article_snippet: Advantage: Taking Tikrit - former President Saddam Hussein's home town - could be a major turning point in the war against ISIS, Iraq's Defence Minister told .
article_snippet: Taking Tikrit could be a major turning point in the war against ISIS, Iraq's Defence Minister  told the BBC.
article_snippet: Khaled al-Obedi said Tikrit was a stepping stone to other ISIS-held territory which includes the country's second largest city Mosul.
article_snippet: Khaled al-Obedi added: 'The liberation of Tikrit and province will serve as a launch pad for reclaiming the north and the west of Iraq.