Iraqi Shiite militia units under Iran's influence have withdrawn from a battle in the city of Tikrit, but other Shiite militias who answer to the Baghdad government remain in the fight, the Pentagon said Friday. A precondition for US-led air strikes in support of an Iraqi offensive in Tikrit was that forces linked to Iran move aside to make away for regular army, police and militia under the Iraqi government's command, officials said.
"What remains on the battlefield now are forces that are under direct control of the ministry of defense," Pentagon spokesman Colonel Steven Warren told reporters. Those forces staying in the fight included members of Popular Mobilisation units, which have both Shiite and Sunni fighters in their ranks, he said.
"Those Shia militias who are linked to, infiltrated by, (or) otherwise under the influence of Iran, are completely sidelined and out of the battlefield," he said.
"Their departure from the battlefield is welcome."
The United States and coalition partners launched air strikes against the Islamic State group in Tikrit on Wednesday and the Pentagon said the bombing raids were having an effect.
An additional three air strikes against IS positions in Tikrit were carried out over the past 24 hours, Warren said. The bombing "has loosened up the enemy defences enough that friendly forces can begin to manoeuvre" into the city, he said.
The Iranian-backed paramilitary groups that had been at the forefront of the offensive to retake Tikrit have accused the United States of "hijacking victory."
The operation in Tikrit was launched on March 2 with confident predictions from Iraqi commanders but the assault stalled over the past week, with a relatively small number of IS fighters using numerous home-made bombs as a defense.
The US-led coalition has carried out 3,012 strikes in Iraq and Syria since August, with 1,712 in Iraq and 1,300 raids in Syria, officials said.
The United States has conducted an overwhelming majority of the bombing raids, with American planes carrying out 2,411 strikes and non-US coalition members responsible for 601 raids.
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