Joint Iraqi forces push into Islamic State-held Tikrit 이라크 군, 티크리트 진입 성공…IS 격렬

Time now for a look through the global headlines we′re following this Thursday lunchtime For that, we turn to Eunice Kim, standing by at the NewsCenter Eunice Iraqi forces are continuing their offensive IN the city of Tikrit making crucial gains as they push through to the city center? That′s right, Mark They′ve already retaken significant parts of the mostly Sunni city and if successful it would mark a first and psychologically important victory in the struggle to push back Islamic State militants in Iraq Kim Min-ji reports Iraqi security forces and militias pushed toward major landmarks in the city of Tikrit on Wednesday, in their biggest offensive so far against the group that calls itself Islamic State Joint Iraqi forces raised the national flag above a military hospital, one of the latest installations retaken from the militants Soldiers took out snipers perched on top of structures rigged with explosives but sources say street-to-street fighting wasn′t as intense as anticipated Officials say government troops and Shia militias now hold two-thirds of the city Tikrit, the hometown of former dictator Saddam Hussein, was seized by Islamic State militants last June in a lightning advance The military offensive that began early this month, includes a combined force of up to 30-thousand troops If Iraqi forces regain full control of the city, it would give them momentum to retake the Islamic State-held city of Mosul, which is ten times bigger than Tikrit In an apparent retaliatory move, Islamic State militants launched a fierce assault in the western Iraqi city of Ramadi It involved more than a dozen suicide car bomb attacks Kim Min-ji, Arirang News