Operation to retake Tikrit begins
Iraq's state TV says government forces backed by allied fighters have begun a large-scale military operation to recapture Saddam Hussein's hometown from ISIS, The Associated Press reported.
Al-Iraqiya television said Monday that the forces were attacking the city of Tikrit, backed by artillery and airstrikes by Iraqi fighter jets. It said the militants were dislodged from some areas outside the city, but gave no details.
Tikrit, some 130 kilometers (80 miles) north of Baghdad, fell into the hands of ISIS last summer along with the country's second-largest city of Mosul and other areas in Sunni heartland.
It is one of the largest cities held by ISIS and sits on the road to Mosul.