TIMELINE OF THE GRUELLING BATTLE FOR CONTROL OF MOSUL

OCTOBER 2016: Iraqi forces launch the assault to recapture Mosul, conquered by IS in June 2014

NOVEMBER 2016: The army enters Mosul city for the first time since 2014. Iraqi Kurdish peshmerga fighters say they have reached Bashiqa north of Mosul

JANUARY 2017: Iraqi units reach the Tigris River that divides Mosul and take up positions near one of the city’s five bridges, all now destroyed. The Joint Operations Command coordinating the fight says the east has been “fully liberated” FEBRUARY 2017: Abadi announces the start of the battle for west Mosul. Iraqi forces seize full control of Mosul airport and enter their first west Mosul neighbourhood

MARCH 2017: A US envoy says Iraqi troops have cut all roads into western Mosul, trapping remaining IS fighters inside. Iraqi forces capture the city’s train station

MAY 2017: Iraqi forces launch a second front in northwestern Mosul to further seal the siege on the Old City. Almost 90% of west Mosul recaptured

JUNE 2017: Iraqi forces, backed by coalition air strikes, launch an assault to retake the Old City, where remaining IS fighters are entrenched. IS fighters blow up Mosul’s iconic leaning minaret and the adjacent mosque where Baghdadi made his only public appearance

JULY 9, 2017: Prime Minister Abadi declares victory in the “liberated” city, an epic milestone for the Iraqi security forces.