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Iraq Government Claims Victory In Tikrit

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An Iraqi child waves his national flag as displaced families leave Kirkuk on April 2, 2015, to go back to the cities of Tikrit, Samara and al-Alam after they were retaken by security forces and pro-government fighters from the Islamic State group. (Marwan Ibrahim/AFP/Getty Images)
An Iraqi child waves his national flag as displaced families leave Kirkuk on April 2, 2015, to go back to the cities of Tikrit, Samara and al-Alam after they were retaken by security forces and pro-government fighters from the Islamic State group. (Marwan Ibrahim/AFP/Getty Images)

The Iraqi government says the self-described Islamic State has been defeated in Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit. This has been seen as a crucial step in efforts to retake other areas from Sunni-led ISIS militants who swept across Iraq and Syria last summer.

NPR's Alice Fordham speaks with Here & Now's Robin Young from Baghdad about the trips she's taken this week to Tikrit.

Fordham says that in the battle for the city, Iraqi forces fought alongside Shiite militias who were backed by Iran, and there’s some concern that old sectarian tensions could explode again in Tikrit in the aftermath of the fighting there.

Guest

This segment aired on April 2, 2015.

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