article_snippet: (CNN)The campaign to retake the city of Tikrit from ISIS, also known as the Islamic State, involves a curious mixture of Iraqi forces -- the army and air force, federal police, powerful Shia militia  as well as Sunni tribal fighters.
article_snippet: And Christopher Harmer of the Institute for the Study of War says that "if the Tikrit operation is successful the Tikrit operation presents a lot of problems for the Iraqi government's legitimacy -- somewhere down the road the Iranians and the PMU are going to demand payback.
article_snippet: the Iraqi government is under political pressure to reclaim the city of Tikrit and re-establish the Iraqi government authority there.
article_snippet: Tikrit is an especially sensitive area: in June last year, ISIS massacred by ISIS own account as many as 1,600 air force cadets, the vast majority Shia, at Camp Speicher.
article_snippet: HRW Middle East Deputy Director Joe Stork says that "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.
article_snippet: During the Tikrit operation, both Prime Minister al Abadi and Hadi al Ameri of the Badr Organization have publicly called for civilians to be spared and human rights to be respected.
article_snippet: Only when the city of Tikrit is taken, will we know whether Prime Minister al Abadi and Hadi al Ameri of the Badr Organization appeals were heeded.