Iraqi forces pound IS group positions
(27 Mar 2015) Iraqi troops continued battling Islamic State group fighters in the northern city of Tikrit on Friday, as part of the final phase of an offensive to recapture Saddam Hussein's hometown from militants.
Iraqi military vehicles military fired machine guns and mortars toward Tikrit General hospital believed to be used as a shelter by extremists.
Smoke was seen rising from the hospital and surrounding buildings, as helicopters flew overhead.
The final push in the battle to drive IS from the city, however, is going ahead without the country's Iran-backed Shiite militias, which had been instrumental to the operation so far and which backed out in protest over the US involvement in the fight for Tikrit.
On Wednesday, the US began airstrikes in Tikrit in support of what it called a "stalled" Iraqi ground offensive to retake the city, after it insisted that Iranian-backed militia pulled back.
The US initially did not provide air support in Tikrit because Baghdad pointedly chose instead to partner with Iran in a battle it predicted would yield a quick victory.
Representatives of the Shiite militia said they chose to withdraw from the battle for Tikrit in protest of the United States entering the fray.
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Iraqi military vehicles military fired machine guns and mortars toward Tikrit General hospital believed to be used as a shelter by extremists.
Smoke was seen rising from the hospital and surrounding buildings, as helicopters flew overhead.
The final push in the battle to drive IS from the city, however, is going ahead without the country's Iran-backed Shiite militias, which had been instrumental to the operation so far and which backed out in protest over the US involvement in the fight for Tikrit.
On Wednesday, the US began airstrikes in Tikrit in support of what it called a "stalled" Iraqi ground offensive to retake the city, after it insisted that Iranian-backed militia pulled back.
The US initially did not provide air support in Tikrit because Baghdad pointedly chose instead to partner with Iran in a battle it predicted would yield a quick victory.
Representatives of the Shiite militia said they chose to withdraw from the battle for Tikrit in protest of the United States entering the fray.
Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter: Twitter: AP_Archive
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Instagram: Instagram: APNews
You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...
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