After Iraqi forces take Tikrit, a wave of looting and lynching

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2. Iraqi forces halt looting, arson in Tikrit

TIKRIT, Iraq, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi security forces on Saturday stopped a wave of looting and burning of public facilities, houses and shops by groups of Shiite militias in the city of Tikrit, the capital of Salahudin province, days after freeing the city from the Islamic State (IS) militants, a provincial security source said.

The Iraqi forces set up checkpoints on the entrances of the city, preventing in and out movement except for those who are carrying official identities of the security forces and vehicles that are not carrying stolen properties, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

Meanwhile, the source said that orders were issued for the Shiite militias known as Hashid Shaabi, or Popular Mobilization, to withdraw from the city which will be controlled by the army unites and local policemen.

Late on Friday, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who is also the commander-in-chief of the Iraqi armed forces, said in a statement issued by his office that he gave orders to the security forces to arrest anyone "breaking the law" in Tikrit, which located some 170 km north of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2015-04/04/c_134125034.htm