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March 26, 2015

U.S. Begins Strikes on Tikrit, Aiding Iran-Backed Offensive 
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U.S.-led coalition warplanes have begun bombing the Iraqi city of Tikrit
in an attempt to seize control of the city from the Islamic State. The
assault on Tikrit began three weeks ago when Iraqi forces and
Iranian-backed Shiite militia launched a ground offensive. The U.S.
airstrikes now squarely put Washington and Tehran on the same side in
the fight, though the Obama administration insists it is not
coordinating military operations with Iran. The Pentagon stressed that
the airstrikes are aimed to help Iraqi forces defeat the Islamic State,
but by all accounts it has been Iranian-backed militias leading the
ground attack. We will have more on Iraq after headlines.

 

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