Thousands more civilians have flooded out of the Iraqi city of Ramadi, now in the hands of the self-proclaimed Islamic State.<br /><br /> Crowds of people are crossing a bridge on the outskirts of Baghdad, as they try to reach the capital. They are fearful and angry. <br /><br /> “Curse be upon them (ISIL militants). Even the authorities have abandoned us,” shouted one displaced man. <br /><br /> Government forces, backed by Shi’ite militias are preparing to launch a counter-attack, in a bid to try and re-take Ramadi. <br /><br /> “The next battle in Anbar won’t be easy, but it is less complicated than those in Diyala and Salahuddin provinces,” said Karim al-Nouri, spokesman for the al-Hashd al-Shaabi Shi’ite militia.<br /><br /> “The open and vast area of Anbar province will allow us to easily pursue and kill Islamic State militants by airstrikes.”<br /><br /> ISIL is looking to consolidate its gains in Anbar, where only pockets of territory remain under government control.<br /><br /> The militants’ advance has exposed the shortcomings of Iraq’s army a
