Mines and bombs slow Iraqi advance on Islamic State-held Tikrit

Iraqi forces are closing in on Tikrit on the second day of Baghdad’s largest operation yet against the Islamic State group. The government has mobilised a 30,000-strong force for the push to retake Tikrit. Troops are moving on Tikrit from three directions, with units targeting the towns of Al-Alam and Ad-Dawr to the north and south, while another large contingent drives from the east. Outnumbered and outgunned, the jihadists who have held Tikrit since June 2014 have been resorting to guerrilla tactics to disrupt the government’s advance.

They are using urban warfare and snipers, so we are advancing in a cautious and delicate way, and we need more time.

An Iraqi lieutenant general on the ground

Shiite militia, which are armed by Tehran, account for about two-thirds of the force moving against IS while Iraqi government army troops make up the remainder. General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Iran’s military assistance in the Tikrit offensive could be positive as long as it did not fuel sectarian divisions. The recapture of Tikrit is of both strategic and symbolic importance: commanders have said it is a stepping stone for an even more ambitious operation aimed at retaking Mosul.

Middle East Islamic State