Baghdad, March 31 (Antara/Xinhua-OANA) - Iraqi security forces on Monday continued their battles against the Islamic State (IS) militants in the provinces of Salahudin and Anbar, security sources said.
In Salahudin province, the security forces backed by some allied militias made further advance inside the IS-held provincial capital city of Tikrit after fierce clashes with the militants during the day, a provincial security source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
The troops retook control of the main hospital building on the southeastern edge of the city and took new positions in the surrounding area as they are heading toward the central part of Tikrit, which located some 170 km north of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, the source said.
The troops also made another advance in Dyoum district in the western part of Tikrit after heavy bombardment by artillery and aircraft, the source added.
Late on Wednesday, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced that the Iraqi forces started the final phase to liberate Tikrit and the rest of the northern parts of Salahudin province with the assistance of the international coalition air support.
The battles to free Tikrit from IS militants were stalled for about two weeks as the militants planted thousands of bombs and booby-trapped dozens of buildings and cars.
Since March 2, some 30,000 Iraqi troops and thousands of allied Shiite and Sunni militias have been involved in Iraq's biggest offensive to recapture the northern part of Salahudin province, including Tikrit and other key towns and villages, from IS militants.
Large parts of the province have been under IS control since June 2014, after bloody clashes broke out between Iraqi security forces and the group.
In Anbar province, the security forces repelled an attack by the IS militants on an military base in north of the militant-seized city of Fallujah, some 50 km west of Baghdad, after heavy clashes with the attackers, a provincial security source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
The IS attack started when a suicide bomber blew up an armored vehicle packed with explosives at the entrance of the base and was followed by dozens of IS militants who faced stubborn resistance from the soldiers and allied militiamen of the Hashid al-Shaabi, or Popular Mobilization members, the source said.
The battle resulted in the killing of four militiamen and three soldiers and the wounding of nine security members, the source added.
Separately, the IS militants carried out an attack to seize a bridge in north of Fallujah, but were also repelled by the security forces and U.S.-led coalition aircraft which destroyed two of the IS vehicles carrying heavy machine guns, killing nine extremist militants aboard, the source said.
The IS group has seized parts of Iraq's largest province Anbar and tried to advance toward Baghdad, but several counter attacks by security forces and Shiite militias have pushed them back.
The security situation in Iraq has drastically deteriorated since June 10 last year, when bloody clashes broke out between Iraqi security forces and the IS.
PASUKAN KEAMANAN IRAK TERUS BENTROK DENGAN ANGGOTA IS
Baghdad, 31/3 (Antara/Xinhua-OANA) - Pasukan keamanan Irak pada Senin (30/3) masih terlibat pertempuran melawan anggota Negara Islam (IS) di Provinsi Salahudin dan Anbar, kata beberapa sumber keamanan.
Di Provinsi Salahudin, pasukan keamanan yang didukung oleh anggota milisi sekutunya membuat kemajuan lagi di dalam Ibu Kota Provinsi itu, Tikrit, yang dikuasai IS. Sebelumnya bentrokan sengit terjadi antara pasukan keamanan dan anggota kelompok fanatik tersebut, kata satu sumber keamanan provinsi kepada Xinhua.
Tentara merebut kembali gedung rumah sakit utama di ujung tenggara kota itu dan mengambil posisi baru di daerah sekitarnya saat mereka bergerak maju ke arah bagian tengah Kota Tikrit, yang terletak sekitar 170 kilometer di sebelah utara Ibu Kota Irak, Baghdad, kata sumber itu.
Tentara juga bergerak maju di Kabupaten Dyoum di bagian barat Tikrit, setelah melancarkan pemboman gencar artireli dan udara, tambah sumber tersebut, sebagaimana diberitakan Xinhua --yang dipantau Antara di Jakarta, Selasa pagi.
Pada Rabu larut malam (25/3), Perdana Menteri Irak Haider Al-Abadi mengumumkan pasukan Irak memulai tahap akhir untuk membebaskan Tikrit dan bagian lain di Provinsi Salahudin, Irak Utara, dengan bantuan dukungan udara koalisi internasional.
Pertempuran untuk membebaskan Tikrit dari petempur IS terhenti selama sekitar dua pekan, sementara gerilyawan fanatik itu memasang ribuan bom dan puluhan jebakan di bangunan dan mobil.
Sejak 2 Maret, sebanyak 30.000 prajurit Irak dan ribua anggota milisi Sunni dan Syiah yang bergabung dengan pemerintah telah terlibat dalam serangan terbesar di Irak guna merebut kembali Provinsi Salahudin di bagian utara negeri tersebut, termasuk Tikrit dan kota kecil serta desa penting lain, dari anggota IS.
Banyak bagian provinsi itu telah dikuasai IS sejak Juni 2014, setelah bentrokan berdarah berkecamuk antara pasukan keamanan Irak dan kelompok tersebut.
Di Provinsi Anbar, pasukan keamanan mematahkan satu serangan petempur IS terhadap pangkalan militer di sebelah utara Kota Fallujah, yang dikuasai gerilyawan dan berada sekitar 50 kilometer di sebelah barat baghdad. Sebelumnya, bentrokan sengit terjadi melawan para penyerang, kata satu sumber keamanan provinsi yang tak ingin disebutkan jatidirinya kepada Xinhua.
Serangan IS dimulai ketika seorang pembom bunuh diri meledakkan satu kendaraan lapis baja yang dipenuhi peledak di pintu masuk pangkalan tersebut dan diikuti oleh puluhan petempur IS. Mereka menghadapi perlawanan gigih dari tentara dan anggota milisi sekutu pemerintah, Hashid Ash-Shaabi, atau Gerakan Rakyat, kata sumber tersebut.
Pertempuran itu mengakibatkan tewasnya empa anggota milisi dan tiga prajurit dan cederanya sembilan anggota keamanan, tambah sumber itu.
Secara terpisah petempur IS melancarkan serangan untuk menguasai satu jembatan di sebelah utara Fallujah, tapi dipukul mundur oleh pasukan keamanan dan pesawat koalisi pimpinan AS yang menghancurkan dua kendaraan IS yang membawa senapan mesin berat. Sembilan petempur IS di dalam kendaraan tersebut tewas, kata sumber itu.
Kelompok IS telah merebut banyak wilayah di Provinsi terbesar Irak, Anbar, dan berusaha bergerak maju ke arah Baghdad, tapi beberapa serangan balasan oleh pasukan keamanan dan milisi Syiah telah membuat mereka mundur.
Situasi keamanan di Irak telah memburuk secara drastis sejak 10 Juni tahun lalu, ketika bentrokan berdarah meletus antara pasukan keamanan Irak dan petempur IS.
