article_snippet: But Tikrit, which has resisted Government forces several times, is Government forces toughest target yet. '
article_snippet: Tikrit would be the biggest victory yet for Iraqi forces battling Islamic State, but the attack on Tikrit could severely test the government's ability to handle sectarian divisions.
article_snippet: Hadi al-Ameri, the Popular Mobilisation commander, appealed to Tikrit residents on Saturday to leave Hadi al-Ameri, the Popular Mobilisation commander homes within 48 hours so government forces could 'wrap up the battle of the revenge for Speicher.'
article_snippet: Iraqi forces tried and failed several times to wrest back Tikrit, a Sunni Arab city on the Tigris river around 100 miles north of Baghdad.
article_snippet: Tikrit would be the biggest victory yet for Iraqi forces battling Islamic State .
article_snippet: The military commander for Salaheddin province, Abdel Wahab Saadi, said Tikrit had both symbolic and strategic importance. '
article_snippet: Tikrit is the hometown of executed dictator Saddam Hussein, the remnants of whose Baath party have collaborated with IS in attempting to topple the Shiite-dominated government.
highlights_snippet: Tikrit was the scene of a massacre of mainly Shiite army recruits last year .