Iraq has launched a military operation to recapture Saddam Hussein’s hometown of Tikrit from Islamic State.
Troops and militia attacked different fronts backed by airstrikes from Iraqi fighter jets.
According to the Iraqi government, military forces are advancing into the city. Tikrit is150km (95 miles) north of the capital Baghdad and was seized by IS militants in June 2014.
Government authorities also said that IS militants had been removed from some areas of Salahuddin province, outside Tikrit.
It added that Iraqi troops and fighters from the Popular Mobilization Forces, an umbrella group of Shia militia fighting IS were moving into Tikrit as airstrikes hit militant strongholds.
Shia militia have done much of the fighting against IS militants but have also been accused of killing scores of Sunni civilians in apparent revenge for attacks carried out by the group.
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