ISIS terrorists are stealing civilians ' cars in an attempt to flee as Iraqi soldiers fight their way into the strategically important city of Tikrit . The massive operation involving more than 30,000 Iraqi Army soldiers is succeeding in forcing ISIS militants from the city , which is the birthplace of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein . Local officials confirmed that Iraqi troops entered Qadisiya , and penetrated the northern suburbs , raising the Iraqi flag over Tikrit 's general hospital . Scroll down for video . A member of the Iraqi forces poses with an Iraqi flag in Tikrit - taking the city would open a supply line for a future operation to besiege Mosul , Iraq 's second-largest city that still remains under ISIS control . Iraqi forces entered the city and succeeded in driving out ISIS terrorists from the crucial stronghold . Later today , Iraqi forces ( including the military , militias , Sunni tribes and police ) also entered Tikrit from the south in a pincer movement to try and drive out the terrorists , although many fled in the face of the advance . 'The terrorists are seizing the cars of civilians trying to leave the city and they are trying to make a getaway , ' Kheyon Rasheed told the state-run Iraqiyya television . Tikrit , which lies midway between regime-capital Baghdad and the ISIS stronghold of Mosul , was taken by ISIS in June . Retaking the ISIS stronghold is considered vital if government forces are to succeed in their plan to force ISIS out of the oil rich city of Mosul , the terror group 's Iraqi power base which lies just 140 miles north of Tikrit on Highway 1 - a road that effectively marks the front line in northern Iraq . Most residents of Tikrit fled in the months after the extremist group took control . Those who stayed have fled in recent days , but a tiny fraction are still there , awaiting their fate . Iraq forces entered ISIS-held Tikrit city centre from Qadisiya in the north and also from the south - the terrorists still hold the town of al-Alam , north of Tikrit university . Militiamen laid down heavy machine gunfire in the neighborhood 's dusty streets during the attack today . Taking Tikrit would open a supply line for a future operation to besiege Mosul , Iraq 's second-largest city that still remains under ISIS control . Tikrit would be the biggest victory yet for Iraqi forces , but the attack by thousands of Shi'ite irregulars could severely test the government 's ability to handle sectarian divisions . Iraq is bitterly split between minority Sunnis , who were an important base of support for Saddam Hussein , and the Shi'ite majority . Since the Islamic State insurgency began , the Iraqi military is heavily dependent on Shi'ite militias that have been accused of abusing Sunni communities elsewhere in Iraq . US military officials - who have not been involved in the ongoing Tikrit offensive - have that said a coordinated military mission to retake Mosul is likely to take place next month or two and involve up to 25,000 Iraqi troops . But the Americans have cautioned that if the Iraqis are not ready , the offensive could be delayed . Iranian military advisers have been helping guide Iraqi forces in their advance on Tikrit . General Qasem Soleimani , the commander of Iran 's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps ( IRGC ) Quds Force , is taking part in leading the Tikrit operation . Most battlefield successes in Iraq have been coordinated efforts , with Iraqi , Kurdish and Shiite militias fighting on the ground and the US-led coalition providing air power . The siege on the village of Amirli just north of Baghdad , when many feared the capital itself might fall , was broken last year with the help of US-led airstrikes and a fighting force of mainly Shiite militias . Shiite militiamen , backed by a coalition air campaign , also retook the town of Jurf al-Sukhr , on Baghdad 's outskirts , from the militants in October . Iraq 's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has appealed for more aid for his country 's beleaguered ground forces , despite the US spending billions of dollars training and equipping Iraq 's army during its eight-year occupation . Tikrit , the capital of Salahuddin province , sits on the Tigris River about 80 miles north of Baghdad . Armoured vehicles of Iraqi security forces drive past black smoke following the clash with ISIS . Iraqis celebrated the advance on Tikrit and the withdrawal of ISIS militants from the city . Tonight , Iraqis in Baghdad celebrated the news from Tikrit where ISIS militants fled the city in civilians ' cars . The rapid advance across Syria and Iraq by militant fighters from ISIS in 2014 led to the jihadist group announcing the establishment of a 'caliphate ' - stretching from Aleppo in Syria to the province of Diyala in Iraq by June . The US went on to assemble a coalition to fight the militants , and has so far launched more than 1,400 air strikes against IS targets in Iraq since the campaign started on August 8 . Meanwhile , the UK launched its first air strikes on September 30 .
ISIS stealing cars to flee as Iraqi soldiers enter stronghold of Tikrit . The U.S. military said it was not aware that the vehicles were being used by ISIS.