Baghdad, Iraq (CNN) -- Iraq's government touted its military offensive to recapture Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit from extremists, with some officials taking to state-run television over the weekend to declare the army had defeated the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. But those who live in the city nestled along the Tigris River, about 140 kilometers (about 87 miles) northwest of Baghdad, told a different story on Sunday. "There are no Iraqi troops here," one woman told CNN by telephone from Tikrit. The only presence, at least in her neighborhood, is the "Islamic state," she said, referring to ISIS.
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Militants declare Islamic state extending from Syria to Iraq
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Iraq's government is touting its offensive to recapture Saddam Hussein's hometown
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But some residents tell CNN a different story: "There are no Iraqi troops here"
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Iraqi security forces were routed by ISIS fighters earlier this month
Witnesses inside and outside of @placeholder said Iraqi forces were heavily shelling the city.