First Battle of Tikrit

Last updated

First Battle of Tikrit
Part of the War in Iraq
and the Salahuddin campaign
Tikrit Palace.jpg
A view of Tikrit, looking north along the Tigris towards Saddam's presidential palace
Date26 June – 21 July 2014
(3 weeks and 4 days)
Location
Tikrit, Iraq
Result Major ISIL victory
Territorial
changes		 ISIL and its allies consolidate control over Tikrit and its environs
Belligerents

Flag of Iraq.svg Iraq

Flag of the United States.svg United States [3]

Islamic State flag.svg Islamic State [4]

Islamic Army in Iraq [6]

Flag of the Ba'ath Party.svg Iraqi Ba'ath Party Loyalists [8] [9] [10]

Casualties and losses
35 killed [13] [14]
3 helicopters lost and 3 damaged		 215+ killed (government claim) [15] [16] [17] [13] [14]
4 civilians killed
1 Lebanese pilot captured
The University of Tikrit, where the battle began jm` tkryt lkbyr.jpeg
The University of Tikrit, where the battle began

The First Battle of Tikrit was fought for the Iraqi city of Tikrit following the city's capture by the Islamic State and Ba'athist Loyalists during the 2014 Northern Iraq offensive. The battle took place between 26 and 30 June 2014.

Contents

In early June 2014, ISIL took control of a number of cities in northern Iraq, including Tikrit. Tikrit has symbolic significance as the hometown of Saddam Hussein, and is also the administrative center of the Saladin Governorate. The Iraqi government responded on 26 June by launching an air assault operation to recapture the city. This initial attack was reinforced by a ground assault on 28 June. Fighting continued on 29 and 30 June, but the battle was an insurgent victory, with government forces retreating on 30 June. The defeat coincided with ISIL's declaration of a worldwide caliphate on 29 June.

The Iraqi government made another attempt to retake the city on 15 July, but was again defeated. ISIL responded by attacking nearby Camp Speicher on 17 July. Tikrit remained under ISIL control until the Second Battle of Tikrit in March and April 2015.

Background

In December 2013, clashes involving tribal militias, Iraqi security forces, and the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) broke out throughout western Iraq. Then, in January 2014, ISIL militants successfully took control of Fallujah and Ramadi, bringing much of Al Anbar Governorate under their control. [18]

In early June, insurgents began advancing into the central and northern parts of Iraq. On 10 June, Mosul fell to ISIL, [19] a devastating defeat given that there were 30,000 [20] Iraqi troops in the city facing approximately 1,500 ISIL fighters. [21] Most of the Iraqi Army soldiers refused to fight and fled. [22]

On 11 June, ISIL captured Tikrit. [23] The following day, they killed over a thousand Iraqi Air Force cadets at Camp Speicher, 8 miles northwest of Tikrit. [24]

The battle

First government assault

On 26 June, Iraqi government forces launched an airborne assault on Tikrit with three [25] or four [26] commando helicopters flown into a stadium at the University of Tikrit. One of the helicopters was shot down and crash-landed at the stadium, [25] while another had to conduct an emergency landing after suffering a mechanical failure. The crew of the second helicopter, which included a Lebanese pilot, was then captured by insurgents. [26] Fierce fighting then ensued around the university compound, while army snipers positioned themselves on tall buildings in the university complex. [25] In the early hours of the assault, a helicopter gunship struck the city's hospital compound. [27] By the next day, sporadic clashes continued at the university [28] as Iranian-trained Shiite militiamen were dispatched and managed to seize control of tall buildings in the university area. [29]

On 28 June, helicopter gunships conducted dawn air strikes against insurgents who were attacking troops at the university campus. [30] By this point, the city had been coming under continuous air strikes for three days, which included barrel bombs. [26] An all-out ground offensive was launched during the day in an attempt to capture the city. A column of troops started out from Samarra towards Tikrit to the north and by sundown had reached the edge of the city. According to Lieutenant General Ahmed Abu Ragheef, another column was directed towards the Camp Speicher air base. There were initial claims by government sources of capturing Tikrit, [31] but in fact Tikrit itself remained under insurgent control as heavy fighting continued to rage on the city outskirts during the night. [32] [33] In the evening, helicopters struck a gathering of people preparing for a wedding ceremony in the village of Al Bu Hayazi, east of Tikrit, killing four civilians. [34]

Map of Tikrit. Al Sahra Airport is another name for Camp Speicher. Tikrit Map.jpg
Map of Tikrit. Al Sahra Airport is another name for Camp Speicher.

