A major offensive to retake the key strategic hub of Tikrit from the Islamic State overnight was Iraq-led and had no known U.S. assets in the fight, the Pentagon said Monday.
Overnight on Sunday, Iraqi forces supported by Shi’ite militias attacked Islamic State forces ensconced in Tikirit, the birthplace of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. Unlike other recent military operations in the country, U.S. and coalition airstrikes were not part of the attack and did not provide overhead support, according to Pentagon officials.
The Pentagon said it did not have prior knowledge of the Tikrit offensive. The city, which fell to the Islamic State last June, is an important step to retaking the larger city of Mosul from the Islamic State. Tikrit is about halfway between Baghdad and Mosul, and is needed as a hub for Iraqi forces.
Iraq’s prime minister, Haidar al-Abardi, announced the attack on Sunday at a press conference, warning Sunnis that had joined the Islamic State to abandon their weapons. He offered them amnesty if they joined Iraq in its fight against the Islamic State, according to news reports.
In recent days the Pentagon has backed off earlier statements that Iraqi forces trained by the U.S. would be ready for the larger offensive to retake Mosul in April or May, and now says it is more likely that any offensive would likely be delayed until the fall.
