IRAQ-CONFLICT-IS

Iraqi Shiite fighters and members of Iraq's Popular Mobilisation units supporting the government forces in the battle against the Islamic State (IS) group pray 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. 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 IS group forces overran swathes of territory in June. AFP PHOTO / AHMAD AL-RUBAYE (Photo credit should read AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP via Getty Images)