Iraqi Troops in Final Push to Retake City From ISIS After U.S. Airstrikes

Iraqi Troops in Final Push to Retake City From ISIS After U.S. Airstrikes Iraqi troops made a final push on Thursday to take the city of Tikrit back from ISIS after American warplanes launched airstrikes over Saddam Hussein's birthplace to help clear the way.Testifying before a Senate committee, a top American commander said that the United States only agreed to the airstrikes on the grounds that anti-ISIS Shiite militias backed by Iran left the city and that Iraqis had to be in charge of the operation."I will not — and I hope we will never — coordinate or cooperate with the Shiite militias," Gen. Lloyd Austin, the head of U.S. Central Command, told the Senate Armed Services Committee.The Iraqi Defense Ministry said that the U.S. coalition had conducted 17 airstrikes in Tikrit, compared with 24 by the Iraqi air force. Recapturing Tikrit is seen as critical before Iraqi forces attempt to drive ISIS out of Mosul, the second-largest city in Iraq.In Tikrit, Mahmood, a 28-year-old minimart owner, said American assistance was essential."Our forces cannot do it alone," he told NBC News on Wednesday.Abu Anwar, a retiree, said of the Americans: "They are accurate and won't miss the target, and that's what Iraqi forces do not have."But Hedier Ali, a 34-year-old doctor, said that Iraqis "want to achieve victory without asking the help from U.S.-led coalition. They want to achieve a pure Iraqi victory."IN-DEPTHU.S. Jumps Into Fight for Tikrit With AirstrikesCIA Director Says ISIS Momentum Blunted— Erin McClam with The Associated Press #news #Iraqi #Troops #Final #Push #Retake