The next day, troops pulled back away from Tikrit to the nearby town of Dijla, south of the city, in an attempt to regroup after meeting stiff resistance. [35] Fighting also continued near the university and around the air base, [36] which had reportedly come under army control. [37] During the day's battles, another Iraqi army helicopter was shot down over the city and crashed near a market, [38] while the army sent tanks to join the fighting at the university. An Iraqi army spokesman claimed 70 militants had been killed in Tikrit in the previous 24 hours and that the government forces were in control of the university. Neither of the claims were independently confirmed. [15] Later, fierce clashes were reported in an area about 20 kilometers from the city center, toward Samarra. Militants reportedly made an advance but were stopped about 10 kilometers south of Tikrit. [39] That same day, ISIL declared itself a worldwide caliphate. [40]

On 30 June, government forces attempted to move out of the air base and link up with troops at the university but failed after encountering heavy insurgent resistance in the al-Deum area. [41] A military spokesman said that government forces were massing in Samarra and would soon make another push to capture Tikrit. [42] Meanwhile, south of Tikrit, the army managed to recapture the town of Mukayshifah in fighting that an army spokesman claimed killed 40 ISIL fighters. [16]

Second government assault

On 3 July, an Iraqi Army spokesman claimed the military had regained control of the town of Al-Awja, Saddam Hussein's birthplace, near Tikrit. However, later in the day, two battlefield commanders contradicted him and stated fighting was still continuing on the town's perimeter and in Al-Awja itself. [43]

During this time, troops retreated from the university complex. [44]

On 15 July, the military launched a new assault on Tikrit from Al-Awja. [45] Soldiers and militiamen quickly entered the city, as militants were reportedly retreating, and seized the city's hospital. Following this, the Iraqi government was preparing to declare victory in the battle for the city. However, ISIL militants sprung an ambush, with suicide bombers reportedly leaping from windows into groups of soldiers. [46] Government troops retreated from the city before sunset four kilometers to the south under constant mortar and sniper fire. [47] Several security force vehicles were seen abandoned, with at least one of them burnt out. [45] 52 soldiers and 40 militants were killed in the fighting. [13]

ISIL attack on Camp Speicher

On 17 July, insurgents launched an assault on Camp Speicher, where an estimated 700 government soldiers and 150 Iranian or Iraqi Shiite militiamen were besieged following the failed attempt to send reinforcements to the air base. [48] The assault included snipers and suicide bombers and the militants quickly managed to reach the runway, at which point Iraqi special forces joined the battle. [14] The base was bombarded and mortared all night. By the next morning, according to various sources, the final pocket of government troops had collapsed, with all of the government forces either killed, executed or captured. [48] At least 25–35 insurgents were also killed. [14] [49] Iraqi forces attempted to save the base's aircraft by flying them out, [14] but according to ISIL 8–9 helicopters were destroyed on the ground or shot down, with several armored vehicles destroyed as well. [44] The Iraqi Army denied the alleged capture of the base with soldiers from the front line reporting that Speicher was still under their control, [49] with only three soldiers being killed, [14] one helicopter destroyed and two damaged. [50] A Tikrit resident also reported continued fighting around the base. [51] Two days later, the military reported that Iraqi special forces had re-secured the base. [50]

Though the United States participated in the battle on the Iraqi side, The Washington Post wrote that some Iranian groups accused the coalition of bombarding a pro-government headquarters in the city. In response, the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad issued a statement denying the allegations. [52]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tikrit</span> City in Saladin, Iraq

