Iraq crisis: Islamic state-Iraqi forces fighting in Tikrit

Baghdad: Iraqi forces pressed a counter-offensive against Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit, one of a string of towns and cities overrun by IS-led fighters in a swift advance that left more than 1,000 people dead, displaced hundreds of thousands and piled pressure on Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.

A security source based near Tikrit said reinforcements had arrived with tanks and artillery on Monday.