An Iraqi soldier guards at a checkpoint in Tikrit, 80 miles (130 kilometers) north of Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, April 1, 2015. Iraqi security forces battled the last remaining pockets of Islamic State militants in Tikrit on Wednesday and were expected to gain full control of the city “within the coming hours,” said Iraqi Interior Minister Mohammed Salem al-Ghabban. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)
Iraq’s defense minister said security forces have achieved a “magnificent victory” over Islamic State fighters in Tikrit Wednesday, but a senior defense official told Fox News that the fighting is “block to block, especially in the northern part of Tikrit where ISIS still has fighters.”
Khalid al-Obeidi said Wednesday that security forces have “accomplished their mission” in the monthlong offensive to rid Saddam Hussein’s hometown of the militant group.
“We have the pleasure, with all our pride, to announce the good news of a magnificent victory,” Obeidi said in a video statement. “Here we come to you, Anbar! Here we come to you, Nineveh, and we say it with full resolution, confidence, and persistence,” naming other provinces under the sway of the extremists.
Despite the claim, “Iraqi security forces are still fighting block to block in some cases, particularly in the northern part of Tikrit,” a Pentagon official told Fox News. “This operation is still in the clearing stage.”
I have yet to see any indication ISIS has the ability to hold Tikrit, so this ought to be chalked up as a loss for them — eventually. The question is, for whom is it a win?
Join the conversation as a VIP Member