Iraqi security forces and militia fighters seized part of Tikrit's northern Qadisiya district on Wednesday, ten days into a key operation to recapture the flashpoint city, security officials and the provincial governor said.

"The governor of Salahuddin announces the purging of half of Qadisiya district, the largest of Tikrit's neighbourhoods," a statement from Governor Raed al-Jubouri's office said.

The birthplace of former dictator Saddam Hussein, Tikrit was seized by Islamic State (IS) militants during their lightening offensive across vast swathes of northwestern Iraq last summer.

Its recapture has become a strategic and symbolic objective for the Iraqi government, whose forces are backed by Shiite militias armed and advised by Iran.

Security officials said the army and militia fighters had raised the national flag above a military hospital in Qadisiya on Wednesday.

They said the offensive then stopped because advancing troops had come under sniper fire and needed to defuse roadside bombs and booby-trapped buildings.

To the west of the city, advancing forces were halted by a minefield on the outskirts of the city. To the south, the army and two military helicopters shelled IS group positions but no ground operation was taking place, the sources said.

(FRANCE 24 with REUTERS)