Iraqi Prime Minister: The Islamic State Has Been Driven Out Of Central Tikrit

Reuters: Iraqi forces drive Islamic State out of central Tikrit: PM

(Reuters) - Iraqi troops aided by Shi'ite paramilitaries have driven Islamic State out of central Tikrit, Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi said on Tuesday, but the fight to retake all of Saddam Hussein's home town continued.

Government forces have been in a month-long fight for the city, which became a bastion for the Sunni jihadists who are at war with Baghdad and have been targeted by U.S.-led air strikes.

Hundreds of insurgents ready to fight to the death are still holed up in Salahuddin province's capital city and at least three neighborhoods remain under Islamic State control, along with a palace complex in the city's north.

The further Iraqi forces push into the city, the greater the risk of ambushes.

WNU Editor: I have heard these claims before (more than once) .... so I will wait until independent journalists are reporting from the center of Tikrit before stating that this is true.

More News On The Battle For Tikrit

Iraq premier: Troops in center of Islamic State-held Tikrit -- AP
Iraq's Prime Minister is claiming that a key city has been retaken from ISIS -- AFP
Iraqi forces take back Tikrit from ISIS, official says -- CNN
Iraqi forces take large parts of Tikrit from ISIS, prime minister says -- FOX News
Iraqi Security Forces Recapture Tikrit From Islamic State -- WSJ
Iraq forces retake government HQ in Tikrit -- Al Arabiya
Iraqi forces advance in Tikrit following U.S. strikes -- Washington Post

In The Battle For Tikrit 400 Islamic State Fighters Are Holding Back 30,000 Iraqi Troops And Militia Fighters

Ken Hanly , Digital Journal: In Tikrit 400 IS fighters hold back 30,000 Iraqi troops

Tikrit - A force of Islamic State fighters believed to number about 400 according to one general, is holding at bay about 30,000 Iraqi troops and militia.

After the offensive launched without US air support and led by an Iranian general stalled on the outskirts of Tikrit, the Shia militia and the Iranian commander who was heading the offensive have faded into the background. However many militia remain in the surrounding area and even a few checkpoints on the outskirts of Tikrit. For the last three days, the US has been bombing the centre of Tikrit where the Islamic State fighters so far have been able to fend off the Iraqis even though outnumbered by over seventy to one. This standoff does not auger well for any attempt to recapture the larger city of Mosul. The campaign to recapture Tikrit has been going on for almost a month now.

Update: As Iraqi Forces Press Into Tikrit, Hundreds Of ISIS FIghters Remain (NPR)

WNU Editor: No one rally knows for sure how many ISIS fighters are in Tikrit, but what is known is that they have inflicted heavy casualties, and they have stalled the Iraqi offensive to seize the city.

Iraq's Shiite Militias Rejoin The Battle For Tikrit After Receiving Assurances That The U.S. Will Stop Air Strikes

Military vehicles of Iraqi security forces are seen in Tikrit March 28, 2015. Reuters / Thaier Al-Sudani

Washington Post: Shiite militias in Iraq say they have assurances that U.S. will stop strikes

BAGHDAD — Shiite militia leaders claimed Monday to have received reassurances from Iraq’s prime minister that there would be no more U.S.-led airstrikes on Tikrit, opening the way for their fighters’ return to the battlefield.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi met with leaders of Iraq’s “popular mobilization units” Sunday night to discuss the ground offensive to reclaim Tikrit from Islamic State militants, his spokesman Saad al-Hadithi confirmed. Hadithi, though, said that a final decision on the strikes had not been taken.

Any decision to halt the strikes to allow forces dominated by Shiite militiamen to march into Tikrit is likely to rile Washington, which has been wary of being perceived as aiding the Iranian-backed paramilitary groups on the ground. It would mean that the airstrikes had essentially been used to ease the militiamen’s path into the city, after their initial offensive stalled two weeks ago.

