Islamic State controls Tikrit-Kirkuk road

TIKRIT, Iraq (K24) - Islamic State (IS) militants launched a major attack on areas  near Tirkrit and were able to control the main Kirkuk-Tirkrit road as clashes continue between  IS, the Iraqi army, and Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) in Salahaddin Province on Thursday.

Mala Hussein Kareem, a member of Salahaddin Provincial Council told K24 on the phone “Islamic State militants controlled the main road between Kirkuk, Tirkrit, Tal Kusaiba, and al-Fatha villages, 30 kilometers east of Tikrit, for a short time on Thursday, forcing out the government forces. But security forces launched counter-attacks and regained control of the area.”

IS militants  moved east of the town of Baiji and Hamreen mountain on Wednesday night and launched a prolonged attack on  Iraqi security forces, Kareem added.

IS controlled Tal Kusaiba for a short time and controlled the area’s police station, but reinforcements from the Iraqi army and PMU forces are now in control of the area.

Popular Mobilization Units spokesman, Haidar Muhammadawi  told K24 “forces are now stationed in  Tal Kusaiba [after] IS militants fled the area, leaving several dead bodies behind.”  Muhammadawi denied claims that  IS currently controls the Tikrit-Kirkuk main road. “Our forces are stationed on the main road and the area has been secured,” Muhammadawi asserted.

Raed al-Jibouri, Governor of Salahaddin Province told reporters in the village of Tal Kusaiba that “the village has been liberated by the Iraqi army and PMU forces, [after] killing dozens of IS militants, including Arab and foreign fighters. The Iraqi army and PMU forces regained control of Tikrit from IS on March 31, 2015.