Militants Attack Checkpoint North Of Tikrit

Hometown of executed dictator Saddam Hussein, Tikrit lies 60 kilometres (100 miles) north of Baghdad and was the second city to fall to Islamic State in 2014 as the extremists swept through large areas north and west of the capital. Other militants continued north to a second checkpoint where they detonated a vehicle rigged with explosives, killing eight more police officers.

One of Saturday’s attackers was killed at the checkpoint after shooting dead four police officers at around 5am local time (0200 GMT), according to police and sources from Salahuddin Operations Command, which is responsible for security in the area.

12 killed in militant attacks north of Iraq´s Tirkit was posted in World of TheNews International – https://www.thenews.com.pk on September 24, 2016 and was last updated on September 24, 2016. He called on security forces to review their plans and on residents to cooperate with the authorities.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for those attacks inside and near Tikrit.

Iraqi security forces have imposed a curfew in Tikrit following the attacks. The group stepped up attacks in recent months as it has lost territory in northern and western Iraq that it had captured in 2014.

Government forces have been slowly recapturing towns surrounding Mosul with the support of USA airstrikes; most recently, the town of Shirqat.

The Iraqi military meanwhile is preparing to launch an offensive to take back the city of Mosul in the north as early as October, several United States officials said. The city, about 360 kilometers northwest of Baghdad, is the last major IS urban stronghold in Iraq.