Sunni insurgents led by an Al-Qaeda breakaway group expanded their offensive in a volatile western province Saturday, capturing two strategic towns and the first border crossing with Syria to fall on the Iraqi side.

In a reflection of the bitter divide, thousands of heavily armed Shiite militiamen -- eager to take on the Sunni insurgents -- march through Iraqi cities in military-style parades on streets where many of them battled U.S. forces a half decade ago

Police and army officials said Saturday that the Sunni insurgents seized Qaim and its crossing, about 320 kilometers west of Baghdad, after killing some 30 Iraqi troops in daylong clashes Friday.

Maliki has come under growing pressure to reach out to disaffected Kurds and Sunnis, with many blaming his failure to promote reconciliation led to the country's worst crisis since the U.S. military withdrew its forces nearly three years ago.

Obama announced Thursday he was deploying up to 300 military advisers to help quell the insurgency. They join some 275 troops in and around Iraq to provide security and support for the U.S. Embassy and other American interests.

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