A major offensive to retake an Iraqi city from Islamic State militants has been put on hold to allow civilians to flee the area, according to the country's interior ministry.
The operation, which began on 2 March, has seen soldiers, police officers, Shiite militias and Sunni tribal fighters reach the outskirts of Tikrit.
It is a crucial step towards liberating Mosul - Iraq's second city - from the terror group.
Mohammed Salem al Ghabban, interior minister, said militants had booby-trapped roads and buildings leading into Tikrit, forcing Iraqi troops to slow their advance.
He said: "The militants are squeezed into a small part of the city centre."
The offensive has so far not been aided by US-led air strikes, which have continued to target IS positions elsewhere in Iraq and Syria.
Officials said that at least 30,000 people are fighting to seize Tikrit, including an estimated 20,000 militia men.
The city lies around 80 miles north of Baghdad on the connecting road between the capital and Mosul.
US military officials have said a co-ordinated military mission to retake Mosul could begin in April or May and could involve up to 25,000 Iraqi troops.
It comes after the tomb of dictator Saddam Hussein was virtually destroyed during heavy fighting between IS militants and Iraq troops.
Footage showed that all that remains of the once-lavish tomb in Ouja, just south of Tikrit, were support columns that had held up the roof.
Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang
Tikrit Offensive On Hold So Civilians Can Flee
Dengan url
http://pasanganbacklinks.blogspot.com/2015/03/tikrit-offensive-on-hold-so-civilians.html
Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya
Tikrit Offensive On Hold So Civilians Can Flee
namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link
Tikrit Offensive On Hold So Civilians Can Flee
sebagai sumbernya
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar