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Shia. we'll be watching closely how the army treats the civilians. a lot of them have fredled. will they treat them kindly and with respect. this will be watched by other sunni militias that are fighting isis around the country. if the shia predominantly shia iraqi army treats the inhabitants of the city poorly the militias who are fighting isis and other parts will take note of that as well. >> okay. so if the iraqi army succeeds in recapturing tikrit it tells you something about their chances of taking back mosul. also worth noting the u.s. isn't helping the iraqi army when it comes to takin...

Australian airmen and soldier already in iraq. australia's prime minister made the announcement just a few hours ago. >> i want to stress that we haven't taken this decision lightly. ultimately it is iraq that must deflate the death cult, but we do leave the iraqows their own. >> at this hour iraqi troops are clawing away at isis-held territory less than 200 kilometers north of baghdad. as barbara starr respects, they're getting support from across the region. >> reporter: the iraqi prime minister says the fight to take back tikrit is back often the battle is a crucial test of the willingness ...

Lot of problems is the release of the 19 christians from isis there is no real explanation as to why but in syria it is held as a positive step forward but there is angst and concern about the more than 200 or so christians being held by isis. isis has beheaded and killed a great number of people there including christians and there is a real concern for the safety of the other christians that are being held by isis and there is no real explanation why these 19 were released. >> thank you. >> and what if the iraqi military can't take back tikrit. first more breaking news. boko haram just relea...

Obviously this is frustrating isis and gets in the way of their propaganda efforts and then we have threats saying you have launched a virtual war against us we will now bring a real war to you. when it's a serious threat it's hard to know frankly. >> we talk about the tech platform but know what it means on the ground what's happening with isis and talking about tikrit. what's the iraq offensive and what are they doing to take back tikrit from isis? >> reporter: it's an interesting possible test case for the ability of the iraqi security forces and that is a very broad term, which will become...

Providing? that's a big question right now. iraqi's prime minister says the fight to take back tikrit is on. saddam hussein's hometown fell to isis eight months ago. the battle is a crucial test of the willingness of iraqi troops to fight after months of u.s. training. easier terrain in tikrit than trying to recapture the biggest prize, mosul. >> the key thing in my mind is proximity to baghdad. it's closer to baghdad. mosul is another 200 kilometers another many miles to the north from tikrit. >> reporter: the iraqi forces attacking from several directions in the effort to retake tikrit, enga...