Iraqi troops 'close to centre' of IS held Tikrit

Iraqi armed forces have said that they entered Tikrit on Wednesday, 10 days after the beginning of an operation to retake the city from Islamic State group (IS, formerly ISIS) militants.

"We are now doing combat missions to cleanse the neighbourhood of Qadisiyah," an anonymous major general told AFP.

"We were able to control Tikrit military hospital, which is close to the centre of the city," he said.

Qadisiyah is in the northern part of Tikrit. Iraqi armed forces, as well as volunteer militias, have circled the city for days but progress has been slow, with fierce resistance from IS.

Tikrit, the hometown of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein, was a major prize for the group during their expansion across Iraq and Syria last year.

The army general said that IS had placed booby-traps in Tikrit and that the Iraqi army was operating carefully.

"We are engaging in a very delicate battle because we are not facing fighters on the ground, we are facing booby-trapped terrain and sniper fire. Our movement is slow," he said.

Meanwhile, in Ramadi in western Iraq, IS were on the offensive, attacking government-held areas of the city, and killing at least 10 people in a series of co-ordinated suicide car bombs.

The seven blast wounded 30 people, according to police and hospital sources.

"At around 7:00 am (0400 GMT), IS launched seven attacks with suicide bombers driving Humvees in the areas of Hawz, Malaab, Toi, Albu Faraj and Albu Eitha," police major Mustafa Samir said.

A Belgian, a Syrian and an IS member from the Caucasus were said to be among the bombers, according to pro-IS social media accounts.