Tikrit under 'full siege' as Iraqi forces prepare for final assault

The Iraqi army, supported by Shia fighters, is laying "full siege" to the city of Tikrit where Islamic State group fighters are now surrounded, according to Iraq's defence minister.

The Iraqi military - backed by at least 20,000 Shia fighters - has been fighting to regain control of Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit, one of several predominantly Sunni towns to fall to IS last year.

Operations to recapture Tikrit have been on hold for nearly a week, with Khaled al-Obeidi, the Iraqi defence minister, saying the army was trying to minimise casualties by not rushing the final assault.

"When we see that the time is right for the Tikrit alliance, we will storm in as quickly as possible," he said.

"Tikrit is under full siege. We are taking caution to not take any losses and to protect civilians in the city.

"The terrorists are surrounded inside the city and their morale is low. When the right moment comes, we will storm the city without any resistance or losses."

The Tikrit siege is one of the first major operations in which the US-led coalition is not taking part, with US officials saying they were not asked to participate.