US begins airstrikes to help Iraqi forces retake Tikrit

At Iraq’s request, the United States on Wednesday began conducting airstrikes against Islamic State (also known as ISIS or ISIL) militants in the city of Tikrit to support Iraqi ground forces in their offensive to retake the city, a US military official told CNN.

The official pointed out that the US has protocols to make sure that intelligence information is not shared with the Iranian side, which supports Shia militias on the ground. The official commented that Washington sees these militias as “unreliable groups”.

Lt General James L. Terry, the commander of the US-led campaign to defeat the Islamic State group, said in a written statement that: “these strikes are intended to destroy ISIL strongholds with precision, thereby saving innocent Iraqi lives while minimising unintended damage to civilian structures.

“This will further enable Iraqi forces under Iraqi command to manoeuvre and defeat ISIL in the vicinity of Tikrit,” Terry added.

Until now, the US role in the fight against ISIS in Tikrit has been limited to providing support by collecting intelligence from air.

The commander of operations in Salahuddin province, Lt General Abdul-Wahab Al-Saadi, said earlier that participation by the international coalition was “necessary” in order to restore the city; explaining that the warplanes, weapons and “high technology” of the coalition will make the operation easier.

The United States began dropping leaflets on the city of Mosul, the second largest Iraqi city, calling on Iraqi citizens to not fight alongside the Islamic State.

Iraqi forces began the offensive to take back Tikrit earlier this month.