ARA News

Istanbul, Turkey – On Friday, the commander of the Qods Force of Iranian Revolutionary Guards, Sadiq Yari, was killed during battles against the Islamic State group (IS/ISIS) in Tikrit, a major city in Salahuddin province in Iraq.

Gen. Sadiq Yari, a close commander to the leader in the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Qassem Soleimani, was killed in a suicide attack in the city of Tikrit, when the Iraqi government forces backed by the Shiite militia of the Popular Mobilization Forces were locked in fierce battles with IS militants who are in control of the city.

Meanwhile, the pro-IS news agency of al-Amaq said Friday that the Islamic State’s fighters carried out a “martyrdom operation” against several strongholds of the Iraqi government forces and allied militias where they were advancing toward al-Dayyoum in the western part of Tikrit.

The fighting on the western front of Tikrit continued from Friday’s early hours of the morning until the evening, without any apparent advancement by government forces. 

The Islamic State has been in control of most of Salahuddin province’s areas since June 2014, including the city of Tikrit, the hometown of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

At the beginning of March 2015, an extended military campaign was launched by the Iraqi government and allied militias against IS in Salahuddin province, and more than 30.000 combatants are participating in the anti-IS campaign.

Reporting by: Hussam al-Shami

Source: ARA News