WNU Editor: Apparently there is no final agreement on U.S. air strikes ... so says the Iraqi PM's office. I suspect that what is at play right now is this .... Tikrit: Shia fighters say US is 'trying to steal a victory' from Iranian-backed militias and Iraqi army (IBTimes)

More News On Iraq's Shiite Militias Rejoining The Battle For Tikri

Shiite militias in Iraq rejoin fight to oust Islamic State from Tikrit -- L.A. Times
Shia Militias Relaunch Tikrit Assault on ISIS After U.S. Air Strikes -- Newsweek
Iraq: US-Iran tensions amid offensive to retake Tikrit from ISIL -- Euronews
Photos: The battle to take Tikrit -- Al Jazeera

The Battle For Tikrit Continue -- News Updates March 30, 2015

Radio Free Europe: Iraqi Ground Forces, U.S. Air Strikes Focus On IS-Held Tikrit

Iraqi security forces continue to battle Islamic State (IS) militants in central Tikrit as the United States and its allies provide air support.

But local officials warn that the battle to retake the Sunni Muslim city and hometown of the late Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein will not be quick.

Mayor Osama al-Tikriti has said it will be too difficult to achieve a rapid advance into the city because the ground is littered with bombs and booby-traps.

Further complicating the ground assault on Tikrit has been the exit from the offensive of most Iranian-backed Shi’ite militia fighters that had been fighting alongside government forces.

More News On The Battle For Tikrit

Booby-traps halt Iraqi forces' advance on Tikrit -- Al Jazeera
Iraqi advance into Tikrit slowed by resistance as U.S. airstrikes continue -- UPI
Baghdad Troops Take Lead in Fight to Take Back Tikrit from ISIL - CENTCOM -- Sputnik
US Jets Strike Iraqi Forces' Positions Instead of ISIL in Tikrit -- Sputnik
Iraqi army weighs cost of U.S.-led strikes in Tikrit as militiamen leave -- Washington Post
As Iraqi Forces Press Into Tikrit, Hundreds Of ISIS FIghters Remain -- NPR
U.S., Iranian-Backed Shiite Militias Share Uneasily in Battle for Iraq’s Tikrit -- WSJ
Shooting Blind Into Tikrit, Iraqi Forces Hope They Hit Something -- IBTimes
'Major sacrifices' required to retake Tikrit: Iraq officer -- Ahram Online/AFP

The Battle For Tikrit Resumes

Wall Street Journal: Iraq Resumes Offensive in Tikrit After U.S. Airstrikes

Iraqi troops move in as Iran-backed Shiite militiamen withdraw in fight to dislodge Islamic State from Tikrit

WASHINGTON—After two days of U.S. airstrikes, the stalled Iraqi offensive to rout Islamic State fighters from Tikrit has resumed, the Pentagon said Friday.

As Iran-backed Shiite militiamen withdrew from the fight, thousands of Iraqi government forces sought to capitalize on the new American airstrikes to dislodge hundreds of Islamic State fighters hunkered down in the city center.

The push is the first by Iraqi forces into Tirkit since U.S. planes started hitting Islamic State positions on Wednesday. The U.S.-led coalition has carried out 20 airstrikes on Islamic State forces in and around Tikrit, officials said Friday.

More News On The Battle For Tikrit

Offensive operations resume in Tikrit after U.S. airstrikes -- Washington Times
U.S.-led coalition launches 17 airstrikes on ISIS targets around Tikrit -- CNN
U.S. Keeps Striking Tikrit as Pentagon Predicts Extended Fight -- Bloomberg
Iraq paramilitaries decide Tikrit pullback: commanders -- AFP
Iraq Sidelines Iran-Backed Militias -- WSJ
Tikrit Offensive: Iranian General Steps Out, U.S. Steps In -- ABC News
Hard-line Shiite militias quit Tikrit campaign over US airstrikes -- Rudaw
With Aid of Airstrikes, Iraqi Forces Ring Tikrit, Pentagon Says -- VOA
Iraqi Forces Advance On Central Tikrit -- Radio Free Europe
Intel official: Iran ‘pissed’ at Iraq for joining with US in Tikrit fight -- FOX News
Iraq reverses decision on Tikrit air support -- Jeremy Binnie, IHS Jane's Defence Weekly
Final battle for Tikrit: ‘We won’t let the Americans take the glory’ -- Martin Chulov, The Guardian
What’s at Stake in Tikrit -- Noah Gordon, Defense One/ The Atlantic

