Iraq launches major assault to retake Tikrit from Daesh

KIRKUK, Iraq — Some 30,000 Iraqi troops and militia backed by aircraft pounded jihadists in and around Tikrit on Monday in the biggest offensive yet to retake one of Daesh terror group’s main strongholds.

Government forces have battled their way north for months, notching up key victories against Daesh, but Tikrit has been their toughest target yet with the jihadists having resisted them several times.

Commanders voiced hope the broadest operation since Daesh overran swathes of the country last year would be a step towards the liberation of Mosul, the jihadists' main hub in Iraq.

"Security forces are advancing on three main fronts towards Tikrit, Ad-Dawr [to the south] and A Alam [to the north]," a senior army officer on the ground told AFP by telephone.

The operation began in early morning after being announced by Prime Minister Haider Al Abadi the previous evening.

The army officer said the forces involved were from the army, police, counter-terrorism units, a government-controlled volunteer group known as the Popular Mobilisation units and Sunni tribes.

Military sources said warplanes were involved but it was not immediately clear whether foreign air support — Iranian or from the US-led coalition fighting Daesh — was also called in.

Both Iraqi and Iranian media said Qassem Soleimani — the commander of Al Quds Force covert operations unit of Tehran's elite Revolutionary Guards — was in Salaheddin province to help coordinate operations.

Appeal to spare civilians 

Abadi urged the security forces to spare civilians during the offensive, a message echoed by the UN and responding to fears of reprisals against the area's Sunnis.

Hadi Al Ameri, the Popular Mobilisation units' powerful commander, on Saturday urged Tikrit residents to leave their homes within 48 hours so government forces could "wrap up the battle of the revenge for Speicher".

Speicher is a military base near Tikrit from which hundreds of new, mostly Shiite, recruits were kidnapped before being murdered execution-style in the early days of the Daesh offensive that swept through much of the Sunni Arab heartland north and west of Baghdad in June.

Shiite militias in particular have vowed to avenge the murders, sparking fears of mass killings against Sunnis if Tikrit were to be recaptured.

Some Sunni tribes have been accused of direct involvement in the Speicher massacre.

Abadi appealed to residents to turn against the jihadists, who have suffered a string of losses since Iraq's foreign partners stepped up their support.

"I call on all those who were misled and made mistakes in the past to lay down their arms today. This may be the last chance," Abadi said, suggesting some could be granted amnesty.

New Daesh video 

Daesh replied with a video showing the execution of four men they said were Sunni Arabs belonging to a tribal group working against Daesh near Tikrit.

It also released pictures dated Monday that showed jihadists still manning checkpoints in Tikrit and Al Alam.

Iraqi forces tried and failed several times to wrest back Tikrit, a Sunni Arab city on the Tigris river about 160 kilometres north of Baghdad.

AKE Group analyst John Drake said the new assault stood a better chance of success because Shiite groups had more resources and were less stretched.

"Nonetheless, the operation is likely to still be very difficult," he said.

"It will also likely be difficult for the security forces to gain local intelligence on the ground," he said, explaining residents may be unwilling to assist Shiite forces or fear Daesh reprisals in the event of an inconclusive outcome.

The military commander for Salaheddin province, Abdel Wahab Saadi, said Tikrit had both symbolic and strategic importance.

"The aim of course is to liberate Salaheddin to allow for the return of displaced families but it is also going to be a stepping stone on the way to liberating Mosul," he told AFP.