Operations to clear Mutaybija, east of Tikrit, from the "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant" (ISIL) have been completed, Tigris Operations Commander Lt. Gen. Muzhir al-Izzawi said Friday (April 28th).

"The Iraqi army has retaken Mutaybija, a 60-kilometre area on the border between Diyala and Salaheddine provinces, with the support of international coalition and various Iraqi units," al-Izzawi said in a joint press conference with Iraqi military commanders.

"Eighty terrorists, including senior leaders of the so-called wilayat Diyala and wilayat Salaheddine, were killed," he said.

The two-day-old operation also has destroyed tens of vehicles, including some packed with explosives and others carrying heavy weapons, ammunition and explosives, he said.

Weapon caches have been seized and dozens of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) have been dismantled, he added.

"The preemptive operation took ISIL by surprise, which helped inflict heavy material and human losses on the group," he said, noting that "Mutaybija is now cleared of ISIL".