Iraqi armed forces went through the war-torn streets of Tikrit searching for Islamic State militants and avoiding the booby traps the jihadists left behind.
Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi claimed the city was liberated but the US-led coalition that has been helping Baghdad from the air said there was "still work to be done".
So far the fate of hundreds of ISIL fighters said to have been hiding in former president Saddam Hussein's hometown for a final battle was unclear on Wednesday.
