End near for fanatics’ desperate last stand

ISLAMIC State was on the brink of defeat in its main Iraqi stronghold last night after eight months of bloody fighting against coalitionbacked troops.

The last diehard fighters in the city of Mosul faced being overrun by overwhelming ground assaults by Iraqi special forces.

Local state TV in Baghdad claimed a Mosul victory was imminent.

Just hours before, an Iraqi general had told us that around 1,000 ISIS fighters were making a last stand against the elite Golden Division.

We have been embedded with the division’s troops close to the al-nouri Mosque.

We witnessed a deadly barrage of Iraqi mortars, bombs, infantry attacks and coalition air-strikes – including sorties by the RAF – smashing ISIS positions close by.

Yesterday some Iraqi soldiers and police were seen dancing and laughing in the streets despite the threat of counter-attacks.

Around 130,000 troops have been involved in ousting ISIS from Mosul, including Peshmerga Kurds, Iraqi infantry, Iraqi police and British and US special forces.

The final operation in the Old City was left to several thousand Iraqi special forces, police and Shia militia supported by western elite operation troops such as America’s Delta Force.

A coalition of air forces have launched daily air strikes, with the RAF playing a major role bombing ISIS from Reaper drones, Tornados and Typhoons.

Last night there were growing fears of a massive strike back by ISIS sleeper cells in Northern and Central Iraq as the organisation’s grip on Mosul collapses.