West of Baghdad , Iraq ( CNN ) Falih Essawi shouted on the phone as he described his situation . From his point of view , ISIS militants might be just hours away from taking the key Iraqi city of Ramadi . Fierce fighting has engulfed Ramadi , which lies only about 70 miles ( 113 kilometers ) west of Baghdad and is the capital of Anbar province , Iraq 's Sunni heartland . Essawi , the deputy head of the Anbar Provincial Council , told CNN from inside the city Wednesday that it 's unclear how much longer government troops can hold their front lines against the ISIS offensive . The politician said he was on a front line himself , armed with a machine gun . Security was `` collapsing rapidly in the city , '' and he begged the Iraqi government for reinforcements and the U.S.-led coalition against ISIS for air support . He stressed that urgent support from the military and security forces is needed to save the city . `` This is what we warned Baghdad of what 's going to happen , '' Essawi told CNN by phone , referring to the Iraqi government at the capital . `` Where is Baghdad ? Where is al-Abadi ? '' His plea for help comes the day after Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi met with U.S. President Barack Obama in Washington to seek more support for the fight against ISIS . `` Just Allah knows if we will survive this , '' Essawi said . According to the Anbar official , at least 10 Iraqi security forces were killed and more than 100 others were wounded in the fighting against ISIS on Wednesday . The extremist group 's offensive in Ramadi shows its resilience despite months of U.S.-led airstrikes and its recent defeat by Iraqi forces in the northern city of Tikrit . ISIS fighters have Ramadi under pressure from several angles . Essawi said ISIS militants made significant advances Wednesday in three areas east of Ramadi : Albu Soda , Albu Ghanem and parts of Soufia , which leads to central Ramadi . Later , he said that militants were rolling into the center of Ramadi . Over the weekend , the militants seized control of areas north of Ramadi . Routes south of the city were taken some months ago . That leaves only areas to the west of Ramadi in the hands of government forces , but those positions are under threat , Essawi warned . The recent fighting has driven a steady stream of refugees out of the city . On Wednesday , some residents packed what they could into metal carts as they prepared to flee on foot . People also were fleeing the areas where ISIS was advancing east of Ramadi . At least 150,000 people have already fled since Wednesday morning , causing huge traffic jams on the roads leading outside the city , according to Essawi . A CNN team met with three families that had fled an ISIS assault in the Albu Ghanem area . Those families said Iraqi security and military forces withdrew from Albu Ghanem after a battle with ISIS , which took over the area quickly . One fleeing Albu Ghanem resident , Abu Ahmed , paused to talk to CNN as he and his family walked east toward Baghdad , crossing a bridge over the Euphrates River . He said four ISIS militants had entered his house and set up a sniper position on his roof . Abu Ahmed said he , his wife and four children walked away from the home with his elderly mother while the ISIS fighters were busy setting things up there . He said his family left everything behind . His family was using a cart to carry his mother , who could n't walk . While talking about the fighters ' takeover of his home , his wife started crying and asked God to help the rest of the families who are stuck in Albu Ghanem . Ramadi has seen intense and persistent fighting for months . ISIS took over parts of the city in the first half of last year , placing it at the heart of a deadly tug of war ever since . The U.S. military has carried out multiple airstrikes against ISIS targets near Ramadi in recent weeks . `` The coalition has been supporting the fight in Ramadi with airstrikes , and there have been seven airstrikes in Ramadi since Monday , '' Col. Ed Thomas , spokesman for Joint Chiefs Chairman Col. Martin Dempsey , said on Wednesday . He stressed that Ramadi remains contested . Another U.S. military official , who spoke on the condition of anonymity , told CNN that the fall of Ramadi is `` not imminent . '' Sizable parts of the city are under ISIS control or influence , but the area has been a target of a months-long offensive , that official said . CNN 's Hamdi Alkhshali and Arwa Damon reported from west of Baghdad , and Jethro Mullen wrote from Hong Kong . CNN 's Jason Hanna , Jim Sciutto , Jamie Crawford contributed to this report .
A U.S. military official tells Joint Chiefs the fall of Ramadi is `` not imminent '' Official in Ramadi says it 's unclear how long government forces can hold out there . He begs the Iraqi government for reinforcements and the U.S.-led coalition for airstrikes .