Damage, casualties are heavy in Tikrit

TIKRIT, Iraq — Liberation of Tikrit from Islamic State has come at a heavy price, both in loss of life and in the devastation the militants left in their wake.

Much of Tikrit, once a bustling city, now lies in ruins.

Islamic State extremists captured it last June along with large chunks of northern and western Iraq. It has taken Iraqi forces and their allies, including Iran-backed militias, a month of ferocious street battles, along with U.S.-led coalition airstrikes, to win the city back. They declared victory in Tikrit on Wednesday.

The houses still standing are pocked with bullet holes, and Tikrit’s streets are lined with craters from mortar rounds. The provincial headquarters in the downtown is burned and damaged from heavy fighting.