Iraq war planes taking off for Tikrit

(26 Mar 2015) Iraqi warplanes continued their offensive on Islamic militant positions in Tikrit on Thursday, in a push to retake the city from Islamic State group fighters. Tikrit is deemed an important test of the ability of Iraq, with coalition support, to retake ground it ceded to the Islamic State group last year. On Wednesday, the US began airstrikes in Tikrit in support of what it called a "stalled" Iraqi ground offensive to retake the city. The US initially did not provide air support in Tikrit because Baghdad pointedly chose instead to partner with Iran in a battle it predicted would yield a quick victory. The bombing marked a significant expansion of the US military role in Iraq. Tikrit, the capital of Salahuddin province, sits on the Tigris River about 130 kilometres (80 miles) north of Baghdad. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...