article_snippet: Tikrit, which once had an estimated population of around 200,000, had been largely emptied of civilians by the time the Tikrit operation was launched at the start of March.
article_snippet: The fate of those who were believed to have remained in the city of Tikrit in Iraq was unclear on Tuesday.
article_snippet: Thousands of people displaced last year or more recently from Salaheddin province, of which Tikrit is the capital, have started returning to Thousands of people displaced last year or more recently from Salaheddin province, of which Tikrit is the capital homes in outlying liberated areas.
article_snippet: But the level of destruction Tikrit is believed to have suffered and the threat posed by unexploded bombs mean residents of the city of Tikrit in Iraq could take longer to return.
article_snippet: Tikrit holds both strategic and symbolic importance.
article_snippet: Tikrit holds both strategic and symbolic importance.