( CNN ) -- A key province near Iraq 's capital is in trouble amid an onslaught from ISIS forces , the U.S. defense secretary said Friday , signaling the Islamist extremist group is continuing to flex its muscles and expand its territory -- on several fronts -- despite international airstrikes . Speaking to reporters during his travels in South America , U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said there 's a lot of uncertainty about what will happen with Anbar province , which is just west of Baghdad . These comments are in alignment with those of a senior U.S. defense official who told CNN that Iraqi forces are `` up against the wall '' in Anbar . Some units are in danger of being cut off by the advancing militants , who call themselves members of the Islamic State . The Iraqis ' ultimate goal is to take back some of the vast areas , in both Iraq and Syria , that ISIS controls . But right now , Iraqi forces appear to be mostly trying to survive -- taking defensive positions and using Apache helicopters again , even after two were shot down in the area this week , according to the U.S. official . `` We do see ISIL continue to make gains in Anbar province and ( are ) mindful of how Anbar relates to the security of Baghdad , '' said another senior U.S. defense official . The first official said the U.S. military is more confident right now about the Iraqi military 's ability to protect Baghdad . The Iraqi brigades defending the capital are more capable and include U.S. military advisers , so at least Washington should have a better sense there if there 's any imminent danger . Abu Ahmed , a 42-year-old colonel who belongs to a group allied with the Iraqi government , said that `` a large number of ISIS militants '' attacked al-Garma , in Anbar province , around 3 a.m. Friday . What began with the detonation of seven vehicles by a bridge ended about five hours later . In between , Ahmed said there was `` a fierce battle '' with ISIS militants on one side and Iraqi and local allied forces on the other . `` During the fight , ISIS militants set some oil containers and tires on fire to block the view from the Iraqi air support that was called in , '' Ahmed said . `` ... The Iraqi army and Awakening Council fighters did not advance to the positions where ISIS militants were fighting , fearing booby traps and planted ( improvised explosive devices ) . '' This is not the only place where ISIS forces are fighting . Oil and crime make ISIS rich . About 800 kilometers ( 500 miles ) from Baghdad , the Islamist extremist group continued to inch forward in the Syrian city of Kobani . The Kurdish enclave has been a hotspot for days , largely due to its location a stone 's throw from the Turkish border . Emotional and , at times , violent protests have broken out in Turkey among people calling for ground forces to intervene -- something Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Thursday wo n't happen , so long as Turkey has to go it alone . Turkey 's tough choice : Take on ISIS or the PKK ? ISIS fighters controlled about half of the Syrian city on Friday , significantly more than even a day earlier , after taking over Kurdish administration buildings in what had been a security zone , the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports . The United States has launched multiple airstrikes to try to curb the ISIS advance , including two Friday that the U.S. military says destroyed some of the group 's infrastructure and vehicles . But such efforts have n't prevented ISIS fighters from restocking with munitions from the Syrian cities of Aleppo and Raqqa , according to the observatory , a London-based monitoring group . Nor have they stopped fresh fighters from arriving in Kobani , which is also known as Ayn al-Arab . The group that could help beat ISIS . CNN 's Kareem Khadder , Hamdi Alkhshali and Juan Carlos Lopez contributed to this report .
NEW : U.S. defense secretary : Iraq 's Anbar province in trouble amid ISIS onslaught . The Pentagon says the militants have taken control of a number of towns and cities around Ramadi, including Fallujah, which was once home to many Sunni tribes but is now controlled by ISIS. U.S. official : ISIS fighters in Anbar province , near Baghdad , may cut off Iraqi forces . Group : ISIS now controls about half of Kobani , a Syrian city near the Turkish border .