The center of Tikrit -- Saddam's Hussein's hometown, and final shard of his broken regime -- has been captured by U.S. Marines.
Several thousand troops, accompanied by more than 300 armored vehicles were "spared the last burst of resistance they expected," according to the New York Times.
After being pounded by AH-1 Cobra helicopters and F/A-18 Hornet warplanes, the Washington Post reports, most of the town's defenders fled before the American ground forces arrived.
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![Ukrainian serviceman runs tests flights with a Vampire hexacopter drone](http://images01.military.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail_large/public/2024-05/trib-ukrainian-soldier-hexacopter-drone-1200.jpg?itok=y9n8Zs2S "A Ukrainian serviceman of the "Achilles" Battalion from the 92nd Brigade of the Ukrainian Army runs tests flights with a Vampire hexacopter drone ahead of missions, in the eastern Donetsk region on April 30, 2024, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Genya Savilov/AFP via Getty Images/TNS)")
