Iraq launched major military offensive against ISIS to regain control of Tikrit, Salahudin

Iraq launched major military offensive against ISIS to regain control of Tikrit

Iraq: Kirkuk: Some 30,000 Iraqi forces backed by militia backed by Ariel Support has launched a major military strikes on ISIS controlled Tikrit, hometown of Saddam Hussain. 

The operation began in early morning after being announced by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi the previous evening. Abadi urged the security forces to spare civilians during the offensive, a message echoed by the UN and responding to fears of reprisals against the area’s Sunnis. “I call on all those who were misled and made mistakes in the past to lay down their arms today. This may be the last chance,” Abadi said, suggesting some could be granted amnesty.

The liberation of Himreen is part of a major offensive launched on Monday from five directions aimed at recapturing key cities and towns seized by the IS in the province.

“Security forces are advancing on three main fronts towards Tikrit, Ad-Dawr (to the south) and Al-Alam (to the north),” a senior army officer on the ground told AFP by telephone. The army officer said the forces involved were from the army, police, counter-terrorism units, a government-controlled volunteer group known as the Popular Mobilisation units and Sunni tribes. Military sources said warplanes were involved but it was not immediately clear whether foreign air support — Iranian or from the US-led coalition fighting IS — was also called in.

Both Iraqi and Iranian media said Qassem Soleimani — the commander of the Al-Quds Force covert operations unit of Tehran’s elite Revolutionary Guards — was in Salaheddin province to help coordinate operations.

Large parts of Salahudin province had been under IS control since June 11, a day after violent clashes broke out between Iraqi security forces and the IS terror group, which took control of the country`s northern city of Mosul and later seized swathes of territories in Nineveh and other predominant Sunni provinces.The troops, backed by armoured vehicles and Iraqi aircraft, have surrounded the town of Dour, some 25 km south of Tikrit, and regained control of many villages north of Samarra, some 120 km north of Baghdad.