Turkish, Iraqi, and Iranian media are reporting that Tikrıt, a city 140 km north of Baghdad which was overrun by ISIS forces 17 days ago, has been retaken by Iraqi forces today.
There are also reports that there have been airstrikes on Mosul and that Iraqi Kurdish forces (Peshmerga) are no longer allowing people who are trying to flee Mosul to enter Kurdish controlled areas.
Most English language media reports state that battles for the control of Tikrit are ongoing.
These are some links to English media reports:
http://www.reuters.com/...
http://www.bbc.com/...
http://www.theguardian.com/...
http://edition.cnn.com/...
http://www.aljazeera.com/...
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In other news, ten Sukhoi aircraft were delivered to the Iraqi Air Force today.
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My analysis:
I have been expecting this.
ISIS, etc. quickly wore out their welcome in the areas they overran and I have seen signs that Iraqi Sunni Arabs have also been volunteering to fight against ISIS.
This is also what has happened in Syria in the past two years. ISIS launched dramatic offensives in the month before Ramadan (which began today) and then withdrew and/or were forced to withdraw during Ramadan.
The timing is also convenient for ISIS, etc. in that the prelude to the current ISIS offensive coincided with the Iraqi general election and the current ISIS offensive itself coincides with the build up to and the negotiaitons for the next Iraqi Government.
ISIS has achieved two objectives which are very important to them (loot and improve the standing of the ISIS brand), and by now many of the voluteers it attracts and uses as cannon fodder have probably been killed so it's time to withdraw back to its stronghold in northeastern Syria.
It is good to hear that many/most civilians have left Tikrit in advance of the counteroffensive and that the same seems to be happening in Mosul, but I am worried about the Peshmerga cutting off escape routes into Iraqi Kurdistan.
Some of the 'most committed' ISIS fighters (really extreme cannon fodderists) like to hole up in civilian areas in towns and cities forcing Syrian, and now maybe Iraqi, government forces to have to either surround or bomb the shit out of these civilian areas which ISIS then tries to use in their propaganda.