Mosul battle News

The battle to take full control of Mosul from Islamic State will be over in a few days, an Iraqi general has said.

Iraqi security forces on Monday recaptured six villages in southeast and north of the city of Mosul, while special forces continued heavy clashes with the Islamic State (IS) terrorists to clear the districts freed earlier from the terrorists in the eastern part of the city, a security source said.

Iraqi forces recaptured the ancient village of Nimrud and the site of the ruins as part of the ongoing battle for Mosul, the Islamic State (IS) terror group`s last major stronghold in the war-torn country.

Iraqi Kurdish forces have retaken Bashiqa, one of the last towns east of Mosul to be held by the Islamic State group, a top security official said on Tuesday.

Islamic State chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has been trapped by Iraqi Army, which entered the terrorist group's stronghold of Mosul for the first time in more than two years for a final assault, a report has claimed.

President Vladimir Putin on Sunday called on the US-led coalition to avoid civilian casualties in the battle to recapture the Iraqi city of Mosul from the Islamic State jihadist group.