Iraqi PM says army troops reach centre of Tikrit

BAGHDAD, March 31 (KUNA) -- Iraq's Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi announced that the government troops have reached the centre of Tikrit city and the flag was hoisted on the Salahudding Governorate.
Al-Abadi made the statement during a speech at a conference of Iraqi ambassadors here on Tuesday.
He emphasized that security troops are now dismantling explosive devices made by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), referring that the warplanes of Iraq and the international coalition carried out strikes against ISIL targets.
He noted that security forces have liberated the southern and western parts of Tikrit and they are moving towards the control of the whole city.
Earlier, the Iraqi army announced that its security forces retook presidential palaces, the governmental compound and Tikrit Hospital, which had been occupied by the ISIL. (end) ahd.hm