Tikrit is a city in Iraq, located 140 kilometers (87 mi) northwest of Baghdad and 220 kilometers (140 mi) southeast of Mosul on the Tigris River. It is the administrative center of the Saladin Governorate. As of 2012, it had a population of approximately 160,000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baiji (city)</span> City in Salah ad Din, Iraq

Baiji is a city of about 173,677 inhabitants in Salah ad Din governorate in northern Iraq. It is located some 130 miles north of Baghdad, on the main road to Mosul. It is a major industrial centre best known for its oil refinery, the biggest in Iraq, and has a large power plant. With regards to transport in the area, Baiji is a junction of the national railway network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camp Speicher</span> Military air installation in Northern Iraq

Majid al Tamimi Airbase, officially known as the Tikrit Air Academy and formerly as Al Sahra Airfield is an air installation near Tikrit in northern Iraq. The installation is approximately 170 kilometers north of Baghdad and 11 kilometers west of the Tigris River. Prior to 2003, Al Sahra Airfield was the main base of the Iraqi Air Force Air Academy. The Marines from Task Force Tripoli captured the base from the Iraqi Army during the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq and turned it over to the United States Army who used it as the headquarters of the United States Division–North. The airfield is served by two main runways measuring 9,600 feet (2,900 m) long with a shorter runway measuring 7,200-foot (2,200 m). The Americans named the airfield after Captain Michael Scott Speicher, a United States Navy pilot who was killed in action in Iraq during the Gulf War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anbar campaign (2013–2014)</span> 2014 campaign in Anbar province, Iraq

Beginning in December 2012, Sunnis in Iraq protested against the Maliki government. On 28 December 2013, a Sunni MP named Ahmed al-Alwani was arrested in a raid on his home in Ramadi. Alwani was a prominent supporter of the anti-government protests. This incident led to violence in Al Anbar Governorate between the Iraqi Army and a loose alliance of tribal militias and other groups fighting alongside the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Iraq offensive (June 2014)</span> ISIL military offensive in northern Iraq against Iraqi government (2014)

The Northern Iraq offensive began on 4 June 2014, when the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant, assisted by various insurgent groups in the region, began a major offensive from its territory in Syria into Iraq against Iraqi and Kurdish forces, following earlier clashes that had begun in December 2013 involving guerillas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">War in Iraq (2013–2017)</span> War between Iraq and its allies and the Islamic State

The War in Iraq (2013–2017) was an armed conflict between Iraq and its allies and the Islamic State. Following December 2013, the insurgency escalated into full-scale guerrilla warfare following clashes in the cities of Ramadi and Fallujah in parts of western Iraq, and culminated in the Islamic State offensive into Iraq in June 2014, which lead to the capture of the cities of Mosul, Tikrit and other cities in western and northern Iraq by the Islamic State. Between 4–9 June 2014, the city of Mosul was attacked and later fell; following this, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki called for a national state of emergency on 10 June. However, despite the security crisis, Iraq's parliament did not allow Maliki to declare a state of emergency; many legislators boycotted the session because they opposed expanding the prime minister's powers. Ali Ghaidan, a former military commander in Mosul, accused al-Maliki of being the one who issued the order to withdraw from the city of Mosul. At its height, ISIL held 56,000 square kilometers of Iraqi territory, containing 4.5 million citizens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Iraq (2011–present)</span>

The departure of US troops from Iraq in 2011 ended the period of occupation that had begun with the U.S.-led invasion in March 2003. The time since U.S. withdrawal has been marked by a renewed Iraqi insurgency and by a spillover of the Syrian civil war into Iraq. By 2013, the insurgency escalated into a renewed war, the central government of Iraq being opposed by ISIL and various factions, primarily radical Sunni forces during the early phase of the conflict. The war ended in 2017 with an Iraqi government and allied victory, however ISIL continues a low-intensity insurgency in remote parts of the country.

