97 regions and villages have been liberated from ISIS terrorist group in Salahaddin.
Iraqi forces along with volunteers encircled ISIS in Tikrit on the fifth days of the great operation for retaking the region.
The Iraqi army has said its strategy for retaking the ISIS group's stronghold of Tikrit is to surround the city before launching an assault.
A senior commander said on Wednesday that operations were currently focused on preventing ISIS from launching more attacks and cutting supply lines to stop reinforcements and weapons from reaching Tikrit.
The next step will be to "surround the towns completely, suffocate them and then pounce on them," Lieutenant General Abdel Amir al-Zaidi told the AFP news agency.
On Monday, the Iraqi security forces and a variety of allied fighting units launched the biggest ground operation yet against ISIS in Iraq.
Backed by jets and helicopters, the 30,000-strong force is moving in from three main directions, their progress slowed by suicide bombers, sniper fire and booby traps.
