Free Republic

Falih Essawi shouted on the phone as he described his situation. From his point of view, ISIS militants might be just hours away from taking the key Iraqi city of Ramadi. Fierce fighting has engulfed Ramadi, which lies only about 70 miles (113 kilometers) west of Baghdad and is the capital of Anbar province, Iraq's Sunni heartland. Essawi, the deputy head of the Anbar Provincial Council, told CNN from inside the city Wednesday that it's unclear how much longer government troops can hold their front lines against the ISIS offensive. Security was "collapsing rapidly in the city," and he begged...

There are numerous reports from Ramadi, Iraq that US troops have fled from the nearby Habbiniyya Base east of the city. The Ramadi city center was taken by ISIS today.