Iraq claims it has liberated the city of Tikrit - its biggest victory in the fight against Islamic State terrorists to date . Security and allied forces , backed by U.S.-led coalition aircraft retook the hometown of former president Saddam Hussein and the Iraqi tricolour was raised . The operation began on March 2 and had looked bogged down before Iraqi forces made rapid advances over the past 48 hours . Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi 'announces the liberation of Tikrit and congratulates Iraqi security forces and popular volunteers on the historic milestone ' , his official Twitter account said . Scroll down for video . Iraqi security forces launch rockets against Islamic State extremist positions in Tikrit , Iraq on March 31 . An injured Iraqi officer waits for treatment on the front line during clashes with Islamic State extremists in Tikrit on March 31 . Liberation : Iraqi security forces launch a rocket during the operation to retake the city of Tikrit on March 31 . He was referring to paramilitary groups which played a major role in the fighting to retake Tikrit , a Sunni Arab city which ISIS had controlled since it captured swathes of Iraq in June last year . Iraqiya state television showed footage of houses previously used by the terror group in liberated areas , but it was not clear whether any pockets of resistance remained . The provincial government headquarters was retaken on Monday , and on Tuesday the Iraqi tricolour replaced the black ISIS flag on the building . In a statement to AFP just minutes before Abadi 's tweet , his spokesman Rafid Jaboori said : 'Iraqi forces reached the centre of Tikrit , raised the Iraqi flag and are now clearing the city . ' There no immediate information on how many fighters were killed , wounded or captured in the fighting . The government has not provided any casualty figures since the operation started a month ago . Iraqi army and police forces , as well as volunteers and Iran-backed Shiite militias , completely surrounded Tikrit within two weeks of launching the operation . There was a lull in fighting when government and allied forces apparently balked at the number of snipers , booby traps and trenches which ISIS was using to defend the city centre . Takeover : Shiite paramilitary fighters launch a rocket towards Islamic State militants in Tikrit on March 31 . Raising the flag : A member of the Iraqi security forces holds an Iraqi flag during the operation to retake the city . Smoke rises from central Tikrit during clashes between Iraqi security forces and Islamic State extremists on March 31 . Iran was Baghdad 's top foreign partner in the early stages of the operation , but Iraqi air force strikes were proving insufficient to break the back of IS resistance . The government eventually requested strikes from the U.S.-led coalition which has been assisting Iraqi forces elsewhere in the country since August last year . American jets began bombing ISIS targets in Tikrit on March 25 . France also took part in the campaign . The move sparked a freeze in the participation of the Popular Mobilisation units , an umbrella organisation for volunteers and militias which accounted for the bulk of the manpower involved in the Tikrit battle . The Pentagon had expressed unease at the role played by Iran and its proxies in the battle and said it conditioned its intervention on regular forces taking the lead . On Friday , it hailed the withdrawal from the fight of 'those Shiite militias who are linked to , infiltrated by , ( or ) otherwise under the influence of Iran ' . Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi delivering a speech during a meeting of ambassadors in Baghdad on March 31 . Celebrations : Iraqi security forces and allied Shiite militias celebrate and hold an ISIS flag they captured in Tikri . Iraqi security forces take up a position as they fight Islamic State militants in the city of Tikrit in Iraq on March 31 . Security and allied forces , backed by U.S.-led coalition aircraft retook Tikrit - the hometown of former president Saddam Hussein - and the Iraqi tricolour was raised . But after giving themselves political cover by declaring that they do not want to work with each other , both sides took part in the Tikrit operation this week . Tikrit , which once had an estimated population of around 200,000 , had been largely emptied of civilians by the time the government operation was launched at the start of March . The fate of those who were believed to have remained in the city was unclear on Tuesday . Thousands of people displaced last year or more recently from Salaheddin province , of which Tikrit is the capital , have started returning to their homes in outlying liberated areas . But the level of destruction Tikrit is believed to have suffered and the threat posed by unexploded bombs mean residents of the city itself could take longer to return . Tikrit holds both strategic and symbolic importance . It was the hometown of executed dictator Saddam Hussein , remnants of whose Baath party collaborated with ISIS last summer . Since June , Iraqi forces had tried and failed several times to retake the city , seen as a key stepping stone to recapturing Mosul , the jihadists ' largest hub in Iraq . Tikrit holds both strategic and symbolic importance . It was the hometown of executed dictator Saddam Hussein , remnants of whose Baath party collaborated with ISIS last summer . Victory : Iraqi government forces keep watch from a position on the southern outskirts of Tikrit on March 30 . Iraqi paramilitary Shiite fighters load a rocket during a military operation to retake the city of Tikrit from Islamic State jihadists on March 30 .
Iraqi forces made advances over past 24 hours in operation to retake city . Efforts began on March 2 and Iraq claims Tikrit is now 'liberated ' from Baath . Has strategic and symbolic importance and was home to Saddam Hussein . Iraqi tricolour replaced the black Baath flag on Provincial government HQ .