Iraqi forces retake #Saddam_Hussein's home town
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/iraqi-forces-retake-saddam-husseins-home-town
The Iraqi army retook Saddam Hussein’s home village overnight, a symbolic victory in its struggle to seize back swathes of the country from insurgents. Backed by helicopter gunships and helped by volunteer fighters, the army recaptured the village of Awja in an hour-long battle on Thursday night, according to state media, police and local inhabitants. Awja lies 8 kilometers (5 miles) south of Tikrit, a city that remains in rebel hands since Islamic State, formerly the Islamic State in #Iraq and Syria (ISIS), launched a lightning assault across northern Iraq last month. read more