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                  Iraqi Forces Continue Fight to Retake Tikrit

   by VOA News

   Iraqi troops and militia fighters continued their offensive against the
   Islamic State group near Tikrit on Tuesday, as they try to recapture
   the city that fell to the militants last June.

   Ground troops have been advancing on multiple fronts, but military
   commanders said their progress is being slowed by roadside bombs.

   An estimated 30,000 members of Iraq's security forces, Shi'ite militias
   and Kurdish peshmerga fighters are taking part in the operation that
   also includes airstrikes from Iraq's air force.

   A victory in Tikrit would be a geographic stepping stone for Iraqi
   forces to approach Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city that serves as a
   stronghold and nerve-center for the Islamic State group.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/iraqi-forces-continue-fight-to-recapt
   ure-tikrit/2665640.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/iraqi-forces-continue-fight-to-recapture-tikrit/2665640.html