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With officials touting victory in a month-long battle, state
television said Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi was visiting the
city, which the Islamist militants captured last June as they
seized most of Iraq's Sunni territories.
Security forces were fighting to clear the last Islamic State
stronghold, the northern neighborhood of Qadissiyah, Interior
Minister Mohammed al-Ghabban told reporters in the city.
"Most of Tikrit today is liberated, only small parts remain
(outside our control). We will give you the good news in the
next few hours after eliminating the pockets that are still in
the city," Ghabban said.
The city's streets were completely abandoned, and buildings
scarred by gunfire.
Iranian-backed Shi'ite militia groups had returned to the battle
on Tuesday after suspending their operations last Thursday, when
Abadi requested U.S.-led air strikes.
The militias had opposed U.S.-led strikes, insisting that they
could retake the city.
The U.S. government, which deeply mistrusts the Shi'ite
militias, has sought ways to participate in the Tikrit battle
without acknowledging working with forces backed by Tehran.
U.S. officials insisted on an Iraqi government military command
for the battle, even though the Shi'ite militia forces were the
largest presence on the ground.
(Reporting By Ahmed Rasheed, Saif Hameed and Ned Parker; Editing
by Kevin Liffey)
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