article_snippet: Why battle for Tikrit will defeat ISIS .
article_snippet: Tikrit fell to ISIS 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: Tikrit is a big city, and the army and Tikrit associated militias have had problems recapturing much smaller towns from ISIS.
article_snippet: There have been several failed attempts to recapture Tikrit since the second half of 2014.
article_snippet: Past fighting raises grave concerns that Tikrit's civilians are at serious risk from both ISIS and government forces, and both sides need to protect civilians from more sectarian slaughter.
highlights_snippet: The city, best known to Westerners as Saddam Hussein's birthplace, was taken by ISIS in June .