--- description: After a week of intense fighting, Iraqi and Shi‘ite forces have retaken major parts of Tikrit — a vital city in Iraq's Sunni Triangle. title: ISIS Loses Tikrit to Iraqi Troops and Shia Militias image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4f0cb982ab2641a4/69878321524fc036ccdecd9c/465757902.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Iraq](/tag/iraq/) ## Iraq Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Iraqi Troops and Shi‘ite Militias Have Retaken Large Areas of Tikrit From ISIS by [Sabrina Toppa](/author/sabrina-toppa/) ## Sabrina Toppa Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Mar 11, 2015 7:54 AM CUT  Iraqi soldiers raise their weapons as they cheer on the outskirts of the city of Tikrit as they prepare to launch a military operation to take control of the city from ISIS on March 10, 2015. Iraqi soldiers raise their weapons as they cheer on the outskirts of the city of Tikrit as they prepare to launch a military operation to take control of the city from ISIS on March 10, 2015.Ahmad al-Rubaye—AFP/Getty Images by [Sabrina Toppa](/author/sabrina-toppa/) ## Sabrina Toppa Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Mar 11, 2015 7:54 AM CUT After a week of intense fighting, Iraqi and Shi‘ite forces have [retaken](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/11/world/middleeast/iraqi-forces-seize-large-parts-tikrit-islamic-state-militants.html?%5Fr=1 "undefined") major parts of Tikrit — a strategically vital city in Iraq’s Sunni Triangle — from ISIS. Iranian military officials were also reportedly involved in the city’s recapture. The battle, involving over 30,000 Iraqi soldiers and allied Shi‘ite militia, was the largest government operation to date and may be a prelude to recapturing Mosul, the largest city under ISIS control, the New York _Times_ reports. The U.S. was notably absent in direct military offensives in Tikrit, with some officials articulating unease about the central role of Shi‘ite militias and the Iranians in the recapture of Tikrit. The Iraqi Prime Minister’s spokesperson Rafid Jaboori told the New York _Times_ that the U.S., along with Kurdish forces, would play “a significant role” in retaking Mosul, adding that the U.S. and Iran shared an overarching objective of crushing ISIS. Meanwhile, in northern Syria, U.S. air strikes have enabled Kurdish forces to reclaim dozens of ISIS-controlled villages, the U.S. Central Command reported. \[[_NY_ _Times_](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/11/world/middleeast/iraqi-forces-seize-large-parts-tikrit-islamic-state-militants.html?%5Fr=1 "undefined")\] _Read next:_ [_Why the Fight Against ISIS Has to Go Through the Cities_](http://time.com/3739758/isis-iraq-syria-military-strategy/?iid=time%5Freadnext "undefined") [_Listen to the most important stories of the day._](http://time.com/newsletter/the-brief/?sl%5Fautoplay=true&xid=spl-fullbrief-article "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3740043/tikrit-isis-iraq-iran-shia-battle/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3740043/tikrit-isis-iraq-iran-shia-battle/"},"headline":"Iraqi Troops and Shi‘ite Militias Have Retaken Large Areas of Tikrit From ISIS","datePublished":"2015-03-11T07:54:52.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-31T08:16:11.830Z","description":"The operation was the Iraqi government's largest to date in the fight against ISIS","url":"https://time.com/3740043/tikrit-isis-iraq-iran-shia-battle/","keywords":["Iraq","Iran","ISIS","Mosul","Islamic State"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4f0cb982ab2641a4/69878321524fc036ccdecd9c/465757902.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Sabrina Toppa","jobTitle":"","url":"https://time.com/author/sabrina-toppa/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4f0cb982ab2641a4/69878321524fc036ccdecd9c/465757902.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"IRAQ-CONFLICT","caption":"IRAQ-CONFLICT","creditText":"Ahmad al-Rubaye—AFP/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/iraq/","name":"Iraq"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3740043/tikrit-isis-iraq-iran-shia-battle/","name":"Iraqi Troops and Shi‘ite Militias Have Retaken Large Areas of Tikrit From ISIS"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Human Rights Watch Estimates 160-190 ISIS Executions In Tikrit","description":"The Human Rights Watch says as this fighting raged two weeks ago, ISIS may have already been executing Iraqi soldiers and other captives in Tikrit. The group estimated 160-190 men were killed based on “strong evidence of a horrible war crime.”","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/kbYBZyON/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2014-06-27T16:18:06.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/kbYBZyON.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3740043/tikrit-isis-iraq-iran-shia-battle/","duration":"PT1M50S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3740043/tikrit-isis-iraq-iran-shia-battle/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```