At least 48 people were killed mostly Shias in the Iraqi city of Samarra after the notorious al-Qaeda-link terrorist group of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) attacked on Al-Askari Mosque, the holy shrine of Imam Al-Hadi Hassan Al-Askari (AS).
The Takfiri militants of ISIL were well prepared and entered the city in large numbers from the south with dozens of loaded vehicles with heavy weapons.
ISIL, which grew from the remnants of a now disbanded al-Qaeda-allied group, has been strengthened by involvement in the war in neighbouring Syria and now holds parts of the city of Fallujah, just 65km from Baghdad.
The Iraqi Army also used tanks and planes and dozens of terrorists were killed, while some of terrorists reportedly managed to escape.
Clashes erupted between the ISIL militants and Iraqi security forces responsible for protecting the holy site, which has previously been targeted by a number of terrorist bombing attacks.
Iraqi Army re-establish control over many areas in Samara that were controlled by the ISIL elements.
The Iraqi army has placed a circle of Shia soldiers to protect the Shrine of Imam al Askari in Samara against ISIL terrorists.
The foreign-sponsored ISIL terrorists are also active in neighboring Syria and have claimed responsibility for terror attack there as well as other atrocities against civilian population of areas under their occupation.
Iraqi troops drive militants out of Samarra
Iraq's elite counter-terrorism forces backed by helicopters launched a massive operation on Thursday and drove militants from the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) out of the city.
"We have completely dismissed the armed groups from Samarra and we are now pursuing them outside the city," AFP quoted Staff Lieutenant General Sabah al-Fatlawi as saying on Thursday night.
The heavily armed militants entered the city from several directions earlier in the day. They used bulldozers to destroy a number of holy Shia shrines there, but faced counterattacks from the Iraqi army.
"We were able to kill 80 (militants) in strikes and attacks and clashes, from house to house and one street to another," Fatlawi added.
The city, located nearly 120 kilometers (74 miles) north of Baghdad, is home to the holy shrines of two Shia Imams and a major pilgrimage site visited by tens of millions of Muslims annually despite the tense security situation in the area.
Iraq is currently witnessing a wave of violence unprecedented in recent years.
Takfiri groups, including the so-called ISIL, are reportedly coming to Iraq from neighboring Syria and Saudi Arabia to undermine security in the country.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has said Saudi Arabia and Qatar are responsible for the security crisis and growing terrorism in his country, denouncing the Al Saud regime as a major supporter of global terrorism.
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