Iraqi security forces advanced into the militant-held city of Tikrit in a renewed assault on Tuesday, as the country’s fractious parliament held a long-delayed vote on a new speaker.
World powers and Iraq’s top Shia cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, have piled pressure on MPs to put aside their differences amid a major militant-led onslaught that has overrun territory in the north and west, but they have so far failed to do so.
Security forces began the attack on Tikrit on Tuesday morning, aiming to revitalise an operation to retake it that began more than two weeks ago but had bogged down south of the city.
“Iraqi forces began a military operation to liberate the city of Tikrit and our forces were able to control the southern part of the city,” Ahmed Abdullah Juburi, the governor of Salaheddin province of which Tikrit is the capital, said.
An army colonel said the police academy and a hospital in Tikrit had been retaken, and Juburi confirmed those facilities were in government hands, along with the governorate headquarters.
The city was seized by militants on June 11 as part of a sweeping offensive that has overrun large areas of five provinces since it began last month.
Violence also struck south of Baghdad on Tuesday, with bombings in the Madain area killing nine people, including four soldiers, officials said.
The blasts and the new push for Tikrit came a day after the Pentagon said that American military teams sent to Iraq last month have completed their assessment of Iraqi security forces.
The details were not released, but The New York Times said one conclusion was that only roughly half of Iraq’s units are capable enough to be advised by US personnel, if the decision is taken to do so.
Parliament votes
While security forces pressed their assault on Tikrit, Iraq’s new parliament met to vote for a new speaker, a post that must be filled before the process of forming a government can move forward.
The vote, which was held behind closed doors, came after the legislature, which was elected on April 30, met twice before but failed to make progress.
