From the Liveblog of
Monday, July 10, 2017
Iraq PM formally declares ‘total victory’ in Mosul
Iraq’s prime minister returns to Mosul and declares “total victory” in the fight against the Islamic State group there, though some fighting is expected to continue.
Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has congratulated Iraqi troops on their “victory” on previous occasions despite ongoing clashes. The latest announcement came in a statement posted on Twitter.
Hours earlier, reporters from The Associated Press saw heavy fighting still underway. It was not immediately clear if the clashes had ended.
US-backed Iraqi forces launched a massive operation to retake Mosul in October, and in recent days, they had confined the remaining few hundred militants in an area measuring less than a square kilometer (about a third of a square mile).
Al-Abadi visited Mosul on Sunday to congratulate the troops, even as fighting still raged nearby.
— AP
The Times of Israel Community.