Three Major Iraqi Shiite Militia Groups Have Pulled Out Of The Fight For Tikrit In Protest Of U.S. Air Strikes

New York Times: 3 Shiite Militias Quit Iraqi Siege of ISIS Over U.S. Air Role

AL RASHID AIR BASE, Iraq — Three major Shiite militia groups pulled out of the fight for Tikrit on Thursday, immediately depriving the Iraqi government of thousands of their fighters on the ground even as American warplanes readied for an expected second day of airstrikes against the Islamic State there.

The militia groups, some of which until recently had Iranian advisers with them, pulled out of the Tikrit fight in protest of the American military airstrikes, which began late Wednesday night, insisting that the Americans were not needed to defeat the extremists in Tikrit.

Together the three groups represent as much as a third of the 30,000 fighters on the government side in the offensive against the Islamic State, which is also known as ISIS or ISIL, analysts said.

Update: Iraqi militia leader rejects calls for further US air strikes on Tikrit -- The Guardian

WNU Editor: David Ignatius believes that this is a significant shift in Iraq's relationship with Iran .... Stalled Tikrit offensive hurts Iran, helps U.S. (David Ignatius, Washington Post) .... but I have my doubts. This is a temporary shift done out of convenience ..... once Tikrit has fallen I expect everyone in Iraq will claim victory .... the Iranian backed Shiite militias included .... and the march towards Mosul will then begin.

U.S. Led Coalition Launches Air Strikes On Islamic State Targets Around Tikrit (Update)

Reuters: Coalition, Iraqi planes target IS militants in Tikrit presidential compound

(Reuters) - Coalition and Iraqi planes struck a sprawling complex of palaces in the city of Tikrit on Thursday where Islamic State militants have been holding out for more than three weeks.

U.S.-led coalition planes launched their first air strikes against Islamic State targets in Saddam Hussein's home city on Wednesday, coming off the sidelines to aid Iraqi forces fighting alongside Iran-backed Shi'ite militia on the ground.

The decision to provide air support for the Tikrit campaign draws the United States into a messy battle that puts the coalition, however reluctantly, on the same side of a fight as Iranian-backed militia.

WNU Editor: Apparently a condition for these air strikes was the withdrawal of Shiite militias .... Top General: Iran-Backed Shiite Militia Not in Tikrit Fight (ABC News/AP)

More News On U.S. Air Strikes Targeting Islamic State Positions In Tikrit

U.S.-led coalition launches 17 airstrikes on ISIS targets around Tikrit -- CNN
U.S. assists Iran, launches airstrikes in Tikrit to bolster Shiites -- Washington Times
U.S. Airpower Joins Iran-Backed Offensive in Iraq’s Tikrit -- Bloomberg
France Conducts First Bombing Against Islamic State in Tikrit -- Sputnik
US begins airstrikes against Islamic State in Tikrit, supports Shiite militias -- Long War Journal
U.S. strikes bolster Iraqi offensive in Tikrit -- USA Today
U.S. ruled out Shi'ite militias before joining Tikrit strikes: U.S. general -- Reuters
Top General: Iran-Backed Shiite Militia Not in Tikrit Fight -- ABC News/AP
Iraqi Shiite militias 'pulled back' from Tikrit: US -- AFP
Iraq crisis: Tikrit push 'no longer led by Shia militias' -- BBC
After US airstrikes, Iraq troops start final push for Tikrit -- Washington Post/AP
Iraq troops launch final phase of Tikrit push, France bombs ISIS -- Al Arabiya
Air strikes trigger final push on Iraq's Tikrit -- AFP
U.S. airstrikes usher "final" offensive for Tikrit -- CBS/AP
Iraqi forces gather for push into Tikrit after U.S. airstrikes seek to clear path -- Washington Post

After Suffering Heavy Casualties Iraq Is Now Consolidating Their Positions Against The Islamic State

New York Times: Iraqi Forces Map Plan Against ISIS, With Strategic Use of Militias

BAGHDAD — As a small force of Islamic State militants holds out in parts of Tikrit for a fourth week, Iraqi forces have been compelled to shift tactics, officials say: Rather than storming in to clear the city at any cost, the security forces are trying to seal off the area and begin preparing for even more challenging battles to the west and north.

