IRAQ-CONFLICT

Iraqi fighters of the government-controlled Popular Mobilisation units gather on the western entrance of the Iraqi city of Tikrit during a military operation to take control of the city, 160 kms north of Baghdad, from jihadists from the Islamic state (IS) group, on March 11, 2015. The city, which is the home town of former president Saddam Hussein, is the toughest target for the government troops and allied militias that started winning back lost ground last year. AFP PHOTO / AHMAD AL-RUBAYE