ISIS gains more ground in Iraq

Residents are negotiating their exit from Rutba after fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) captured the town, about 90 miles (150 kilometers) east of Jordan. Qaim, Rawah, Anah and Rutba became the first towns seized in the predominantly Sunni Anbar province since the well-funded ISIS overran the city of Fallujah and parts of the capital, Ramadi, earlier this month.

Rutba gives ISIS control over a stretch of highway to Jordan that has fallen into infrequent use over the past several months because of the deteriorating security situation. The town has a population of 40,000, but it has recently absorbed 20,000 people displaced from Fallujah and Ramadi.

ISIS now controls much of the Iraq-Syria border. Taking crossings such as the one in Qaim allows them to more easily move weapons and heavy equipment. Rebels also control the Syrian side of the crossing.

On Sunday, a government air strike on the ISIS-controlled city of Tikrit killed at least seven people, media reported.

Shiites staged military-style rallies Saturday (pictured) to show their unity in the face of the insurrection, led by a small faction of Sunni Muslims. In an example of Iraq's many loose alliances, pro-government militias made up of Sunnis also began patrols to stop ISIS fighters.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's Shiite-dominated government has struggled to push back against the rebels as they have seized large chunks of Iraq's north since taking control of the country's second-largest city, Mosul, on June 10 as troops melted away. The prime minister, who has led the country since 2006 and not yet secured a third term after recent parliamentary elections, has increasingly turned to Iranian-backed Shiite militias and volunteers to bolster his beleaguered security forces.

Maliki has come under growing pressure to reach out to Kurds and Sunnis as many within the country and abroad blame the lack of unity in Iraq on the prime minister's failure to seek reconciliation among the country's various ethnic and religious groups and political factions. The prime minister's State of Law bloc won the most seats in the April vote, but any hopes Maliki may have to retain his job seem doubtful as rivals have begun challenging him from within the broader Shiite alliance.

Sunday's fighting happened as US Secretary of State John Kerry was on his way to the Middle East to discuss the situation with leaders.

mkg/rc (Reuters, AFP, dpa)