Iraq PM to celebrate victory over IS in the city
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Sunday congratulated Iraqi forces for their “victory” over Islamic State in Mosul.
Iraqi forces, backed by US-led air strikes, have been battling to retake Mosul since 17 October last year.
He met commanders in the city but has not yet given a speech formally declaring triumph.
He later met military commanders and listened to briefings on the operations at the Federal Police headquarters.
Troops helped a steady stream of fleeing civilians – mostly women and children – to safety. Almost every building in the old city has been scarred or completely destroyed. Search and rescue teams are still pulling bodies from the rubble.
Islamic State’s defeat in Mosul three years after taking the city is a major blow for the hardline Sunni Islamist group, which is also losing ground in its operational base in the Syrian city of Raqqa, where it has planned global attacks.
