Gunmen stand guard as civilians flee their home at a checkpoint in Fallujah, 40 miles (65 kilometers) west of Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2014. Iraq’s Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki urged al-Qaida-linked fighters who have overrun two cities west of Baghdad to give up the battle, vowing Wednesday to press forward with a push to regain control of the mainly Sunni areas. (AP Photo)