SALAHUDDIN provincial army commander Lt-Gen Abdul-Wahab al-Saadi ann­ounced yesterday that Iraqi government troops and special forces had started the final phase of an offensive to recapture Tikrit from Islamic State (Isis).

But the push went ahead without Iraq’s Popular Mobilisation Forces, which the US dubs Iranian-backed Shi’ite militias and which have been instrumental to the operation so far.

They backed out in a protest over US bombing raids being launched against the city.

US military officials insisted that the attacks had been carried out at the request of Baghdad.

Militia spokesman Mouin al-Kadhimy said that many Shi’ite fi ghters would boycott the operation because of the “harmful” involvement of US air strikes.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi heralded the “final phase” of the Tikrit offensive but he did not acknowledge that US-led coalition forces were playing a direct role.

He insisted that Iraqis, “and no-one but you,” would claim victory against the Isis terrorist group.

US coalition commander Lt-Gen James L Terry said that the purpose of the air raids was to “destroy Isis strongholds with precision, thereby saving innocent Iraqi lives while minimising” unintended damage to civilian structures.

Mr Kadhimy said that a number of Shi’ite militias, including Asaib Ahl al-Haq, Ketaeb Hizbollah and Muqtada al-Sadr’s Peace Brigades are boycotting the Tikrit operation because of the involvement of US forces.

“Their involvement is potentially harmful to the operation,” he said.

“We led the fight to liberate al-Dawr, to liberate al-Alam and we are capable of liberating Tikrit without the help of US forces.”

by Our Foreign Desk