Islamic State (IS) has stepped up its assault on the western Iraqi city of Ramadi, launching a series of suicide bomb attacks on a government compound.

Anbar provincial council member Athal al-Fahdawi told the BBC the compound was within range of IS weapons and that it and the city were "in great danger".

Military reinforcements sent to Ramadi were not sufficient to repel the jihadist militants' attacks, he warned.

On Wednesday, IS captured three villages on the outskirts of the city.

Nine people were also reportedly killed by militants in Albu Ghanim, to the north-east, from where hundreds of civilians fled after security forces withdrew.

The Kurdish website Rudaw said four of the victims were police officers.

IS launched an offensive on Ramadi last week after the government announced it had started a large-scale operation to drive out the group from Anbar province.
(BBC)