Iraq’s ministry of defence has released video showing troops being airlifted from Ramadi, which was taken over by ISIL militants at the weekend.<br /><br /> The soldiers had been stranded in the al-Mulab district.<br /><br /> Iraqi security forces are now deploying tanks and artillery around the city, which lies in the Sunni Muslim province of Anbar. <br /><br /> It comes as Shi’ite militiamen – allied to the army – prepare to launch a counter-attack, described as the “Battle of Anbar.”<br /><br /> The fighting in Ramadi has taken its toll on residents. Approximately 40-thousand have reportedly fled.<br /><br /> Local officials say around 500 people have been killed in recent days. <br /><br /> “They (Islamic State) took our houses, left us homeless and took our cattle. They left nothing for us. We have been walking for three days and I am sick and tired. We reached Mussayab, but we’re not allowed in,” said one displaced resident. <br /><br /> The Baghdad government is facing criticism in the wake of the Ramadi takeover. <br /><br /> The political advisor to the G
