Iraqi forces have started an offensive against Islamic State (IS) militants to recapture the northern town of Tikrit in the country.
According to reports, Iraqi forces, attacking the city, are backed with artillery and airstrikes while militants were dislodged from some areas outside the city.
IS militants captured Tikrit that lies some 80 miles north of Baghdad along with the country's second largest city of Mosul, reported Fox News.
The reports of the offensive came hours after the Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi urged tribal fighters to abandon IS.
