Iran-led Shiite militias and Iraqi army advancing toward strategic town of Tikrit

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Qassem Suleimani (R)  celebrating with Hadi al-Amiri,  chief of Iraqi  Shia militias , during the liberation of Jawlala in Iraq from the Islamic State.  “Suleimani , the head of the Qods Force, the foreign arm of Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps  is the leader of the Shiite militias in  Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen,” a top military analyst was quoted as saying  . Qassem Suleimani (R) celebrating with Hadi al-Amiri, chief of Iraqi Shia militias , during the liberation of Jawlala in Iraq from the Islamic State. “Suleimani , the head of the Qods Force, the foreign arm of Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps is the leader of the Shiite militias in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen,” a top military analyst was quoted as saying . Commenting on Iran's interference in Iraq Saudi FM prince Faisal told US Secretary of State John Kerry on March 5: "Iran is taking over Iraq"
Qassem Suleimani (R) celebrating with Hadi al-Amiri, chief of Iraqi Shia militias , during the liberation of Jawlala in Iraq from the Islamic State. “Suleimani , the head of the Qods Force, the foreign arm of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps is the leader of the Shiite militias in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen,” a top military analyst was quoted as saying .
Qassem Suleimani (R) celebrating with Hadi al-Amiri, chief of Iraqi Shia militias , during the liberation of Jawlala in Iraq from the Islamic State. “Suleimani , the head of the Qods Force, the foreign arm of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps is the leader of the Shiite militias in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen,” a top military analyst was quoted as saying . Commenting on Iran’s interference in Iraq Saudi FM prince Faisal told US Secretary of State John Kerry on March 5: “Iran is taking over Iraq”

Iraqi government forces and Iran-backed militiamen entered a town on the southern outskirts of Saddam Hussein’s home city Tikrit on Friday, pressing on with the biggest offensive yet against Islamic State militants that seized the north last year.

Military commanders said the army and mostly Shi’ite militia forces had retaken the town of al-Dour on Tikrit’s outskirts, known outside Iraq as the area where executed former dictator Saddam was found hiding in a pit near a farm house in 2003.

It was not immediately clear if the town had entirely fallen. Some officials said the troops were still only in the south and east of the town, which had been rigged with bombs by retreating Islamic State fighters.

But Hadi al-Amiri, leader of the largest Shi’ite militia group taking part in the operation, said al-Dour had been “totally liberated” and that the advance on another key town north of Tikrit, al-Alam, would take place on Saturday.

The army, joined by thousands of Shi’ite militiamen backed and advised by Iran, is five days into an advance on Saddam’s home city of Tikrit, by far the biggest target yet in a campaign to roll back last year’s advance by Islamic State fighters.

The assault by the Shi’ite-led army and its militia allies on Tikrit in Iraq’s Sunni heartland has symbolic importance for both sides. Officials said on Friday they had captured a farm to the east of Tikrit that belonged to Saddam’s deputy Ezzat Ibrahim al-Douri, now a prominent ally of the jihadist fighters.

Douri, King of Clubs in the U.S. army’s deck of cards depicting Saddam-era officials wanted after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, is the only member of Saddam’s inner circle still at large. Recordings purportedly of him pledging allegiance to Islamic State last year were one of the factors that helped the militants portray themselves as liberators of Sunni territory.

Tikrit is the first major city that Iraq’s forces have attempted to recapture from Islamic State in northern Iraq, and the government hopes the campaign will reverse the momentum that saw the fighters sweep across the north last year.

IRAN ROLE

Iran has taken a leading role in the campaign, with the commander of its Revolutionary Guards’ elite Quds Force Qassem Soleimani spotted on the battlefield this week helping to supervise the offensive. The United States, by contrast, says it has played no role in the Tikrit offensive despite an air campaign against Islamic State fighters in both Iraq and Syria.

Progress has been gradual. A column of soldiers and militia on the eastern flank have cleared territory of bombs and snipers while other forces approach along the Tigris river from the north and south.

On Friday some elements of the army and militia were pausing to redeploy and consolidate, officials said.

“There are areas that we have liberated so we must place forces in these areas to prevent Islamic State insurgents from returning,” said a source at the Samarra operations command to the south of Tikrit. “It is a reorganization not a standstill.”

Some Tikrit residents have fled their city, saying they fear the militia more than Islamic State. Those fears have been fueled by calls for revenge among some Shi’ites for the June killing of up to 1,700 Iraqi soldiers captured by Islamic State at the Speicher military base just outside Tikrit.

The outcome of the Tikrit offensive will have a significant bearing on the shape and timing of an even more pivotal move further north against Mosul, the largest city under Islamic State control.

Rapid military success would give the Shi’ite-led government in Baghdad momentum as well as foothold in the north, while stalemate in Tikrit would stall any future plans. How the army and militia treat the Sunnis of Tikrit may determine how they are received by the Sunnis of Mosul.

Iraq’s senior Shi’ite cleric Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani spoke out against any attempts at vengeance against civilians.

“Do not succumb to emotional outburst when you lose a loved or cherished one, especially when it comes to families that the enemy used as shields and who did not fight you,” Sistani said in a Friday sermon delivered by an aide in the city of Kerbala.

“Be protectors for the weak and aid them in getting to a safe haven.”

An official from the Hashid Shaabi, or Popular Mobilisation units as the mainly Shi’ite militias are known, said they had provided food and water and safe passage to civilians in territory taken this week.

“Most of them were sheep and cow herders, nomads. When areas are liberated, any family that is in the line of fire – the armed forces cease fire immediately,” the official told Reuters.

To the south of Tikrit, Islamic State militants attacked soldiers and militia fighters east of the city of Samarra with an explosives-laden tanker, killing four people and wounding 28, a source at Samarra hospital said.

