Iraqi forces make breakthrough in Tikrit with U.S. help

WASHINGTON — Iraqi forces are on the verge of driving Islamic State militants out of Tikrit in what would be a breakthrough in the country's battle against the extremists, U.S. and Iraqi officials said Tuesday.

The gains in the Iraqi city of Tikrit follow U.S. participation in the fight last week after Shiite militias failed to make any advances against the militants despite an overwhelming advantage in ground troops.

That might help convince Iraq's government of the importance of U.S. help in its struggle with the militants, who swept into Iraq last year, seizing large chunks of territory.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced on Twitter the "liberation" of the city, which is about 80 miles north of Baghdad and is best known as longtime dictator Saddam Hussein's hometown.

U.S. Central Command backed up al-Abadi's comments, saying large portions of the mostly Sunni city have been recaptured.

Maj. Curtis Kellogg, a Central Command spokesman, said Iraqi security forces have retaken the center and other parts of the city. However, fighting continued to rage in some areas Tuesday.

Iraq launched a major offensive to retake Tikrit several weeks ago, using mostly Iranian-backed Shiite militias. That raised fears the operation would heighten sectarian conflict between Shiites, Iraq's dominant Muslim sect, and Tikrit's mostly Sunni residents. Many of those residents identified with the Islamic State because it is a Sunni group.

The United States, which has provided air support for Iraqi forces throughout the country, initially was sidelined in the Tikrit operation by Iraq. But after initial Iraqi successes, the operation stalled, as the militias struggled to root out several hundred militants who had planted explosives in buildings and on streets.

Urban fighting is particularly challenging, requiring specialized tactics and sophisticated coordination with artillery and air support.

Last week, the United States said it would start providing airstrikes in support of the operation, but as a condition for U.S. participation, the Pentagon required that Iraq remove the Iranian-backed militias from the offensive.

In addition to airstrikes, the U.S. military provided critical surveillance video to help locate the remaining militants.

It is not clear how decisive U.S. participation in the offensive has been because the military launched only a limited number of airstrikes in the city, including one on Monday, according to Central Command.

It also is unclear whether Iraq ordered the powerful militias to withdraw or if they retreated on their own. Some militias said they had quit the fight to protest U.S. involvement in the campaign.