The mayor of Iraq’s city of Salahuddin has confirmed that the army retook large parts of the city after it fell to rebels from the so-called ’Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant’ (ISIL).

The mayor of Iraq's city of Salahuddin has confirmed that the army retook large parts of the city after it fell to rebels from the so-called 'Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant' (ISIL).

Mayor Ahmed Abdullah said in a statement that the army had retaken the districts of Ad-Duluiya, Al-Ishaqi and Mu'tasim.

He said the areas were retaken after government forces made agreements with local tribes and that talks are ongoing.

Although this is yet to be verified by independent sources, the Salahuddin police headquarters stated that they had killed 9 terrorists in a raid on vehicles belonging to the ISIL. 21 gunmen had also been injured while many of their vehicles were burned.

Clashes between the ISIL and the army continue after the former made gains in Ninevah, Salahuddin and Tikrit following the capture of Iraq's second biggest city Mosul.

In the meantime, at least seven members of the Kurdish security forces were killed in an airstrike in Iraq's northeastern province of Diyala on Saturday, police said.

The secretary general of the Kurdish security forces said however that only two people had died near the town of Jalawla in what he described as shelling.

Both Iraqi and Kurdish sources said ISIL militants were also present in the area.