Leaders of Iraq's Anbar province plead for US ground forces to stop IS' growing assault

The leaders of Iraq's Anbar province have called for the US ground troops to stop the Islamic State extremist group's growing assault in the region.

IS militants, on Saturday, were on the verge of taking not just a key Syrian town along the Turkish border, but also an entire province on Baghdad's doorstep, CNN reports.

Falleh al-Issawi, the provincial council's deputy head says should all of Anbar fall, the Sunni extremists would rule from the perimeter of Iraq's capital to Raqqa in Syria.

Issawi said key provincial leaders have asked Iraq's central government for their immediate intervention and for the deployment of US ground forces there to fend off Anbar's collapse.

He added that in the wake of near-defeat to IS, the Iraqi army forces and Anbar tribesmen fighting alongside them are threatening to abandon their weapons if the US military failed to come to their aid soon.

Issawi said that the army soldiers were not adequately equipped and trained to defend themselves against IS.

Already, some 1,800 tribesmen in the province have been killed or injured in the struggle, the report added.