Joint Iraqi troops tighten grip on Daesh militants in Salahuddin

Joint Iraqi troops have taken control over Toz-Tikrit road and al Zarka Bridge that connects Diyala and Salahuddin provinces in northern Iraq.
Security sources said Tuesday that the Tel Kassiba village was liberated and that the Daesh flag was removed from above the police station and replaced with the Iraqi flag.
The troops are advancing toward al Alam area with Daesh militants fleeing the scene, the sources said.
Iraqi troops also liberated the villages of Mubarak al Farhan and Port Said, 30 kilometers east of al Dor in Salahuddin province, the sources said, adding that 13 Daesh terrorists were killed and 20 of the group's vehicles were destroyed.
A statement by the Iraqi Defense Ministry said the ground operations were backed by air jets with the aim to liberate Salahuddin from Daesh.
Hotbeds of Daesh were destroyed in many villages and many terrorists were killed, the statement said.
The operation is still on until Salahuddin is fully liberated from Daesh, it stressed.