Reuters

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33 responses to “Iran-led Shiite militias and Iraqi army advancing toward strategic town of Tikrit”

  1. arzatna1 Avatar
    arzatna1

    Saudi FM prince Faisal told US Secretary of State John Kerry on March 5: “Iran is taking over Iraq”.

    Looks like Faisal’s alarm clock hasn’t been working for months

    1. 5thDrawer Avatar
      5thDrawer

      Well, the old ‘grey-beards’ there look happy … getting revenge is sweet.
      Big trick is to make ‘the people’ think they are any better. Still can’t make electricity in Lebanon.

    2. Hind Abyad Avatar
      Hind Abyad

      US invaded Iraq to liberate the Shia.. Iran is helping repel ISIS barbarians they kill even Sunni as apostates, if they don’t adhere to Wahhabi religion.

      1. cd is stuck. you need to change it coz it is getting zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

  2. Dan Disqus Avatar
    Dan Disqus

    Saudi is all about mercenaries, money and arms.
    They just send the money and arms to Isil and assume they are continuing their expanded butchery.
    So Faisal was surprised that all of a sudden, John Kerry was explaining to him about Iran, helping Iraq for Tikrit?
    Saudi FM prince Faisal’s second reaction probably was “did I forget to sign the last cheque?”

  3. man-o-war Avatar
    man-o-war

    Turkey throws Kobani hero in jail – while treating islamist commander in hospital

    http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/isis-turkey-throws-kobane-hero-jail-while-treating-islamist-commander-hospital-1490842

    1. 5thDrawer Avatar
      5thDrawer

      Wow .. REALLY nice of Erdogan … Another ASShole of the world, it seems.
      I’m sure SOME are not going to forget what the Kurds are doing for them – especially their women.

    2. No oneknows who really did it. we will have to wait.
      This happened months ago, the only reason you are posting is propaganda

      iran supports al qaeda but you never post anything about iran.

      typical daft mare behaviour.

      1. 5thDrawer Avatar
        5thDrawer

        I found some ‘women’s fashions’ links for Iran …. more recent …

        1. as a salafi wahhabi shiite jew evangelical fascist zionist, i strongly object to women having fashion! They should be seen and not heard!!

        2. Hind Abyad Avatar
          Hind Abyad

          one poor woman was sentenced by the rats to 200 lashes because she was gang raped..i don’t believe they’re humans..bonne nuit !

          1. cry me a river. how about all those women in iran? oh of course it’s shites doing the shitting so it doesn’t matter to you. you FAKE whore. And leave 5th alone you stupid daft mare, he has defended your stupidity enough.

        1. according to man of warts, you are only posting it for propaganda purposes coz it happened months ago.. Supposedly any news item that is discovered months or even years later can’t be posted coz it would be only for propaganda. And people like you who aren’t honest nor fair will still suck on man of warts warts.

      2. man-o-war Avatar
        man-o-war

        “Iran supports al qaeda but you never post anything about iran”, that’s what we have you for ; )

        1. glad to see you admit that you never post anything negative about your master, iran.
          Now don’t you have a muta you need to perform on the local dog, ie: anti’s wife?

          1. Hind Abyad Avatar
            Hind Abyad

            “glad to see you admit that you never post anything negative about your master, iran.
            Now don’t you have a muta you need to perform on the local dog, ie: anti’s wife?”

            How inventive, how refreshing..

          2. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

          3. Hind Abyad Avatar
            Hind Abyad

            z..

        2. btw how’s that “virgin” charmouta you call your mum? Is the hoe still charging $2.50?
          i heard if one is a ayatoilet, that one gets to pump your mum for free, coz she loves shite seeing she/it is a shiite

          1. Hind Abyad Avatar
            Hind Abyad

            btw how’s that “virgin” charmouta you call your mum? Is the hoe still charging $2.50?
            i heard if one is a ayatoilet, that one gets to pump your mum for free, coz she loves shite seeing she/it is a shiite
            How repetitive °:”

          2. zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

          3. Anti ISIS Avatar
            Anti ISIS

            Oh shut up you slag and gargle Man O’s balls like the whore you are.

          4. I will leave the gargling to that four legged bitch you call your wife, man of warts wants to do muta with that slag

          5. Anti ISIS Avatar
            Anti ISIS

            So predictable, as usual. Now open wide.

          6. so predictable, as usual. now open wide the ayatoilet wants to take a dump in your mouth

          7. Anti ISIS Avatar
            Anti ISIS

            Yuk, even just thinking of a disgusting act like that takes a very sick person. What the hell are you really into. Wow, what a filthy thing you are.

          8. You didn’t say “yuk” every other time they dumped in your filthy shite mouth

          9. “what the hell are you really into”

            I am into that slag that gave birth to a shite like you. How is mommy dearest? is the slag missing my “lethal weapon”?

        3. Hind Abyad Avatar
          Hind Abyad

          “US, strategy in Iraq increasingly relies on Iran.”

          http://linkis.com/www.dailystar.com.lb/QYarY

    3. 5thDrawer Avatar
      5thDrawer

      Erdogan’s Palace has nothing on Putin’s … or maybe not even Putin’s buddy who was running Ukraine into the impoverished ground. But all these guys know the ‘pecking order’, for sure.

  4. MekensehParty Avatar
    MekensehParty

    Are they traveling this guy everywhere to take pictures with the commanders?
    Suleimani seems to be very into Facebook

    1. 5thDrawer Avatar
      5thDrawer

      Fly-in … ‘Looking Good Guys’ .. (a small joke) … Fly out.
      Gotta keep the troops thinking they are happy … but can’t afford the girls and the real comedian. :-)))

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