BAGHDAD — The Islamic State group launched an offensive Wednesday in Iraq’s western Anbar province, capturing three villages near the provincial capital of Ramadi in what was the most significant threat to the city by the Sunni militants to date.
The militants’ push comes after the Islamic State extremists were dealt a major blow this month, when Iraqi troops routed them from Tikrit, Saddam Hussein’s hometown.
The fighting Wednesday could also further threaten Ramadi, 70 miles west of Baghdad. Nearly a decade ago, Ramadi was one of the strongholds of the insurgency in the U.S.-led war in Iraq. It now is mostly held by Iraqi government forces, although militants control some parts of it, mainly on the outskirts.
In a dawn advance, the militants seized the villages of Sjariyah, Albu-Ghanim and Soufiya, which had also been under government control until now, and residents said they had to flee their homes.
