Iraqi forces have retaken the town of al-Alam from Islamic State militants, officials say, clearing the way for an assault on the nearby city of Tikrit.

Iraqi officials say the government troops - backed by Shia militias - entered al-Alam in the morning and later gained full control of the town.

Al-Alam is on the northern perimeter of Tikrit, which has been under control of the jihadists since last summer.

The Tikrit offensive is the biggest government operation so far against IS.

The militants still control large swathes of Syria and Iraq - including the country's second-biggest city of Mosul.
'Major boost'

Al-Alam Mayor Laith al-Jubouri announced news that his town had been retaken, telling Reuters news agency: "I announce officially that the town is under the total control of security forces, the Hashid Shaabi (Popular Mobilisation) units and local tribal fighters."

"We rejoice in this victory and we want al-Alam to be the launchpad for the liberation of Tikrit and Mosul," he added.

There have been fears that the Shia-dominated forces could seek revenge on al-Alam's predominantly Sunni residents for attacks carried out under IS militants.

But so far there have been no reports of any reprisals.

The operation to recapture Tikrit, the Sunni Arab hometown of former dictator Saddam Hussein, was launched more than a week ago.

But Iraqi officials admit that progress has been slow largely because of roadside bombs and sniper attacks by the jihadists.

Victory in Tikrit would be a major propaganda boost for the Iraqi government, the BBC's Arab affairs editor Sebastian Usher says.

But the battle will also be a test of the government's good faith and its ability to control Shia militias essential to the reinvigoration of the security forces, he adds.

Further north, Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga forces - backed by US air strikes - shelled IS targets on Monday.

The Peshmerga reportedly began advancing along the frontline south-west of the provincial capital Kirkuk.

BBC