Iraqi Army Recaptures Cities of Al-Baghdadi and Al-Dour Around Tikrit

On Friday, March 6, Iraqi soldiers and Shiite militias recaptured the city of Al-Baghdadi from the Islamic State group. On the same day, the Islamic State was pushed back from the city of Al-Dour near Tikrit. The victory of the Iraqi army in Al-Baghdadi was reported by the French news agency AFP, citing the U.S. military. The Islamic State, or ISIS, captured Al-Baghdadi, located near the Euphrates River in western Iraq, in February, an event that posed a threat to the U.S. military, as American advisors were training Iraqi soldiers at an airbase near Al-Baghdadi. Reuters also reported the defeat of ISIS in the city of Al-Dour near Tikrit, stating that Iraqi soldiers and their Shiite allies entered the strategic city of Al-Dour, located on the southern outskirts of Tikrit, the birthplace of Saddam Hussein. It is still unclear if Al-Dour has been completely cleared of ISIS elements, as some Iraqi officials have stated that army soldiers have currently entered the southern and eastern areas of the city, but Hadi al-Amiri, a leader of the Shiite militias, declared that Al-Dour is 'completely liberated.' Al-Amiri also promised that by Saturday, the town of Al-Alam near Tikrit would fall to the Shiite militias and the Iraqi army. With the start of the operation to recapture Tikrit on Monday, several towns and villages nearby have already fallen to the Iraqi army. Tikrit, the center of Salahuddin province, is located on the banks of the Tigris River and had a population of about 260,000 before being captured by ISIS; reports indicate that most residents of Tikrit have now fled the city. Meanwhile, the Iraqi army is engaged in a broader operation to reclaim the entire Salahuddin province from the Islamic State.