article_snippet: Iraq claims Iraq has liberated the city of Tikrit - Iraq biggest victory  in the fight against Islamic State terrorists to date.
article_snippet: Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi 'announces the liberation of Tikrit and congratulates Iraqi security forces and popular volunteers on the historic milestone', Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi ' official Twitter account said.
article_snippet: In a statement to AFP just minutes before Abadi's tweet, Abadi spokesman Rafid Jaboori said: 'Iraqi forces reached the centre of Tikrit, raised the black ISIS flag and are now clearing the city of Tikrit.'
article_snippet: Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi delivering a speech during a meeting of ambassadors in Baghdad on March 31 .
article_snippet: Since June, Iraqi forces had tried and failed several times to retake the city of Tikrit in Iraq, seen as a key stepping stone to recapturing Mosul, the jihadists' largest hub in Iraq.
highlights_snippet: Efforts began on March 2 and Iraq claims Tikrit is now 'liberated' from ISIS .
  