BAGHDAD -- The Iraqi government began its biggest push yet to gain ground lost to Sunni militants, as soldiers backed by tanks and helicopter gunships started an offensive Saturday to retake the northern city of Tikrit.
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There were conflicting reports about how far the military advanced in its initial thrust toward Tikrit, the hometown of former dictator Saddam Hussein. Residents said militants were still in control of the city by nightfall, while Iraqi officials said troops had reached the outskirts and even pressed deep into the heart of Tikrit.
The New York Times reported that local officials and witnesses confirmed that the Iraqi army had driven militants from the center of Tikrit, including from government buildings as well as major roads and other positions throughout the city.
What was clear, however, was the government's desire to portray the campaign as a significant step forward after two weeks of defeats at the hands of insurgents led by the al-Qaida breakaway Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
The militants' surge across much of northern and western Iraq has thrown the country into its deepest crisis since U.S. troops withdrew in December 2011.
Iraq's large, U.S.-trained and equipped military melted away in the face of the militant onslaught, sapping morale and public confidence in its ability to stem the tide. If successful, the Tikrit operation could help restore a degree of faith in the security forces -- as well as Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who is fighting to keep his job.
Some Iraqi military analysts said they thought it was no coincidence the army's counteroffensive was initiated now -- with 180 of the 300 U.S. advisers ordered to Iraq by President Barack Obama arriving over the past three days -- but Iraqi officials denied that there was any American role.
Saturday's fighting began before dawn with helicopter gunships carrying out airstrikes on insurgents who were attacking troops at a university campus on Tikrit's northern outskirts, Iraqi military spokesman Lt. Gen. Qassim al-Moussawi said. The government forces had established a bridgehead on the university's sprawling grounds after being airlifted in the previous day.
Sporadic clashes continued throughout the day at the university. At the same time, several columns of troops pushed north toward Tikrit from Samarra, a city along the banks of the Tigris River and home to an important Shiite shrine, a senior security official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media.
By sundown, Lt. Gen. Ahmed Abu Ragheef, a commander in the Salahuddin Operational Command, said a column of troops had reached the edge of Tikrit, while another had secured an air base that previously served as a U.S. military facility known as Camp Speicher.
The governor of Salahuddin province, Ahmed Abdullah al-Jabouri, said troops pushed into Tikrit, reaching as far the provincial council building.
Gen. Qassim Atta, a spokesman for the Iraqi military, claimed the Islamic State was withdrawing and that it had buried its dead on the grounds of a former Saddam palace in Tikrit.
"Reports and surveillance show that [Islamic State] leaders have ordered a retreat," he said.
However, residents reached by telephone Saturday evening said militants were still in control of Tikrit, a predominantly Sunni city of more than 200,000.
They confirmed the clashes around the university and reported fighting between the Islamic State and Iraqi forces to the southeast of the city. Some residents described black smoke rising from a presidential palace complex along the edge of the Tigris River after army helicopters opened fire on the compound.
They spoke on condition of anonymity out of concern for their safety.
The Islamic State also claimed a victory over government forces at the southern gates of Tikrit in postings on Twitter accounts associated with the extremists.
Many locals had already fled the city in anticipation of a government assault, said another Tikrit resident, Muhanad Saif al-Din.
"Tikrit has become a ghost town because a lot of people left over the past 72 hours, fearing random aerial bombardment and possible clashes as the army advances toward the city," Saif al-Din said. "The few people who remain are afraid of possible revenge acts by Shiite militiamen who are accompanying the army. We are peaceful civilians, and we do not want to be victims of this struggle."
He said the city has been without power or water since Friday night.
The military also carried out three airstrikes on the insurgent-held city of Mosul early Saturday. Mosul is Iraq's second-largest city and was the initial target of the Islamic State's offensive in the country.
South of Baghdad, heavy clashes between security forces and Sunni insurgents in the town of Jurf al-Sakhar killed at least 21 troops and dozens of militants, police and hospital officials said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media. Jurf al-Sakhar, 30 miles outside the capital, is part of a predominantly Sunni ribbon that runs just south of Baghdad.
In other clashes, such as the battle for control of the important Baiji refinery in Salahuddin province, both sides have traded control of contested territory on an almost daily basis.
"The signs of success are clear, and there is a very big change in the performance of the security forces, and now we can say the initiative is in the hands of the Iraqi forces," said Ahmed al-Sheraifi, a former air force pilot and now a professor at Baghdad University.
Al-Sheraifi attributed the improved performance to intelligence support contributed by U.S. drones, which have begun flying over Iraq, as well as to American advice on tactics.
"The security forces began relying on their airborne division, and this is a trademark of U.S. tactics," he said.
The Islamic State, which already has seized control of vast areas in northern and eastern Syria, aims to create a state straddling Syria and Iraq governed by Islamic law. In Iraq, the group has formed an alliance of sorts with fellow Islamic militants as well as former members of Saddam's Baath party to fight al-Maliki's Shiite-led government.
The militants have tapped into deep-seated discontent among Iraq's Sunni community with al-Maliki, who has been widely accused of monopolizing power and alienating Sunnis. The prime minister's failure to promote national reconciliation has been blamed for fueling Sunni anger.
The United States and other world powers have pressed al-Maliki to reach out to the country's Sunni and Kurdish minority groups and have called for a more inclusive government that can address long-standing grievances.
Al-Maliki is fighting to retain his post, which he has held since 2006, as many former allies drop their support and Iraqis increasingly express doubts about his ability to unify the country. Al-Maliki, however, has shown little inclination publicly to step aside. He appears set on a third consecutive term as prime minister after his bloc won the most seats in April elections.
Human Rights Watch said Friday that its analysis of recent satellite imagery indicates the mass execution of 160-190 men by militants in Tikrit between June 11 and June 14.
During that period, the Islamic State claimed to have executed 1,700 Shiite members of Iraq's military, a number that has not been independently verified because of the lack of access to Islamic State-controlled areas, Iraqi officials and rights groups said.
"The number of victims may well be much higher, but the difficulty of locating bodies and accessing the area has prevented a full investigation," the New York-based rights group said in a statement specifically addressing the killings in Tikrit.
The government received a boost in its fight against the militants with the delivery Saturday in Baghdad of five Russian-made Sukhoi jets. Two Iraqi security officials confirmed the arrival of the planes, which Iraq purchased from Russia.
Information for this article was contributed by Ryan Lucas, Qassim Abdul-Sahra and Sameer N. Yacoub of The Associated Press; by Rod Nordland, Suadad Al-Sahay and Duraid Adnan of The New York Times; and by Loveday Morris and Abigail Hauslohner of The Washington Post.
A Section on 06/29/2014