On Wednesday March 11, Iraqi government military forces and armed volunteer militia forces of Hashid Shaabi supported by Iran, entered Tikrit; however, reports indicate that the city has not been taken completely under control. According to Reuters, Tikrit was still a scene of resistance by ISIS forces on Thursday.
Tikrit was taken last June by ISIS forces, who settled into the palaces and military headquarters that Saddam Hussein, the late Iraqi president, has built in his hometown. From those same locations, ISIS forces are reportedly putting up a resistance against Iraqi government forces and supporters.
The U.S. has so far not taken part in the operation to push ISIS forces out of Tikrit; Iran’s role in this operation has been significant.
The U.S., however, has been carrying out air attacks against ISIS forces around Kirkuk and Falluja.
After Tikrit, according to reports, Iraqi forces are setting their sights on the liberation of Mosul, the largest Iraqi city under ISIS occupation.
Mosul is currently regarded by ISIS extremists as the centre of the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and Syria; therefore, the fall of Mosul would be a great blow to ISIS forces, pushing them into defensive operations.
Current ISIS operations are tending toward small terrorist attacks in small towns and Syrian Kurdish villages rather than large-scale occupation attacks.
