Baghdad, Oct 17 (IANS/EFE): The Iraqi army began Friday a military operation to free Baiji city and other areas in the northern province of Saladin, under the control of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group.

Governor of Saladin, Raed al-Jaburi, said in a statement that the campaign involved Iraqi military units with air support from the US-led international coalition.

Details were scarce on the operation which began at dawn and included areas north of Tikrit, the capital of Saladin.

Al-Jaburi called on all tribal fighters to support the military operation and contribute to the liberation of their cities from the control of the "criminal extremist gangsters", noting that the operation was achieving good results so far and going according to the plan.

In June, the IS occupied the northern city of Mosul, the second largest city in Iraq, and quickly spread over wide areas of Saladin, including Tikrit, forcing hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes.