on Friday, raising their flag over government buildings and declaring an independent Islamic state.

Witnesses have reported the Sunni militants, members of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, cut power lines in the city late in the day and ordered residents not to use backup generators. 

But the chief of Fallujah police, Mohamed al-Isawi, disputed the ISIS claims of control, telling The New York Times newspaper that he was repositioning his forces north of the city for a decisive battle. He said his personnel had been strengthened by an alliance of tribal leaders, and that part of a main street had been recaptured by late in the day.