Thousands of soldiers already claim to have killed ISIS' second in command in the city of Takrit, which is the birthplace of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.

The Iraqi forces have managed to recapture parts of the Qadisiyah neighborhood to the north of the city.

Iraqi forces are battling the ISIS Takfiri militants in a neighborhood of the northern city of Tikrit as they press ahead with their large-scale offensive to regain control of the strategic city.

Some 30,000 Iraqi troops and volunteers, backed by aircraft and artillery, launched the operation in and around Tikrit in Salahuddin province on Sunday to liberate the city.

They have already recaptured a number of districts around Tikrit.