Iraqi troops are gearing up for an offensive against ISIL terrorists in Salahuddin province, as part of a mission to liberate the strategic city of Tikrit from ISIL control.
An Iraqi security official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said on Saturday that the army soldiers are readying to stage an operation against the Takfiri terrorists in Salahuddin province in an attempt to target the remaining strongholds of the ISIL terrorists and free the city of Tikrit.
The Iraqi army’s military operations in Salahuddin province will cover an area of 9,000 square kilometers.
According to senior military officials, the Iraqi popular forces comprising Badr Organization, Iraqi Hezbollah battalions, Ahl al-Haq battalions, Jund al-Imam, Seyed al-Shohada, Imam Ali (AS) Battalions and Al-Najba will fight beside the Iraqi army in its massive operations to liberate Tikrit city.
The security in Iraq drastically deteriorated after June 10, when bloody clashes broke out between Iraqi security forces and the ISIL. The latter later took control of the country’s Northern city of Mosul and seized swathes of territories in Nineveh and other predominantly Sunni provinces.
The country’s army and popular forces have, in a series of operations, started massive attacks against terrorists to liberate occupied areas, mainly Tikrit and Mosul.
The ISIL Takfiri terrorists currently control shrinking swathes of Syria and Iraq. They have threatened all communities, including Shiites, Sunnis, Kurds, Christians, Ezadi Kurds and others, as they continue their atrocities in Iraq.
Senior Iraqi officials have blamed Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and some Persian Gulf Arab states for the growing terrorism in their country.
The ISIL has links with Saudi intelligence and is believed to be indirectly supported by the Israeli regime.
