Battle for Mosul: Iraq army mops up final IS pockets

The Iraqi army has been mopping up the last pockets of
resistance from Islamic State (IS) militants in Mosul, 
after a long battle to recapture the city.

An official declaration of victory from the government is expected soon.

Iraqi forces, backed by US-led air strikes, have tried 
to retake the city since 17 October last year.

IS seized Mosul in June 2014 before sweeping across 
much of Iraq's Sunni Arab heartland and proclaiming a "caliphate" straddling Iraq and Syria.

But they have been losing ground over the past nine 
months, as government forces advance on their 
former Iraqi stronghold.

Kurdish Peshmerga fighters, Sunni Arab tribesmen 
and Shia militiamen, supported by US-led coalition 
warplanes and military advisers, have been involved
 in the battle.

On Saturday the jihadists were desperately holding 
out in a tiny area near the Old City. State television said 
troops had expected to take full control within hours.


After months of intense fighting that's gutted the 
city, the sound of gunfire is more sporadic. Coalition warplanes are still flying overhead, but there's a lull 
in the bombardment.

The Iraqi security forces have still been facing 
pockets of resistance, but they're already claiming 
victory against Islamic State.

That's not yet been confirmed by the Iraqi government
 or the US- led coalition - but an announcement is
 expected soon.

It'll be a significant moment - it's taken nearly nine 
months to oust the extremists from the city that was
 once their stronghold.

But even their defeat here will not mean the end of
 IS in Iraq. The government announced the full "liberation" 
of eastern Mosul in January, but the west of the city has presented a more difficult challenge, with its narrow, 
winding streets.

Last October, the Iraqi army said there were 6,000 
militants in the city. Fewer than 300 were thought to be holding out.

Some 900,000 people have been displaced from the 
city since 2014 - about half the the pre-war population- 
aid organisations say.

Last month, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi 
said the destruction of the ancient mosque in the city 
of Mosul was "an official declaration of defeat" by IS.

Iraqi forces say IS blew up the Great Mosque of al-Nuri
 and its famous leaning minaret as jihadists battled 
to stop advancing pro-government troops.