Iraq Starts Attack on Tikrit With Help of Iran Commander
by Zaid Sabah
12:53 PM EST March 1, 2015
(Bloomberg) -- Iraq is deploying 27,000 troops to retake the city of Tikrit from Islamic State, in a mission that will test the military’s ability to stage major offensives against the group before trying to capture its stronghold in Mosul.
The state-sponsored al-Iraqiyah television said that paramilitary forces, a term that usually describes Shiite militias, are backing up police and army soldiers. Qassem Suleimani, the head of Iran’s elite Quds Force, arrived two days ago to “review and advise” Iraqi field commanders, the Fars news agency reported on Monday.
Iraqi forces have struggled to roll back Islamic State gains since June, when the group routed the military’s northern command to capture Mosul, the north’s biggest city. It seized Tikrit shortly after. In August, the U.S. launched air strikes to support the Iraqi military and Kurdish forces as they sought to regain momentum in the battle.
“We are proud to witness the cooperation between security forces, paramilitary forces and the tribes of these areas,” Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi said in a televised news conference to announce the latest offensive on Tikrit. “Dae’sh is not only threatening the security of Iraq but threatening the security of the world,” he said, using the Arabic acronym for the al-Qaeda breakaway group.
Suleimani, the Iranian commander, assisted Kurdish and Shiite fighters and Iraqi forces in their fight to push back against the militant group.
more...
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-03-01/iraq-deploys-27-000-troops-to-retake-tikrit-from-islamic-state
