IRAQ-CONFLICT-IS

Iraqi Shiite fighters and members of Iraq's Popular Mobilisation units supporting the Iraqi government forces in the battle against the Islamic State (IS) group cheer as they raise their weapons in the village of Albu Ajil, east of the northern city of Tikrit, on March 8, 2015 during a military operation to regain control of the Tikrit area from IS militants. Some 30,000 Iraqi security forces members and allied fighters launched an operation to retake Tikrit at the beginning of March, the largest of its kind since Islamic State (IS) group forces overran swathes of territory last June. AFP PHOTO / AHMAD AL-RUBAYE (Photo credit should read AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP via Getty Images)