Iraqi forces

Battle for Mosul: Iraq army mops up final IS pockets

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.

Iraqi forces retake Mosul airport

The airport -- largely destroyed by ISIS forces -- is now fully under Iraqi Federal Police control, said Col. Abdel Amir Mohamed, commander of the Rapid Response Unit of the Federal Police.

Iraqi forces storm Mosul airport

They also stormed a nearby military camp, according to state TV.

The airport and the al-Ghazlani base are on Mosul's southern outskirts on the western side of the Tigris river.

Iraqi forces have already pushed IS out of the eastern part of the city. More than 160,000 people have fled their homes in and around the city.

Mosul: Iraqi forces on city's doorstep

Troops came within hundreds of meters of Mosul on Monday evening and are now the closest they've been since launching an operation two weeks ago to wrest the city from more than two years of ISIS rule.

Experts and officials have said that entering Mosul will likely trigger the fiercest fighting seen yet in the offensive and that the battle is expected to be fought street to street or even house to house.

Iraqi forces launch attack to take Islamic State stronghold

"Zero hour for the liberation of Fallujah has arrived. The moment of great victory has drawn near and Daesh has no choice but to flee," Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said on his official Twitter feed, using an Arabic acronym for the jihadist group.

He said the offensive would be conducted by the army, police, counterterrorism forces, local tribal fighters, and a coalition of mostly Shiite Muslim militias.

The US-led coalition that has bombed Islamic State in Iraq and neighbouring Syria for nearly two years was expected to provide air support.

Clashes in Iraq's Anbar kill at least 17 government troops

A police officer, an army officer and a Sunni tribal fighter said the deadliest clashes took place east of Islamic State-held Ramadi, where six soldiers, four Sunni tribal fighters and two police officers were killed. Nine other troops were wounded, they said.

They say another five soldiers were killed and nine wounded when militants attacked troops near the Habbaniyah military base, where dozens of American advisers are stationed.