Iraq army retakes Saddam's birthplace

Within an hour the Iraqi army emerged victorious in seizing back Saddam Hussein's home village from insurgents.Backed by helicopter gunships and helped by volunteer fighters, the army recaptured the village of Awja.Awja is just lies 8 km south of Tikrit, a city which is still under Islamic State, formerly the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militants control.The military spokesman of embattled Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said Awja had been "totally cleansed" and 30 militants killed.Iraq's top Shiite cleric chastised parliament today for failing to unite in the face of a jihadist-led blitz that threatens to break up the country, and urged lawmakers to quickly form a government.