A top U.S. General has reportedly gone on record to say that there is "no doubt" that Iraqi forces will drive Islamic State (IS) militants out of Tikrit as the forces launch a major offensive to retake the city.
General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, made the above statement while addressing a hearing in the Senate in Washington, reported the BBC.
Iraqi officials had earlier said that government troops and Shia militias controlled about two-thirds of Tikrit's Qadisiya district. However, they have been unable to make much progress in Tikrit's south and west.
The operation to retake Saddam Hussein's hometown is the biggest offensive launched by the Iraqi government. Iran is helping to co-ordinate the 30,000 soldiers and militiamen involved. However, the operation is not being backed by U.S.-led coalition air strikes.
Tikrit was captured by the IS in June last year after the Iraqi army conceded defeat in the face of a lightning advance by the terror group across northern and western Iraq.