Stringer/Reuters
Iraqi authorities have appealed for voluntary recruits in the battle against Islamic State militants to retake the city of Ramadi. In a cabinet statement Wednesday, government officials said volunteers were needed to make up for the squad shortages in capital city of the western Anbar province. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has vowed to prosecute forces who fled Ramadi after ISIS seized control Sunday. The United Nations estimates an upward of 25,000 people have fled the region in recent days in the wake of ISIS attacks. The White House’s National Security Council said it was working to support local ground forces, which may include “accelerating the training and equipping of local tribes and supporting an Iraqi-led operation to retake Ramadi,” said spokesman Alistair Baskey.