So says the interior minister of Iraq, Mohammed al-Ghabban. As Reuters is reporting:
… al-Ghabban told reporters in the city, “Most of Tikrit today is liberated, only small parts remain (outside our control). We will give you the good news in the next few hours after eliminating the pockets that are still in the city.”
The battle lasted far longer than anticipated. General Martin Dempsey had predicted, a month or so ago, that the city’s fall was imminent. Iraqi troops and Shia militias, with the advice and assistance of Iran, ran into heavy resistance and American air power was employed. The Shias resented the assistance of Americans and staged something like a work stoppage.
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