(CNN) -- As radical Sunni militants snatch city after city in their march to Baghdad, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Iraq on Monday during the country's tensest time since the U.S. withdrawal of troops.
He'll meet with Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, the man some say needs to step down. With al-Maliki's Shiite-led government losing more ground to militants from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), Kerry has implored the leader to rise above 'sectarian motivations' to become more inclusive, more representative of its population.
Kerry will also meet with Iraq's foreign minister as well as both Shiite and Sunni leaders.
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An ISIS fighter takes control of a traffic intersection in the northern city of Mosul, Iraq, on Sunday, June 22. Vast swaths of northern Iraq, including the cities of Mosul and Tal Afar, have fallen as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, advances toward Baghdad, the capital. The ISIS militants want to establish a caliphate, or Islamic state, in the region, stretching from Iraq into northern Syria.Photos: Iraq under siege 
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Militants capture chemical weapons plantBut outside the rooms of high-level talks, parts of Iraq are falling by the day. Here's the latest on the crisis that is spilling far beyond Iraq's borders:
ISIS militants continued their violent march toward Baghdad over the weekend from both the north and the west. At least 70% of Anbar province is now under the control of ISIS, two security officials in the region told CNN.
ISIS is on a mission to create an Islamic state across Sunni areas of Iraq and in Syria.
They've taken over not just the Tal Afar airbase in northern Iraq, but also the entire town of Tal Afar, officials said.
The fighters also seized the western Anbar town of Rutba, 113 kilometers (70 miles) from the borders of Jordan and Saudi Arabia, security sources in Baghdad and Anbar told CNN on Sunday.
Then there's Qaim. After ISIS captured the city along th Syrian border on Saturday, the militants now enjoy a stronghold and a number of other towns in Anbar province. And that means fighters now have a direct line to the western outskirts of Baghdad.
One of ISIS' biggest victories came when it took over Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city, earlier this month. On Sunday, witnesses said the militants took the capture one step further when ISIS members paraded around the city in vehicles, announcing on loudspeakers that it has decided to form Islamic Sharia courts in Mosul.
Sharia law covers both religious and non-religious aspects of life, and ISIS has begun imposing Sharia law in the towns it controls.
Boys and girls must be separated at school. Women must wear the niqab or full veil in public. Music is banned, and fasting is enforced during Ramadan.
The military denies huge lossesBut Iraq's military says it's not losing as much ground to ISIS as some may think. The military actually made a 'strategic withdrawal' in some areas, spokesman Maj. Gen. Qassim Atta told reporters.
He said the withdrawals were part of a campaign to 'open all these fronts so we can strengthen our positions.' But Atta did not detail the specific locations.
Two security officials told CNN that Iraqi forces have withdrawn from Haditha, about 270 kilometers (about 168 miles) northwest of Baghdad.
But even if some withdrawals were strategic, it's unclear when or how Iraqi forces could retake ares now in the hands of well-armed ISIS fighters.
The military said it has fought back against militants with airstrikes. Officials showed reporters footage of airstrikes they said took place in Tal Afar.
Atta said the video showed a 'large number of ISIS forces fleeing these strikes' that left up to 50 people dead.
Recruiting stations get pummeledApparently those trying to join Iraqi forces are at risk before the even enlist.
In the Shiite-dominated city of Hillah, south of Baghdad, at least four people were killed in a shelling attack on a recruiting station. Another 34 people were wounded.
U.S. sends more helpHundreds of predominantly Shiite men came to the recruiting station to answer a call to arms to protect Iraq.
The U.S. will have a greater presence in Iraq aside from Kerry's visit this week. About 300 U.S. military advisers will arrive in Iraq, a senior defense official said. They will not be deployed all at once.
In addition, some U.S. military personnel already at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad will be reassigned and become advisers, Pentagon spokesman Rear Adm. John Kirby said.
Chelsea J. Carter reported from Baghdad; Holly Yan reported from Atlanta. CNN's Mohammed Tawfeeq, Nic Robertson, Nima Elbagir, Arwa Damon, Tim Lister and Hamdi Alkhshali also contributed to this report.
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