Iraq's Tikrit, free of the Islamic State, is a city in ruins

[Lite Beer]

Iraq's Tikrit, free of the Islamic State, is a city in ruins
By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA

TIKRIT, Iraq (AP) — In Iraq's Tikrit, liberation from the Islamic State group comes at a heavy price, both in loss of life and in the sheer devastation the militants leave in their wake.

Much of Tikrit, Saddam Hussein's hometown and once a bustling city north of Baghdad, now lies in ruins.

Islamic State extremists captured it during a blitz last June that also seized large chunks of northern and western Iraq, along with a huge swath of land in neighboring Syria.

After a nearly 10-month Islamic State occupation, it took Iraqi forces and their allies, including Iranian-backed Shiite militias, a month of ferocious street battles to win the city back. They declared victory in Tikrit on Wednesday, and U.S.-led coalition airstrikes also helped turn the tide in the final weeks of the battle.

Today, the houses that still stand are pocked with bullet holes and Tikrit's streets are lined with potholes where mortars slammed down. The provincial headquarters in the downtown — now adorned with Shiite militia flags in place of the Islamic State group's black banner — is burned from fire and damaged from heavy fighting.

On Friday, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi warned that the military will start arresting and prosecuting those who loot abandoned Tikrit properties. He also urged security forces to quickly ensure that normalcy is restored so that Tikrit's residents, most of whom fled the Islamic State onslaught, can return home.

The looting was first reported within hours of the military victory but authorities have refrained from blaming anyone. A number of human rights organizations have accused the Shiite militias of carrying out revenge attacks on Sunnis in newly-recaptured towns, or destroying their homes so they can never return.

Some Shiite militias have set up checkpoints on the southern approaches of Tikrit, and stop passing cars to check for looted goods.

A satellite image of Tikrit, released in February by the United nations, showed that at least 536 buildings in the city have been affected by the fighting. Of those, at least 137 were completely destroyed and 241 were severely damaged. The Iraqi offensive to recapture Tikrit also exacerbated previous damage, particularly in the city's southern neighborhoods where clashes were the most intense.

So much about life in Tikrit under the Islamic State group's rule remains unknown.

On the city's outskirts, near Camp Speicher — a base once used by American forces — blood stains are splattered on a wall, next to a window offering a picturesque view of the Tigris River.

Government officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to journalists, say a mass grave was found on the camp's grounds with bodies of up to 1,700 Iraqi soldiers killed by the extremists in Tikrit and northern Iraq last June.

In the heart of the city, Iraqi policemen are out in full force, along with explosives experts working to clear remaining roadside bombs and booby traps left behind by the militants. Evidence of the damage caused by the bombs is everywhere — charred military vehicles and remains of cars bombs have yet to be collected from the city streets.

But elsewhere, there is little law and order, and the Shiite militias roam Tikrit streets freely, spray-painting their graffiti and slogans on buildings and homes.

Much remains to be done before Tikrit residents, most of whom are Sunnis, can return. Services such as power and water are yet to be restored.

The government says police and local Sunni tribes eventually will be empowered to maintain law and order in Tikrit, and the militias are expected to leave.

But that is still off in the future.

-- (c) Associated Press 2015-04-04

[ezzra]

A Pyrrhic victory is a victory that inflicts such a devastating toll on the victor that it is tantamount to defeat. Someone who wins a Pyrrhic victory has been victorious in some way; however, the heavy toll negates any sense of achievement or profit........

[boomerangutang]

Strange species we are. Here's the formula:

First destroy habitat for other creatures. That started 5,000 years, from the time the so-called 'Fertile Crescent' went from being Garden-of-Eden-like, to dunes and polluted rivers. In the ensuing centuries, have internecine wars non-stop. When wildlife and forests are all gone, then proceed to make life as miserable as possible for the remaining living things: people, rats, cockroaches and a few palm trees. As if that's not enough misery, add a mean-spirited belief system to the mix. Rewind and continue.

[NeilSA1]

Even after the so called victory in Tikrit, " Shiite militias are carrying out revenge attacks on Sunnis..."

