Obama’s war plan doesn’t seem to be working.

Baghdad (CNN) — ISIS fighters stood Saturday on the verge of taking not just a key Syrian town along the Turkish border, but also an entire province on Baghdad’s doorstep — spurring leaders of that province to urgently plead for U.S. ground troops to halt the Islamist extremist group’s rapid, relentless assault.

The situation in Anbar, just to the west of Baghdad, is “very bad,” said Sabah Al-Karhout, the president of Anbar Provincial Council.

ISIS, the self-proclaimed “Islamic State” which also is referred to as ISIL, controls about 80% of the province. Reports Saturday suggest they have encircled Haditha, the last large town in Anbar province not yet in the militants’ hands.

Should all of Anbar fall, the Sunni extremists would rule from the perimeter of Iraq’s capital to Raqqa in Syria (at least), according to the provincial council’s deputy head, Falleh al-Issawi.