Washington: Pentagon spokesman Colonel Steven Warren said he wasn't aware that any airstrike requests had come through.
"I am not aware of any request that we've received through official channels to participate in operations around Tikrit," he said.
While some reports indicate that numerous Iraqi forces had entered the city, Warren said the government offensive remained mostly on the outskirts.
"They certainly have Tikrit surrounded. I'm sure there are areas and spots where they are inside the city limits but for the most part they are in the outskirts of Tikrit," he said.
Warren described the battle lines around Tikrit as "static."
The operation to take Tikrit, 100 miles (160 kilometers) north of Baghdad, was launched by thousands of soldiers, police, Shiite militias and Sunni tribes.
The city is the capital of the Salaheddin province and the hometown of late-strongman Saddam Hussein.
It was seized by IS in June of 2014 as the radical group took control of large swathes of Iraq and Syria.
Leading up to Wednesday, the international coalition against IS had launched 2,893 airstrikes, 1,631 in Iraq and 1,262 in Syria.
The US led 2,320 of the strikes, or about 80 percent.
Between Wednesday and Thursday the coalition conducted approximately 19 more strikes.
Iraq has not made a formal request to the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group to provide air support in the country's offensive to retake Tikrit, a Pentagon spokesman said Thursday.
He spoke after one of the top Iraqi commanders for the offensive on Sunday called for the international coalition to provide air support to help swing the battle for the city.
The offensive to push back the Islamic State group (IS) from Tikrit began on March 2, and Iraqi forces have only recently reached the city limits where they have been stalled by bombs and entrenched fighters.
"I am not aware of any request that we've received through official channels to participate in operations around Tikrit," he said.
Advertisement
"They certainly have Tikrit surrounded. I'm sure there are areas and spots where they are inside the city limits but for the most part they are in the outskirts of Tikrit," he said.
Advertisement
The operation to take Tikrit, 100 miles (160 kilometers) north of Baghdad, was launched by thousands of soldiers, police, Shiite militias and Sunni tribes.
Advertisement
It was seized by IS in June of 2014 as the radical group took control of large swathes of Iraq and Syria.
Advertisement
The US led 2,320 of the strikes, or about 80 percent.
Advertisement
COMMENTS
Advertisement
Relationship With India Remains One Of Great Importance: Pentagon Iraq Proposes Law To Reduce Legal Age Of Marriage For Girls To 9 Multiple US Soldiers Injured In Rocket Attack On Iraq Base 3 Days After Big Order On Deposits With SBI And PNB, Karnataka Hits Pause How Extreme Weather Is Leading To Rise In Child Marriages In Pakistan Monkeypox Cases Rising: How Worried Should You Be - 10 Points Musk's X Ordered To Pay Rs 5 Crore To Former Employee Over Unfair Dismissal UK To Fund Master's Scholarships For Uttarakhand Students Hamas Rejects "New Conditions" In Proposed Gaza Deal: Report Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.