Their love of violence never ends.

[Scott]

Troll post and replies removed.

[Scott]

A post containing inflammatory language has been removed.

[arjunadawn]

Even after the so called victory in Tikrit, " Shiite militias are carrying out revenge attacks on Sunnis..."

Their love of violence never ends.

Yes, but this is not put into context, is it. The piece notes shia militias (nearly x3 as the Iraqi army) roam the town but do not note that they were the decidedly tool that freed tikrit, then in turn leashed equal tragedy upon the remaining people in tikrit. One can hardly postulate that after the sunnis abused the sunnis in tikrit the shia would not do worse- they have!

[Tchooptip]

A Pyrrhic victory is a victory that inflicts such a devastating toll on the victor that it is tantamount to defeat. Someone who wins a Pyrrhic victory has been victorious in some way; however, the heavy toll negates any sense of achievement or profit........

Pyrrhic victory

I've learnt something to day

[pattayasnowman]

Price of 'Victory' same with Aleppo in Northern Syria - is it worth it ?

If so who gains?

[Alwyn]

A Pyrrhic victory is a victory that inflicts such a devastating toll on the victor that it is tantamount to defeat. Someone who wins a Pyrrhic victory has been victorious in some way; however, the heavy toll negates any sense of achievement or profit........

Pyrrhic victory

I've learnt something to day

He's just copied and pasted directly from wikipedia. You too can gain an education this way if your education failed you or if you wish, like ezzra, to appear smart

[Alwyn]

Price of 'Victory' same with Aleppo in Northern Syria - is it worth it ?

If so who gains?

the important thing is surely that ISIS do not gain?

[ggt]

This same useless lose of life and destruction of property is being played-out across much of the ME...when there are but a few more towns left to destroy and loot...look for a move North into Europe thru Turkey...

The lack of decisive leadership in controlling the ISIL bunch will cost the world dearly for the foreseeable future...

[GentlemanJim]

A Pyrrhic victory is a victory that inflicts such a devastating toll on the victor that it is tantamount to defeat. Someone who wins a Pyrrhic victory has been victorious in some way; however, the heavy toll negates any sense of achievement or profit........

Pyrrhic victory

I've learnt something to day

He's just copied and pasted directly from wikipedia. You too can gain an education this way if your education failed you or if you wish, like ezzra, to appear smart

Well he was obviously smart enough to know what it was already and where to look to find the definition. Why do some like to make a pastime of dragging other people down!

[Acharn]

Even after the so called victory in Tikrit, " Shiite militias are carrying out revenge attacks on Sunnis..."

Their love of violence never ends.

This is very ambiguous. Do you mean the Shia's love of violence? Or the Arabs' love of violence? Or men's love of violence? Because it makes a big difference in how I understand what you are trying to say.

[Acharn]

<snip>

The lack of decisive leadership in controlling the ISIL bunch will cost the world dearly for the foreseeable future...

This is very ambiguous. Are you accusing Abu Bakr al Baghdadi of lacking leadership skills? Or are you saying Haider al-Abadi is a weak leader? It seems a bit late to be blaming Nouri al-Maliki, he's already been moved to an inactive post. Or possibly the commander of the Iranian Quds Force, which seems to be in control of the Shi'ite militias? Perhaps it's Bashar al-Assad you blame? Who else do you think has power and authority to control the members of ISIL? The king of Saudi Arabia? He surely could cut off their money. He could also send aircraft and troops, except he's probably decided to use them to try to grab control of Yemen. 555 lots of luck with that, as the Egyptians could tell him.

[MaxYakov]

A Pyrrhic victory is a victory that inflicts such a devastating toll on the victor that it is tantamount to defeat. Someone who wins a Pyrrhic victory has been victorious in some way; however, the heavy toll negates any sense of achievement or profit........

Pyrrhic victory

I've learnt something to day

He's just copied and pasted directly from wikipedia. You too can gain an education this way if your education failed you or if you wish, like ezzra, to appear smart

You mean cut and paste a Wiki entry directly into your brain? Not yet, but they're working on it!