Islamic State advances on key Iraqi city

Islamic State militants launched a fierce attack Wednesday to capture the city of Ramadi, dealing a setback to a newly launched Iraqi military offensive in the Sunni-dominated region.

Sunni tribal leaders who have been holding out in the city, 70 miles west of Baghdad, said they were short of weapons and ammunition and were under intense pressure from the extremists, said Sterling Jensen, an assistant professor at the United Arab Emirates' National Defense College in Abu Dhabi. Jensen keeps in close contact with tribal leaders.

An Iraqi Defense Ministry spokesman,...