War against Isis: Iran-backed militias mass near Ramadi as government calls for volunteers

The capital of Anbar province was overrun by the so-called Islamic State last week and militants are believed to have seized tanks, ammunition and weapons left by fleeing Iraqi soldiers.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi had pleaded with troops not to abandon their posts but footage showed them clinging on to trucks speeding away from the city on Sunday as charred bodies were left where they lay in the streets.