Tikrit , Iraq ( CNN ) While Iraqi government and allied forces were on the defensive Friday in Ramadi , they remained on the offensive in Tirkit -- trying to win over not only the strategic city , but the hearts and minds of its nearby residents . Iraqi forces steadily bombarded the last part of Tikrit still controlled by ISIS , with fighting described by one wounded man as intense . Still , even as it fends off this assault , the militant group continues with its barbaric tactics . `` Yesterday , bodies floated down the ( Tigris ) River from the hospital , '' said Saber Kraidi , an eight-year Iraqi military veteran . `` They were people from Tikrit executed by ISIS . '' The Iraqi military is joined by some Sunni fighters and a predominantly Shiite militia , working together to retake the city best known to most Westerners as the hometown of former dictator Saddam Hussein . They are working on not just winning the battle , but securing the peace . Members of the Badr organization , a powerful Shiite armed group , handed out food and supplies Friday to residents of the Sunni village of Albu Safah , whose 30 families have been holed up the last 10 months amid the fighting . The village 's leader , Haji Jamid , said the Shiite fighters ' efforts were working . `` They 're good , '' Jamid said . `` If someone is sick , they 'll take them to the doctor , even at 2 or 3 in the morning . `` If it were n't for them , ISIS would have slaughtered us . '' In June , Tikrit fell to ISIS , which has conquered large areas of Iraq and Syria and claimed them as part of its Islamic caliphate . There have several attempts to take it back since then , all of them failures . The latest push began this month , involving around 30,000 fighters . By Thursday , the government controlled about 75 % of the besieged city , with about 150 holdout ISIS fighters controlling the rest , said Main Al-Kadhimi , commander of the Hashd Al-Shaabi militia . There was no independent confirmation of such a significant advance by the Iraqi forces . But they have been making progress in recent days . That includes gaining control of Tikrit Military Hospital , a few blocks south of the presidential palace , on Wednesday . The goal is that , if Iraqi and allied forces can take Tikrit , then they 'll have more realistic hope of similarly winning back Mosul -- a city that 's nearly 10 times bigger . Yet , even if ISIS is losing ground in Tikrit , that does n't mean it 's not a dangerous , destructive force elsewhere . Case in point is happening about 100 miles south of Tikrit in Ramadi , which the extremist group began assaulting on Wednesday . Faleh al-Issawi , deputy head of the Anbar provincial council , has said officials believe the Ramadi assault `` is an ISIS response to the Tikrit operation . '' More than 40 Iraqi soldiers died when ISIS blew up the Iraqi army headquarters near Ramadi in Iraq 's western Anbar province , an Anbar provincial leader told CNN on Friday . ISIS fighters there dug a tunnel underneath the army headquarters and detonated hundreds of homemade bombs , Sabah Al-Karhout , the head of the Anbar Provincial Council , said Thursday . The headquarters are located in the Albu Diab area , just 4 kilometers ( 2.5 miles ) north of Ramadi . Al-Karhout denied reports that the U.S.-led coalition had bombed the headquarters . So , too , did the U.S. government , with its Baghdad embassy stating Friday that no coalition aircraft were even in the area . A statement released early Friday by the U.S.-led coalition against ISIS said the Iraqi security forces had successfully repelled the ISIS attack on Ramadi , despite coming under attack from several directions . `` The successful defense of Ramadi by Iraqi Security Forces is another example of their increasing ability to defeat Daesh in multiple locations and prevent the terrorist group from gaining ground , '' said Lt. Gen. James L. Terry , the coalition force 's commander , using another name for ISIS . `` The ISF continues to hold terrain in some locations while making gains in others . '' In an audio message posted Thursday , ISIS spokesman Abu Mohammed al Adnani called reports of victories by coalition members against the extremist group `` delusional and fake . '' He spoke of the coalition 's use of fighter jets , heavy artillery and tanks , saying it is a `` nightmare and will go eventually . '' CNN 's Ben Wedeman reported near Tikrit in Iraq . CNN 's Kareem Khadder and Jamie Crawford contributed to this report .
Iraqi forces bombard the small part of Tikrit where HQ fighters are holding out . Sunni village leader lauds Shiite military : `` HQ would have slaughtered us '' if not for them . Over 40 Iraqi soldiers killed when HQ blew up the army ISIS in Ramadi , an official says .