Iraqi Security Forces retook Tikrit from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria overnight, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said Tuesday.
Al-Abadi made the announcement on state TV, announcing the first major victory over the Islamic State since it took over the more northern city of Mosul last summer.
The final siege pitted about 4,000 Iraqi security forces against several hundred Islamic State fighters. The Iraqi Security Forces were supported by Shi’a militias who had pledged allegiance to the Iraqi government and by overhead support supplied by U.S. and coalition aircraft.
The Pentagon did not have an immediate comment on the operations.
