Iraqi forces hunt jihadists after Tikrit victory claim

Tikrit, April 1

Iraqi forces today picked through the rubble-strewn streets of Tikrit after storming to the city centre, searching for diehard jihadist fighters and avoiding the booby traps they left behind.
Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi claimed the city was liberated but the US-led coalition that has been helping Baghdad from the air said there was “still work to be done”.
Celebrations began when the black jihadist flag was replaced by Iraq’s tricolour on the main provincial headquarters in central Tikrit yesterday following a big military push. Yet the fate of hundreds of IS fighters thought to have been holed up in former president Saddam Hussein’s hometown for a bloody last stand was unclear today.
Abadi initially said Tikrit’s centre, south and west had been retaken and moments later announced the city’s full liberation on social media, hailing it as a “historic milestone”.
A spokesperson for the 60-nation US-led coalition that has carried out air strikes against IS in Tikrit and across Iraq suggested it was premature to claim victory in the month-old battle. — AFP