The Iraqi forces’ progress has put them closer to the doorstep of Nineveh Province, where the city of Mosul looms as the most important battle against the Islamic State. But the hard lessons of the Tikrit offensive, with a heavy cost in casualties for the Shiite militiamen and soldiers involved, have Iraqi officials thinking more cautiously about their next steps.

To that end, officials say, their next goal will be securing the western province of Anbar, in part to keep Islamic State fighters there from ambushing and harassing the main Iraqi force to the east.

WNU Editor: I guess the Iraqis have figured out that mass infantry assaults without the proper air cover and supporting mechanized units results in high casualties .... and that maybe the U.S. "go slow approach" is the better strategy. This is also a repudiation of Iranian General Aassem Suleimani's strategy to retake Tikrit.

The Battle For Tikrit -- news Updates March 23, 2015

Newsweek: Tikrit Offensive Stalls Due to ‘Hundreds’ of ISIS Explosives

The offensive on the ISIS-held Iraqi city of Tikrit has slowed to a halt because of hundreds of explosives planted in the city’s centre as the terror group await a final assault by Iraqi forces, according to experts.

The Iraqi offensive on the city, supported by the Shia-majority Popular Mobilisation Units (PMU), had initial success, with a number of towns on the city’s outskirts captured quickly and PMU spokesman, Karim al-Nuri, declaring the city would be liberated in “no more than 72 hours” earlier this month.

Yet, the assault on the hometown of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein has taken longer than expected, now entering its fourth week. Iraq’s defence minister today claimed that the army has slowed down its operation to prevent potential casualties which could occur if they rushed the assault on the explosive-laden city centre.

More News On The Battle For Tikrit

Sectarian Tensions Stall Iraqi Military's Fight Against ISIS In Tikrit -- IBTimes
Tikrit under 'full siege' as Iraqi forces prepare for final assault -- Malta Today
US trains Iraqi forces as battle for Tikrit continues -- FOX News/AP
Iraq militia chief slams army 'weaklings' over Tikrit strikes -- AFP
Remains of Iraqi troops found in mass grave in Yathrib -- Al Jazeera
Iraq: ISIL Seeks A New Gimmick -- Strategy Page
Battle for Tikrit key to Iraq's future -- Jonathan Beale, BBC
Iraqi army still not ready for prime time -- Rick Moran, American Thinker

Discord In The Iraq - Iran Alliance To Fight Against The Islamic State?

A top Shiite militia leader has criticized "weaklings" in the Iraqi army for calling for U.S. support in the fight to regain Tikrit from ISIS. Shiite fighters are pictured here gathering on their way to Tikrit, March 20, 2015. REUTERS/Alaa Al-Marjani

IBTimes: ISIS Tikrit Battle: Shiite Militia Leader Criticizes Iraq Army 'Weaklings' Calling For US Support

The commander of the powerful Badr Shiite militia has criticized “weaklings” in the Iraqi military who have called for U.S. airstrikes to support an ongoing campaign against the ISIS stronghold of Tikrit. The remarks by Hadi al-Ameri Sunday signal possible rifts between Iraq’s army and the Iranian-backed Shiite militias currently supporting the Tikrit offensive.

"Some of the weaklings in the army ... say we need the Americans while we say we do not need the Americans," Ameri told journalists when asked about U.S. air support, Agence France-Presse reported. The top Iraqi commander in the Salaheddin province where Tikrit is located had told the news agency earlier he airtrikes are needed to fight the militant group.

