Mosul loss near for IS

IRAQI commanders said yesterday their forces were “tens of metres” away from defeating the Islamic State group in Mosul, a day after a major counter-attack by militants.

The Joint Operations Command said: “Our units are still continuing to advance. Not much is left before our forces reach the river.”

Security forces have bottled the militants up in a sliver of the Old City along the Tigris River, but the troops’ progress has slowed. The militants reportedly hold less than one square kilometre of territory.