article_snippet: Retaking ISIS is considered vital if government forces are to succeed in government forces plan to force ISIS out of the oil rich city of Mosul, the terror group's Iraqi power base which lies just 140 miles north of Liberating Tikrit on Highway 1 - a road that effectively marks the front line in northern Iraq.
article_snippet: Retaking the ISIS stronghold is considered vital if government forces are to succeed in government forces plan to force ISIS out of the oil rich city of Mosul .
article_snippet: The aim of course is to liberate Salaheddin to allow for the return of displaced families but it is also going to be a stepping stone on the way to liberating Mosul,' The military commander for Salaheddin province, Abdel Wahab Saadi told AFP.
highlights_snippet: Liberating Tikrit is vital if Iraqi regime is to wrestle back control of Mosul .
  
highlights_snippet: Mosul is an oil-rich ISIS stronghold just 140 miles to the north of Liberating Tikrit .