ISIS militants overrun 3 Iraqi villages near Ramadi

In an advance that began Wednesday at dawn, Islamic State militants seized the Iraqi villages of Sjariyah, Albu-Ghanim, and Soufiya, where residents report that ISIS bombed a police station and took over a power plant.

The villages are near the provincial capital of Ramadi, 70 miles west of Baghdad and an insurgent stronghold a decade ago. Ramadi is now mostly under the control of Iraqi government forces, with ISIS only holding some areas on the outskirts of the city. The militants are attempting to take over the main highway that goes through Ramadi in order to cut off supplies, an Iraqi intelligence officer told The Guardian.

Brigadier Gen. Tahseen Ibrahim, an Iraqi defense ministry spokesman, told The Associated Press that while militants have "gained a foothold in some areas" in Anbar and many residents have left their homes, reinforcements are coming to the province and airstrikes from the coalition are helping troops. "The situation is under control, and the standoff will be resolved in the coming hours," he said.

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