Yussuf Abdul Aziz al Nassari said the leaders of the main tribes in Tikrit had asked for 48 hours to persuade the Fedayeen to lay down their arms after the end of US attacks.

US-British coalition airstrikes were continuing at midday Sunday on Tikrit, 180 kilometres (115 miles) north of Baghdad, and a US spokesman at the Central Command base in Qatar said US marines were operating near the city.

SPACE.WIRE