Between 1 and 15 August 2014, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) expanded territory in northern Iraq under their control. In the region north and west from Mosul, the Islamic State conquered Zumar, Sinjar, Wana, Mosul Dam, Qaraqosh, Tel Keppe, Batnaya and Kocho, and in the region south and east of Mosul the towns Bakhdida, Karamlish, Bartella and Makhmour

The following lists events that happened during 2014 in Iraq.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">US-led intervention in Iraq (2014–2021)</span> Coalition against the Islamic State

On 15 June 2014 U.S. President Barack Obama ordered United States forces to be dispatched in response to the Northern Iraq offensive of the Islamic State (IS), as part of Operation Inherent Resolve. At the invitation of the Iraqi government, American troops went to assess Iraqi forces and the threat posed by ISIL.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iranian intervention in Iraq (2014–present)</span> Intervention against ISIS by Iran

The Iranian intervention in Iraq has its roots in the post-2003 invasion of Iraq by the United States and its allies, when the infrastructure of the Iraqi armed forces, as well as intelligence, were disbanded in a process called "de-Ba'athification" which allowed militias with close ties to Tehran to join the newly reconstituted army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Baiji (2014–2015)</span> 2014–2015 battle

The Battle of Baiji took place in Baiji, Iraq, lasting from late October 2014 to late October 2015. In mid-November 2014, Iraqi forces retook the city of Baiji, and re-entered the Baiji Oil Refinery. However, fighting continued in the region, and on 21 December 2014, ISIL forces took Baiji and put the Baiji oil refinery under siege once again, before Iraqi forces recaptured the city on 22 October. It gave Iraqi forces complete control of the highway stretching from Baghdad to Baiji, and allowed Iraqi forces to use Baiji as a base for launching a future assault on Mosul.

The Battle of Ramadi, also called the Fall of Ramadi, was part of an ISIL offensive to capture all of the Anbar Province. Ramadi was one of the Iraqi government's last strongholds in Anbar, after ISIL's success in a previous campaign. The battle began in November 2014, and drew to a close on 14 May 2015, as Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) insurgents seized hold of government buildings. On 17 May, the Iraqi Army and special forces fled the city, with 500 civilians and security personnel dead.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fall of Mosul</span> Battle in June 2014 during which ISIL seized control of the city

The fall of Mosul in Iraq occurred between 4 and 10 June 2014, when Islamic State (IS) insurgents, initially led by Abu Abdulrahman al-Bilawi, captured Mosul from the Iraqi Army, led by Lieutenant General Mahdi Al-Gharrawi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Second Battle of Tikrit</span> 2015 battle of the War in Iraq

The Second Battle of Tikrit was a battle in which Iraqi Security Forces recaptured the city of Tikrit from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Iraqi forces consisted of the Iraqi Army and the Popular Mobilization Forces, receiving assistance from Iran's Quds Force officers on the ground, and air support from the American, British, and French air forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salahuddin campaign</span> Military campaign against the Islamic State

The Salahuddin Campaign was a military conflict in the Saladin Governorate, located in north-central Iraq, involving various factions fighting against a single common enemy, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. The province exited Iraqi government control during ISIL's Northern Iraq offensive when large swathes of the north of the country were captured by the militant group with the Iraqi national army quickly disintegrating in the path of its advance. In light of the sweeping gains of the militants, Nouri Al-Maliki, the Prime Minister of Iraq at that time, attempted to declare a state of emergency though the Iraqi Parliament blocked his efforts to do so.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Al-Karmah offensive</span>

The Al-Karmah offensive, codenamed Fajr al-Karma, was an offensive launched by the Iraqi Army and anti-ISIL Sunni tribal fighters to recapture the Al-Karmah district taken by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in Iraq. The offensive began on 14 April 2015. During the offensive the anti-ISIL forces captured part of the city of Al-Karmah, and the old road of Al-Karmah.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of the War in Iraq (2014)</span>

The Timeline of the War in Iraq covers the War in Iraq, a war which erupted that lasted in Iraq from 2013 to 2017, during the first year of armed conflict.

