ISIS Still Hanging Tough in Iraqi City of Tikrit

iStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — The Islamic State is not giving up the northern Iraqi city of Tikrit without a fight.

Despite being outnumbered by a force of mostly Shiite militiamen with help from Iranian soldiers, ISIS fighters are still in control of certain sections of the city, which is the birthplace of the late Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.

The New York Times reports that the pro-government force has temporarily suspended its operation to await reinforcements and allow civilians to exit areas of Tikrit where the battles are most intense.

However, there are fears that Iraq’s military, now a hodgepodge of Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds, is still not strong enough uproot ISIS, which took control of much of northern and western Iraq last year.

Tikrit could also be an important turning point in the effort to vanquish the Islamic extremists since the government is planning a major spring offensive to take back Iraq’s second largest city of Mosul, which is firmly under ISIS’ control.

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