The United States is ramping up its delivery of military equipment to help Iraq battle militants who have overrun parts of Anbar province, including the city of Fallujah. White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said the United States would deliver Hellfire missiles and surveillance drones as part of a “holistic” strategy to oust the militant group known as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant.

Jay Carney: “Now, this situation remains fluid, and it’s too early to tell or make conclusions about it. But we’re accelerating our foreign military sales deliveries and are looking to provide an additional shipment of Hellfire missiles as early as this spring. These missiles are one small element of that holistic -– excuse me -– strategy, but they have been proven effective at denying ISIL the safe haven zones that it has sought to establish in western Iraq.”