In early 2014, the jihadist group Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant captured extensive territory in Western Iraq in the Anbar campaign, while counter-offensives against it were mounted in Syria. Raqqa in Syria became its headquarters. The Wall Street Journal estimated that eight million people lived under its control in the two countries.

The origins of the Islamic State group can be traced back to three main organizations. Earliest of these was the "Jamāʻat al-Tawḥīd wa-al-Jihād" organization, founded by the Jihadist leader Abu Mus'ab al-Zarqawi in Jordan in 1999. The other two predecessor organizations emerged during the Iraqi insurgency against the U.S. occupation forces. These included the "Jaish al-Ta'ifa al-Mansurah" group founded by Abu Omar al-Baghdadi in 2004 and the "Jaysh Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jama’ah" group founded by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and his associates in the same year.

References

  1. ↑ Raheem Salman; Ahmed Rasheed (14 June 2014). "Iraq says slows Islamist rebel advance, regains some territory". Reuters. Archived from the original on 1 November 2020.
  2. ↑ "Tony Blair: 'We didn't cause Iraq crisis". BBC. 15 June 2014.
  3. ↑ "In fight for Tikrit, U.S. finds enemies on both sides of the battle lines". The Washington Post. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
  4. ↑ "Iraq crisis: Isis declares its territories a new Islamic state with 'restoration of caliphate' in Middle East". The Independent. 30 June 2014. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  5. 1 2 Hassan, Hassan (17 June 2014). "More Than ISIS, Iraq's Sunni Insurgency". Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Retrieved 20 June 2014.
  6. ↑ Sherlock, Ruth (20 June 2014). "Islamic Army of Iraq founder: Isis and Sunni Islamists will march on Baghdad". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
  7. ↑ "IŞİD Nedir, IŞİD'in Hedefi Nedir, IŞID'i Kimler Destekliyor | AV". 20 June 2014. Archived from the original on 20 June 2014. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
  8. ↑ "Iraq Crisis: Saddam Hussein's Generals Fighting with Jihadist ISIS Insurgency". International Business Times. 12 June 2014. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
  9. ↑ Sam Frizell (21 June 2014). "Iraqi Official: Sunni Insurgents, Baathists Fighting One Another". Time. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
  10. ↑ Jacob Siegel (18 June 2014). "Someone Is Spilling ISIS's Secrets on Twitter". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
  11. ↑ Arango, Tim (19 June 2014). "Former Loyalists of Saddam Hussein Crucial in Helping ISIS". The New York Times . Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  12. ↑ "Military council of the rebels starts setting governors on their captured cities". Elaph. Osama Mahdi. 13 June 2014. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  13. 1 2 3 "The insurgents reclaim Tikrit after powerful battles, and the government troops retreat". CNN. Archived from the original on 16 July 2014. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "IS-led Militants Storm Iraqi Air Base near Tikrit". Naharnet. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  15. 1 2 "Isis declares 'Caliphate' expanding plans for holy war". The Irish Times. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  16. 1 2 "Iraqi army drives ISIL from town south of Tikrit". Al-Shorfa. 30 June 2014. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  17. ↑ "Iraq Army Recaptures Saddam's Birthplace From ISIS Militants". The Huffington Post. 4 July 2014. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  18. ↑ "Iraq's Fallujah falls to 'Qaeda-linked' militants". Daily Star. 4 January 2014. Archived from the original on 4 January 2014. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  19. ↑ Chulov, Martin (10 June 2014). "Isis insurgents seize control of Iraqi city of Mosul". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
  20. ↑ "Iraq army capitulates to Isis militants in four cities". The Guardian. 11 June 2014. Retrieved 11 June 2014.
  21. ↑ "Terror's new headquarters". The Economist. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
  22. ↑ "Special report – How Mosul fell: An Iraqi general disputes Baghdad's story". Reuters. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
  23. ↑ "Iraqi city of Tikrit falls to ISIL fighters". Al Jazeera. 11 June 2014. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
