Iraq army launches offensive to retake Tikrit
Iraqi army says it has launched a major offensive against to retake Tikrit from Sunni rebels, amid contesting claims over who controls the city’s university.
The main ground operation, which began on Saturday, followed heavy fighting in the city between Sunni rebels and Iraqi special forces, who were trying to establish a foothold at Tikrit University.
Iraqi military sources claimed to have captured the university but the rebels led by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) said they had successfully repelled the attack.
Al Jazeera’s Imran Khan, reporting from Baghdad, said Iraqi armoured divisions have been moving towards Tikrit from Sammara, a nearby city where government forces had been massing.
The Iraqi army had destroyed a convoy of about 20 rebel vehicles between Samarra and Tikrit, Iraqi State TV reported.
Social media accounts associated with ISIL said that they had destroyed at least 10 humvees, six tanks and a helicopter in the clashes.
Source : Aljazeera
