Iraqi forces and Shiite militia reached Tikrit's center and "liberated" the city on Wednesday after ten days of a mass operation launched against Daesh, local military officials told Reuters.
Marwan al-Jabara, a tribal spokesman in the Salaheddin province, said heavy clashes between the fighters killed dozens of Daesh militants.
On Tuesday Iraqi troops said they had reclaimed a hospital near the city center. A senior official told AFP the fighters had to move slowly because of booby-trapped terrain and snipers.
Several military and political sources also confirmed the forces had taken control over a large part of Qadisiyah, a neighborhood north of the city center.
