Iraqi forces trying to liberate the city of Tikrit from ISIS are now in control of all government buildings in the southeastern part of the city, Iraqi Interior Ministry spokesman Saad Maan said Tuesday on Iraqiya TV.
Maan said joint Iraqi security forces — government troops and Shia militias — have broken ISIS’s first line of defense in Tikrit, which has been under ISIS control since June.
The push into Tikrit comes days after a series of U.S.-led airstrikes aimed at ISIS targets around the city — airstrikes aimed at paving the way for Iraqi forces to go in.