Rockets and mortars echoed across Saddam Hussein’s hometown of Tikrit today, as Iraqi security forces clashed with ISIS fighters, a day after sweeping into the Sunni city north of Baghdad.
Recapturing Tikrit is seen as a key step toward rolling back the extremist group, which seized much of northern and western Iraq last summer and now controls about a third of Iraq and Syria.
Iraqi troops and allied Shiite militiamen backed by Iran entered Tikrit for the first time Wednesday from the north and south. For the latest, Here & Now’s Jeremy Hobson turns to Mitchell Prothero in Irbil, Iraq, who is covering the conflict for McClatchy Newspapers.
Guest
- Mitchell Prothero, Iraq bureau chief for McClatchy Newspapers. He tweets @mitchprothero.
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