Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said on Tuesday that units of government forces, backed by Shia and Sunni volunteer forces, had managed to retake control of the city.
Later in the day, Irans Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham congratulated the courageous victory by Iraqs army and popular and tribal forces in Salahuddin province, and the cleansing of the city andother important areas in the province of Takfiri terrorists.
The recent victories are considered a landmark in the process of fighting terrorism in the country and herald the cleansing of Iraqs other areas in near future, she said.
The Islamic Republic of Iran has placed atop its agenda its effectiveand unconditional support for the Iraqi government and people in confronting organized and Takfiri terrorism, Afkham noted.
In his announcement, Abadi said Iraqi forces had raised the countrys national flag over the Salahuddin provincial government headquarters.
Iraqi government forces keep watch from a position on the southern outskirts of the northern city of Tikrit on March 30, 2015 during a military operation to retake the city from ISIL militants. (AFP photo)Tikrit had been seized by ISIL in June last year. The citys recapture is crucial for the Iraqi army in its quest to take control of the countrys second-largest city, Mosul.ISIL started its campaign of terror in Iraq in early June 2014. The heavily-armed militants took control of the countrys northern city of Mosul before sweeping through parts of the countrys Sunni Arab heartland.
Iraqi soldiers, police units, Kurdish forces, Shia volunteers and Sunni tribesmen have succeeded in driving the ISIL terrorists out of some areas in Iraq.
By Press TV
