IS group gains ground in Iraq's Salahudin province

Islamic State (IS) militants on Thursday took control of large areas of the eastern part of Salahudin province, threatening the provincial capital city of Tikrit and several key towns, a provincial security source told Xinhua.

The extremist group carried out a major attack at dawn from their positions in Makhoul mountain range and advanced in several routes to capture a large area from Fat'ha in northern part of the province to the areas of Tal Gseiba and al-Madad, some 30 km east of Tikrit, the source said on condition of anonymity.

Tikrit is located some 170 km north of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad.

IS militants also seized a rugged area in Makhoul mountain range and cut the strategic road between Tikrit and the city of Kirkuk, the source said.

The IS advance came amid heavy clashes with security forces and allied militias, which, so far, resulted in the death of 12 militants and seven security members, including two officers, the source said, citing initial reports about the ongoing battles.

Iraqi aircraft carried out air strikes on IS positions, while reinforcement troops were dispatched to counter IS militants, the source said.

The latest IS advance forced dozens of families to leave their homes and head to the town of Alam, some 10 km east of Tikrit, the source added.

The mosques in Alam called on residents to take up their arms and prepare to defend their town and families from possible IS attacks, he said.

Meanwhile, local authorities in the town of Dowr, southeast of Tikrit, imposed a curfew and put its police and tribal fighters on the highest alert for possible IS attacks, the source added.

The Sunni Arab predominated province of Salahudin has been the scene of a major offensive by Iraqi security forces and allied paramilitary units, known as Hashd Shaabi, which managed to retake control of key towns of the province from the hands of IS militants who seized large part of it in June 2014. Endit