Iraq is sending military reinforcements to the city of Ramadi, a day after Islamic State (IS) militants seized key buildings there. A military spokesman said the troops were being supported by air strikes carried out by the US-led coalition. On Friday, militants raised black flags over a number of government buildings after taking them in an attack using suicide car bombs. Reports suggest they now control much of the city. Ramadi is the capital of the country's largest province, Anbar. If it were to fall, it would be a major blow to the government, says the BBC's Ahmed Maher in Baghdad. IS and Iraqi troops have been battling for months to take control of the strategically important province. 'Dire situation' The Iraqi army says it has sent three regiments to the areas surrounding the city, which is just 100km (60 miles) from Baghdad. Iraqi military spokesman Brig Gen Saad Maan Ibrahim also told Iraqi state television that the US-led coalition had been supporting Iraqi troops with "painful" airstrikes since late on Friday. High-profile Iraqi officials have made several statements to the press and on social media, admitting that the situation is dire, our correspondent says. It is a sign of how worried the government is, and of how serious the situation on the ground has become, our correspondent says. The IS assault on the government compound on Friday involved as many as six suicide car bombs. At least 10 police officers were killed and another 50 were reported to have been taken prisoner. In response, US Vice-President Joe Biden pledged to deliver heavy weaponry, including shoulder-held rockets and additional ammunition, as well as supplies to the Iraqi forces. The heavily Sunni province of Anbar covers a vast stretch of the country west from the capital Baghdad to the Syrian border, and contains key highways that link Iraq to both Syria and Jordan. Iraq's prime minister pledged in April that his forces would "liberate" Anbar from IS after the success of re-taking Tikrit.
