Islamic State crisis: Saddam Hussein's tomb destroyed during Tikrit fighting
Saddam Hussein's tomb has been left in ruins after heavy clashes between Islamic State militants and Iraqi security forces in a fight for control of the city of Tikrit
The tomb of Iraq's late dictator Saddam Hussein has been all but levelled in heavy clashes between militants from the Islamic State group and Iraqi security forces in a fight for control of the city of Tikrit.
Fighting intensified around the late dictator's hometown on Sunday as Iraqi security forces vowed to reach the centre of Tikrit within 48 hours.
This footage, shot by the Associated Press in the village of Ouja, just south of Tikrit, shows the remains of the once-grand mausoleum.
"This area was the most dangerous one for them, for Da'esh – the Islamic State group," said Captain Yasser Nu'ma, a Shia militia official.
"Saddam's grave was here. Even the leadership said that it would be difficult to enter this area. But thank God we got in at 5am (0200 GMT) and by 10am (0700 GMT), everything was finished."
Islamic State militants have controlled Tikrit - as well as Iraq's second-largest city, Mosul, since June
Iraqi media reported last year that Saddam's body was removed by loyalists amid fears that it would be disturbed in the fighting. The body's location is not known.
Recapturing Tikrit, a Sunni bastion on the Tigris River, would pave the way for an assault on Mosul, which US officials have said could come as soon as next month.
Link to Article and Video:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... hting.html
