Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki Thursday ordered back to duty security officers not currently serving in active units to bolster forces battling a terrorist offensive.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki Thursday ordered back to duty security officers not currently serving in active units to bolster forces battling a terrorist offensive.

"Officers from brigadier general and lower have been transferred ... to units according to their specialization and classification," he said in a statement read on state television.

The order applies to an unknown number of officers who are still officially members of the security forces but not currently assigned to active duty units.

The officers will be assessed for a period of three months and those who are not deemed capable will be retired, the premier said.

The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant and other terrorist groups have launched an offensive against different cities, northern Iraq, controlling wide areas and killing scores of civilians as well army members.