Iraqi army steps up attacks against ISIL in Tikrit

The Iraqi army has stepped up its offensive against the Takfiri militants of the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in and around the northern city of Tikrit.

New heavy fighting has erupted between government forces and militants in a region near the village of Dijlah on a road linking the northern city of Samarra to Tikrit.

According to Iraqi media sources, government warplanes have pounded several militant positions inside the city of Tikrit. Some areas in the city are still in the hands of the militants.

The Iraqi army began its clean-up operations from the capital, Baghdad, moving toward the north. It has managed to re-take several areas from the Takfiri terrorists and has killed dozens of them over the past few days.

The Iraqi army has been engaged in heavy fighting with the militants on different fronts.

The Iraqi Defense Ministry released a video on Friday showing that the Iraqi government forces cleared an area in Salahuddin province from the ISIL Takfiris following heavy clashes.

A large number of the militants were reportedly killed while many of them fled away.

Earlier in the day, the Iraqi forces made gains near the northern city of Tikrit.

On June 10, Takfiri militants of the ISIL took control of the Nineveh provincial capital Mosul, which was followed by the fall of Tikrit, located 140 kilometers (87 miles) northwest of Baghdad.

The ISIL has vowed to move its acts of terror toward Baghdad.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has said that the country’s security forces would confront the terrorists.