Iraq’s army is battling to retake Tikrit, after the city fell to ISIL insurgents last month.<br /><br />In a dawn operation Iraqi armed forces are thought to have launched a multi-pronged assault to oust Islamic militants from the area.<br /><br />Since ISIL swept across northern Iraq in July, government troops have made little headway reclaiming lost ground.<br /><br />The violence has already displaced hundreds of thousands, one local from Tal Afar spoke of the devastating impact fighting is having on local areas:<br /><br />“Islamic militants have forced us out of Tal Afar. They attacked us with missiles. In a single night they fired more than 100 rockets. We were too scared to stay. Our families and children were terrified. Houses were burnt and people died,” said the resident.<br /><br />Whilst fighting continues on the battlefield Iraq’s parliament has manged to muster some unity, electing a moderate Islamist to the post of house speaker.<br /><br />The move is widely seen as the first step to electing a new government able stability to the divided country.
