Iraqi forces retake Mosul after fighting ISIS militants in final battle
30 Jun 2017 2:46 PM IST
After more than 8 months of intense fighting against the extremist group, Iraq's PM Haider al-Abadi has pledged victory.
Cornered in a shrinking area, the militants have resorted to sending women suicide bombers among the thousands of civilians who are emerging from the battlefield wounded, malnourished and fearful. (Photo: File/Representational)- Iraq declared the Islamic State group's 'caliphate' was coming to an end after it recaptured Mosul's iconic Nuri mosque on Thursday, three years to the day after it was proclaimed by the jihadists.
- The jihadists blew up the Great Mosque of Al-Nuri and minaret on June 21 as they put up increasingly desperate resistance to the advance of Iraqi forces. Only the base of the minaret remains, and while the mosque's dome is still standing, much of the rest of it has been destroyed.
- Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi hailed the recapture of the mosque as a sign of ISIS' impending defeat. The US-led anti-ISIS coalition also said the end was near.
- A boy with a head injury is treated at a field clinic after fleeing fighting between Iraqi forces and Islamic State militants in Mosul.
- Civilians gather at a food distribution point in a neighborhood recently liberated by Iraqi security forces.
- Lt. Gen. Abdul Wahab al-Saadi and Lt. Col. Salam Hussein say their forces are continuing to clear territory on Friday.
- Its rule since then has been marked by repeated atrocities including mass beheadings and other executions documented in photos and videos that its supporters share online.
The jihadist group announced its self-styled \"caliphate\" on June 29, 2014, encompassing swathes of territory its fighters overran in Iraq and neighbouring Syria.
After more than 8 months of intense fighting against the extremist group, Iraq's PM Haider al-Abadi has pledged victory.
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