SALADIN, Iraq
Iraqi security forces backed by al-Hashid al-Sha’bi, an Iraqi Shiite militia, and tribal fighters seized control of al-Dour town from Daesh Friday in the northern province of Saladin, Iraqi government TV said.
Daesh is the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
Al-Dour town, which has a strategic location south of Tikrit, was completely freed by Iraqi forces, according to al-Iraqiya state TV channel.
Iraqi security forces backed by Shiite militias launched a ground offensive against Daesh on Monday to recapture Tikrit city, aiming to approach the Daesh stronghold of Mosul. Tikrit, a Sunni-majority city, was the birthplace of the deceased Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.
Clashes between Iraqi forces and Daesh have been ongoing since June 2014 when the armed group seized Mosul and other territories in Iraq.
