Iraqi government forces say they've managed to enter the city of Tikrit after 10 days of heavy fighting to try to retake it from the Islamic State.
Backed by the Shi’ite militias and helicopters, the Iraqi army has started clearing neighborhoods close to the city center.
"We are now in the city of Tikrit. I'd like to tell the displaced families to come back home as soon as possible. I am determined I'll never withdraw."
However, slow progress is still being reported on parts of Tikrit's south and west.
Tikrit, about 130 kilometers north of Baghdad, fell to the Islamic State during the group's lighting push through Iraq last summer.
The operation to retake the hometown of Saddam Hussein is the biggest offensive yet by the Iraqi government.
It's also symbolic, as Tikrit has been home to a large Sunni population.
Frustrations within the Sunni population with the Shi'ite-dominated Iraqi government eventually helped foster the unrest which created the seeds for the Islamic State.
The battle for Tikrit is also seen as a test for the expected Iraqi army push to retake Iraq's second largest city Mosul.