Update: Iraq militia chief slams army 'weaklings' over Tikrit strikes -- AFP

WNU Editor: If they were winning the fight for Tikrit, this Shiite militia leader would not be saying these things.

The Military Operation To Retake Tikrit Has Resulted In 1,000 Iraqi MIlitiamen Their Lives

The State/McClatchy News: Operation to retake Tikrit stalled by heavy casualties, discord

ISTANBUL — The much ballyhooed Iraqi government operation to capture the central city of Tikrit from the Islamic State has stalled three weeks after it began, amid widespread reports that Shiite Muslim militias and the government are badly divided over tactics and roiled by claims that the militias have engaged in war crimes against the local Sunni Muslim population.

A two-day pause supposedly intended to give the Iraqi government time to bring up reinforcements has stretched into a week, as reports circulate that Iraqi government troops and the militias took heavier than anticipated casualties in their first efforts to dislodge Islamic State fighters. At least 1,000 militiamen died in the early days of fighting, according to some reports, roughly 5 percent of the 20,000 men the militias have committed to the operation.

WNU Editor: I believe these reports of high casualties are true. During the taping of this Al Jazeera report from the front lines, the Al Jazeera reporter saw 5 Iraqi special forces soldiers getting killed in a few minutes .... and that was in just one small skirmish. The battle for Tikrit has been ongoing for weeks now .... one can only imagine the casualty count .... and on both sides.

Update: If this report is true .... it appears that Iraqi Shiite militias are now getting frustrated in the battle for Tikrit .... Iraqi Sunnis accuse Shi'ite paramilitaries of burning homes outside Tikrit (Reuters)

The Battle For The Iraqi City Of Tikrit Has Stalled

Daily Beast: The Big Offensive Against ISIS in Tikrit Has Stalled

What was supposed to be a rapid triumph is shaping up as a prolonged siege, according to Pentagon officials.

Iraqi politicians and military commanders have said repeatedly the self-proclaimed Islamic State’s grip on the city of Tikrit was about to end in the face of an overwhelming Iraqi military and militia offensive.

Just last week, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al Abadi reportedly declared that victory was near and “achieved totally by Iraqi hands.” And in an interview with ABC’s This Week that aired March 8, the prime minister said the forces’ advances were “ahead of planning.”

But two Pentagon officials told The Daily Beast on Thursday that the fall of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein’s hometown was at least two weeks away, as the campaign now is “stalled.” As Army Col. Steve Warren, a Pentagon spokesman, told reporters Thursday, the Iraqi forces have not yet reached the center of the city.

WNU Editor: As the war against the islamic State intensifies in iraq, there is a lot of truth to this analysis .... Mosul: A Bridge Too Far? (Craig Whiteside, War On The Rocks).

More News On The Battle for The Iraqi City Of Tikrit

Iraq’s Battle to Take Back Tikrit Slows -- WSJ
Tikrit battle in Iraq is not over yet, Pentagon warns -- Washington Post
Pentagon: Hundreds Of ISIL Fighters Occupying Tikrit -- TRNS
Mass grave found near Tikrit as U.N. says Islamic State group suspected of genocide -- AP
Iraq Air Force targets ISIL positions in Tikrit -- Press TV
No Iraq request for coalition air support in Tikrit campaign -- Reuters
In Tikrit Offensive, Local Sunnis, Shiite Militias Are Unlikely Allies -- NPR
Iraq's top Shi'ite cleric urges more professionalism in fight against IS -- Reuters

Iraq's 1st Anti-ISslamic State Hero Is Known As The 'Archangel Of Death'

Facebook

BBC: 'The Archangel of Death' fighting Islamic State

The fight against Islamic State in Iraq is raging in Tikrit, where government forces are being helped by dozens of Shia militias. One soldier in particular has gained thousands of fans online - but his story is also a revealing insight into Iran's propaganda machine.

He wields an axe, a sword and a machine gun and his battlefield pranks have become as legendary as his fighting against Islamic State - but who is the man that thousands online have called "father of the archangel of death"?

