Iraqi Army Captures Strategic Sites North of Tikrit

[Bleipriester]

The army is about to take full control of Baiji.

"On Sunday morning, the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) – in coordination with Hashd Al-Sha’abi – stormed the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham’s (ISIS) defensive positions at Baiji, killing scores of enemy combatants from the terrorist organization and destroying a half dozen of their armored vehicles inside this city located north of Tikrit in the Salaheddeen Governorate.

The powerful assault on Baiji began when soldiers from the ISF attacked the National Neighborhood, where the militants from ISIS had entrenched a large force around the western perimeter of this residential area; however, the terrorist organization was unable to fend-off of the Iraqi Army’s swarming soldiers, resulting in their capture of this neighborhood after one hour of violent clashes.


Following the capture of the Al-Fatah Mosque, the Iraqi Army and Hashd Al-Sha’abi were able to capture the Baiji Cemetery, Al-Fatah Mosque, Baiji National Hospital, Modern Neighborhood, the Al-Thaniwiyah Secondary School, Al-Rasilah Neighborhood, and the New Baiji Police Station before declaring the city-center under their full-control by Sunday afternoon.

Firefights are still ongoing between the Iraqi Armed Forces and the militants of ISIS at the northern outskirts of Baiji, but the latter is on the verge of completely withdrawing, as the Iraqi Air Force pound their positions with multiple airstrikes.

The ISF’s resurgence in the city of Baiji comes one month after the disappointing defeat to the ISIS militantsat Al-Ramadi (provincial capital of the Al-‘Anbar Governorate); this resulted in the terrorist organization imposing control over 80 percent of the Al-‘Anbar Governorate in western Iraq."

Iraqi Army Captures Strategic Sites North of Tikrit

 

[Moonglow]

Yes, finally the Iraq army has learned the term, moving forward.....Or did they over run it retreating from another battle?

 

[Bleipriester]

Breaking: Iraqi Security Forces Capture Baiji District

The Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) – in coordination with Hashd Al-Sha’abi and the Badr Brigades – have imposed full-control over the entire Baiji District after almost two consecutive months of non-stop fighting with the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS) at this area located directly north of Tikrit – the provincial capital of the Salahiddeen Governorate.

With ISIS’ withdrawal from the Baiji District, the Iraqi Security Forces and their allies now control more than 70 percent of the Salahiddeen Governorate, along with 90 percent of the Diyala-Salahiddeen border.

The success in the Baiji District has also created a rather large buffer-zone for the Iraqi Security Forces around the provincial capital of Tikirt, which was liberated by the latter in early 2015 after a month-long operation to force the militants of ISIS to abandon their positions inside the city-center.

This time last year, many political and military analysts had written-off the Iraqi Security Forces after their withdrawal from the provincial capital (Mosul) of the Nineveh Governorate, leaving the entire city defenseless for the swarming ISIS combatants.

Much to the surprise of those same critics, the Iraqi Security Forces did not fall apart; instead, they recaptured almost all of the Salahiddeen and Diyala Governorates, despite only controlling 30 percent of the former in the Fall of 2015.

Where do the Iraq Security Forces go from here? The latter will now switch their attention to ISIS’ provincial stronghold of Al-‘Anbar, where the terrorist group has 80 percent of the province under their rule, along with the provincial capital (Al-Ramadi).

Breaking Iraqi Security Forces Capture Baiji District