“Our forces defused an estimated 520 planted landmines inside the city, while taking control of 13 factories, which were used for making bombs and mines by ISIS fighters,” Jawdat Shakir, Iraqi federal police commander, told local media.
Iraqi security forces said at least 24 hours is still needed to quell remaining pockets of ISIS resistance inside the city.
The Tikrit operation to drive out the extremists began on March 2. Last week, a stalemate in the fighting was broken by airstrikes launched by the US-led coalition after a request from Baghdad.
