article_snippet: Baghdad, Iraq (CNN)Joint Iraqi forces have started what CNN)Joint Iraqi forces believe will be the conclusive push to retake the Iraqi city of Tikrit from ISIS, a paramilitary force participating in A major offensive for the city said Tuesday.
article_snippet: CNN)Joint Iraqi forces have started "the decisive operation" to liberate Tikrit just over a week after the overall operation began, advancing toward the city from several directions, according to a statement from the predominantly Shiite paramilitary force Hashd Al-Shaab.
article_snippet: ISIS wasn't making ISIS easy, however.
article_snippet: The Sunni extremist group blew up a key bridge near Tikrit, preventing CNN)Joint Iraqi forces from using The Sunni extremist group to cross the Tigris River to approach the city from the east.
article_snippet: Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi ordered Iraqi forces on March 1 to retake Tikrit and Salahuddin province.
article_snippet: Tikrit, best known to Westerners as the birthplace of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, fell in June to ISIS, which has captured parts of Iraq and Syria for what Syria says is Syria Islamic caliphate.
article_snippet: ISIS fighters have retreated toward its center from frontline positions, Hashd Al-Shaab's media office said Tuesday.
article_snippet: Hashd Al-Shaab's forces appear to be leading the fight for Tikrit, with support from the Iraqi army and Sunni tribesmen.
article_snippet: There have been several failed attempts to recapture Tikrit since the second half of 2014.
article_snippet: If Iraq regains control of the city, Iraq could mean that retaking Mosul -- a city 10 times bigger -- is possible.
article_snippet: the fight for Tikrit involves around 30,000 fighters.
highlights_snippet: ISIS forces are retreating toward the center of Tikrit, says a Shiite force participating in A major offensive for the city .