WNU Editor: This is a small inside look at how Iran 's propaganda machine works.

More News On Iraq's 1st Anti-Islamic State Hero Known As The 'Archangel Of Death'

The university lecturer who became an axe-wielding Iraqi soldier known as the 'Angel of Death': Fearsome warrior has become a living legend among those fighting ISIS -- Daily Mail
Iraq’s ‘Angel of Death’ takes on the Islamic State -- AFP
Imagine meeting this guy on the battlefield! -- Ground Report
This Man Was a University Lecturer. Then to ISIS Terrorists, He Became the ‘Angel of Death.’ -- IJReview
The Angel of Death is coming for you, ISIL -- Ibrahim al-Marashi, Al Jazeera

Iraq's Offensive To Retake Tikrit Stalled By Booby Traps And Hundreds Of Determined Islamic State Fighters

AFP: Iraq's Tikrit offensive stalled by IS bombs

Samarra (Iraq) (AFP) - Iraq's offensive to retake Tikrit from the Islamic State group was stalled Tuesday because of streets and buildings rigged with booby trap bombs and by the several hundred jihadists still holding out there.

Troops, police and militia fairly easily boxed the jihadists in over recent days, but mopping them up is proving to be far harder.

"The battle to retake Tikrit will be difficult because of the preparations (IS) made," said Jawwad al-Etlebawi, spokesman for Asaib Ahl al-Haq, a Shiite militia playing a major role in the operation.

WNU Editor: The above Al jazeera video report on the battle for Tikrit is very revealing on how difficult it has become for Iraq's army and Shiite militias to seize Tikrit. In short .... even the best trained Iraqi forces are being butchered by sniper fire and booby traps.

More News On The Battle For Tikrit

ISIS Digs Heels Into Tikrit as Iraq Offensive Slows -- Time
Iraq Halts Operation To Retake Tikrit From ISIS -- Breitbart
Iraq halts Tikrit operation to limit losses of 'heroic forces' -- Middle East Eye
ISIS Beheads 4 Government 'Recruiters' as Tikrit Advance Slows -- Arutz Sheva
In battle to retake Tikrit, Sunnis form unlikely alliance with Shiite militias -- Rudaw/AP
In Iraq, The Final Battle For Tikrit Is Likely To Be The Hardest -- NPR

An Analysis On Why The Iraqi Offensive For Tikrit Has Stalled

Washington Post: Iraqi offensive for Tikrit stalls as casualties mount

NAJAF, Iraq — Iraqi forces’ operation to retake the city of Tikrit has stalled as troops suffer heavy casualties at the hands of Islamic State militants, raising concerns about whether the pro-government fighters are ready for major offensives.

After two days of little activity on the battlefield, Iraq’s interior minister, Mohammed al-Ghabban, confirmed Monday that the offensive has “temporarily stopped.” The steady flow of coffins arriving in Iraq’s Shiite holy city of Najaf suggests a reason for the pause; cemetery workers say as many as 60 war dead have been arriving each day.

Since last week, Iraqi forces have hemmed in the Sunni militants in Tikrit, claiming control of the majority of the former Islamic State stronghold. But the operation has come at a cost, with soldiers saying the fight has been tougher than expected. As the momentum has slowed, some Iraqi officials have begun to publicly call for U.S.-led air support.

WNU Editor: The Iraqi military complemented with Shiite militias and backed with Iranian advisers may have the numbers on their side, but it looks like they lack the capacity of a combined arms operation needed to break through the Islamic State's defensive positions in Tikrit. From what I have seen so far, the battle for Tikrit has been primarily an infantry operation without a large armored strike force complemented with overwhelming air assets. And while it appears that the Iraqi military/Shiite militias are making progress .... casualty rates have been too high .... if not unsustainable. I have also been reading a number of stories where Iraqi officials are now requesting U.S. air support .... but with Iranian advisers coordinating much of the fighting, I doubt that this is going to happen. Bottom line .... the Iraqis are clearly not ready to storm and retake the city of Mosul .... especially if they cannot win convincingly in Tikrit.