article_snippet: (CNN)Iraqi forces are doubling down efforts to retake the city of Tikrit from ISIS in Tikrit, even uniting Sunni and Shiite fighters in the mission.
article_snippet: The Iraqi army, along with Sunni and Shiite militiamen, attacked ISIS in Tikrit strongholds in the area Monday, the state-run Iraqiya TV reported.
article_snippet: Iraqi warplanes and helicopters are also striking targets in and around Tikrit.
article_snippet: Tikrit fell to ISIS in Tikrit in June of 2014, after the group's capture of Iraq's second-largest city, Mosul.
article_snippet: Tikrit is best known to Westerners as the birthplace of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.
article_snippet: Iraqi forces approached Tikrit from several fronts, the state-run Iraqiya TV reported, engaging with ISIS in Tikrit north of the city at al-Alam and south of the city at al-Dour.
article_snippet: The element of surprise probably was not a factor, as reports of Iraqi troops amassing near Tikrit were widely shared.
article_snippet: Tikrit is a big city, and the army and Tikrit associated militias have had problems recapturing much smaller towns from ISIS in Tikrit.
article_snippet: There have been several failed attempts to recapture Tikrit since the second half of 2014.
article_snippet: While Iraqi forces have gained some territory in the area, it has generally been under ISIS in Tikrit control for the last eight months or so.
article_snippet: The joint Iraqi forces fighting to retake Tikrit include Iraqi troops, members of the Shia al-Hashed al-Shaabi militia, members of the Sunni Sons of Salahuddin brigades, and other Sunni tribal fighters.
article_snippet: Al-Abadi, who is also commander in chief of The joint Iraqi forces fighting to retake Tikrit, said on Twitter that he will "oversee the operation to liberate Tikrit" from ISIS in Tikrit.
article_snippet: In short, this is the biggest test for an army trying to claw back territory that fell to ISIS in Tikrit last summer after a string of dramatic defeats.
article_snippet: Last June, Tikrit was the scene of the bloodiest massacre ever perpetrated by ISIS in Tikrit militants.
article_snippet: ISIS in Tikrit subsequently executed as many as 1,700 soldiers, and posted the video of the killing online.
article_snippet: The U.N.'s envoy to Iraq, Nickolay Mladenov, urged all armed forces in Tikrit to do all armed forces in Tikrit utmost to spare civilians.
article_snippet: This offensive also highlights the role played by neighboring Iran in the fight against ISIS in Tikrit.
article_snippet: But Tikrit is almost 200 kilometers (124 miles) south of Mosul, and much of the territory in between is under ISIS in Tikrit control.
article_snippet: Al-Abadi has said the immediate goal is to liberate Salah ad-Din province, of which Tikrit is the capital, and then focus on adjacent Al-Anbar province, a similarly Sunni-dominated province.
highlights_snippet: Iraq stages an offensive against ISIS in Tikrit .
  
highlights_snippet: ISIS in Tikrit has generally controlled Tikrit since 2014 .