Reclaims Tikrit
Both state media and a local tribal leader are reporting that Iraq security forces have reclaimed Tikrit from Sunni militants. Sheikh Khamis al-Joubouri, a key tribal leader in Tikrit, tells CNN that Iraqi security forces, along with special forces and fighters from local tribes, entered the city and gained control. Sabah Numan, a Counter Terrorism Unit spokesman, tells CNN that 120 militants have been killed and 20 vehicles destroyed in the large-scale operation that began this morning. Numan says:
We are mainly busy defusing booby-trapped houses and cars on the main roads leading into Tikrit.