Most Iraqi troops have abandoned
their positions in Ramadi as Islamic State militants have advanced
further into the city, officials have told the BBC.
They said IS militants had taken control of a compound that was used as the provincial military command centre.
The
prime minister called on troops not to desert their positions, while
telling Shia militias to prepare to deploy to the heavily Sunni area.
IS claimed to hold the entire city in a message posted online.
The
message, which has not been independently verified, said militants had
captured the 8th Brigade army base as well as tanks and missile
launchers.
Ramadi is the capital of Iraq's largest province, Anbar, and is just 70 miles (112km) west of Baghdad.
An army officer told the BBC that most troops had retreated to a military base in the city of Khalidiya, east of Ramadi.
Government
troops were running out of ammunition and could not repel the massive
onslaughts by IS, he said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
He said some troops were still trapped in the military command centre, where they were engaged in heavy fighting with militants.
Muhannad
Haimour, a spokesman for the provincial governor, told AFP: "Ramadi has
not fallen - there are still people fighting in some neighbourhoods."
In comments broadcast on state TV, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi
ordered Shia militias to prepare to join the fight in the Sunni-majority
region. The militias
played a key role in the government's recent recapture of the city of
Tikrit from IS, but pulled out of the city following reports of
widespread violence and looting.
The loss of Ramadi would
represent a very serious setback for the government, and Iraqi officials
are alarmed, the BBC's Ahmed Maher reports from Baghdad.
Anbar
province covers a vast stretch of the country west from the capital
Baghdad to the Syrian border, and contains key roads that link Iraq to
both Syria and Jordan.
IS reportedly controls more than half of Anbar's territory.
On Friday, IS took a government compound in Ramadi, raising its black flags, before retreating a day later.
The
deputy head of Anbar council, Faleh al-Issawi, told the BBC that more
than 500 people had been killed in the last two days of fighting in and
around Ramadi, including policemen who were trapped after running out of
ammunition, and civilians caught in the crossfire.
Some 8,000 people have been displaced over the same period, according to the International Organisation for Migration. The battle against IS in maps
Troubled history of Anbar province
Iraq's largest province and its only Sunni-dominated one was occupied by US forces in 2003
Hostile to the US, fighting quickly broke out between US troops and the region's Sunni insurgents
The worst battle came in 2004, when thousands died as US troops and coalition forces struggled to take the town of Falluja
Fighting continued in 2005 and 2006 during which time al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) rose to prominence
The US declared victory in 2007 but AQI remained, resuming attacks in 2011 when US troops withdrew
Islamic State and other Sunni insurgents currently control much of the province
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