  24. ↑ "Speicher massacre, cousins of Saddam started it and ISIS finished it". Al Wasat (in Arabic). Retrieved 13 September 2014.
  25. 1 2 3 "Iraq helicopter crashes in airborne commando assault on Tikrit". Reuters. 26 June 2014. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  26. 1 2 3 "Iraq reports major effort to recapture Tikrit". The Washington Post. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  27. ↑ "Hospital bombed as battle rages in Tikrit". Khaleejtimes.com. Archived from the original on 24 March 2015. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  28. ↑ "Baghdad fights for militant-held Tikrit". Arabnews.com. 28 June 2014. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  29. ↑ "Battle for Tikrit continues as Iraqi government pushes back against ISIS". McClatchy. Archived from the original on 23 July 2015. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  30. ↑ "Iraq crisis: Helicopter gunships launch dawn air strikes on Isis-held Tikrit university campus". The Independent. 28 June 2014. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  31. ↑ "Iraqi forces reportedly pull back from Tikrit amid fierce fighting with ISIS militants". Fox News. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  32. ↑ "Iraqi Military Launches Offensive Against ISIS". NBC News. 29 June 2014. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  33. ↑ "Iraq forces battle to claw back Tikrit from Sunni insurgents". Hindustan Times. 29 June 2014. Archived from the original on 29 June 2014. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  34. ↑ "Iraqi army launches Tikrit assault to fight ISIS rebels". CBC. 30 June 2014. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  35. ↑ "Iraq crisis: Fresh clashes over Tikrit". BBC News. 29 June 2014. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  36. ↑ "Iraqi security forces battle for Tikrit as ISIL declares new 'caliphate'". America.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  37. ↑ Nordland, Rod (29 June 2014). "Russian Jets and Experts Sent to Iraq to Aid Army". The New York Times . Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  38. ↑ "Iraqi Army Retreats From Saddam's Hometown As Assault on ISIS Falters". Business Insider. 29 June 2014. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  39. ↑ "ISIS declares 'caliphate' stretching across Iraq and Syria". CNN. 30 June 2014. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  40. ↑ Lawrence, Jessica (2 July 2014). "Iraq crisis: Could an ISIS caliphate ever govern the entire Muslim world?". ABC News. ABC News (Australia). Retrieved 22 November 2014.
  41. ↑ "Iraq army in tug-of-war fights with Sunni militants". GlobalPost. Archived from the original on 21 October 2014. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  42. ↑ "ISIS Declares Caliphate As Iraq Fights To Retake Tikrit". NPR.org. 30 June 2014. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  43. ↑ "Army Struggles to Retake Strategic City of Tikrit". WSJ. 4 July 2014. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  44. 1 2 "Islamic State overruns Camp Speicher, routs Iraqi forces". Longwarjournal.org. 19 July 2014. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  45. 1 2 "Iraqi forces withdraw from Tikrit after being dealt a blow by Islamic State". Haaretz.com. 16 July 2014. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  46. ↑ Rubin, Alissa J.; Al-Salhy, Suadad (17 July 2014). "For Iraq, Debacle in Tikrit as Forces Walk into Trap Set by Militants". The New York Times . Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  47. ↑ "Iraq forces withdraw from rebel-held Tikrit". Omantribune.com. Archived from the original on 23 October 2014. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  48. 1 2 "Islamic State overwhelms Iraqi forces at Tikrit in major defeat". miamiherald. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  49. 1 2 "The Iraqi Army's Alamo: Standoff in Tikrit". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  50. 1 2 "Iraqi military says it retakes control of key base in Tikrit". Longwarjournal.org. 21 July 2014. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  51. ↑ "Multiple bombings in Baghdad kill at least 27". America.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  52. ↑ "In fight for Tikrit, U.S. finds enemies on both sides of the battle lines". The Washington Post. Retrieved 23 July 2015.

34°36′09″N43°41′00″E / 34.6025°N 43.6833°E / 34.6025; 43.6833

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.