Iraq says battle for Mosul nearly won as forces close in on Old City

[Wireless News]

http://l2.yimg.com/uu/api/res/1.2/vzI3mkvi..z7iIHCwxSMZQ--/YXBwaWQ9eXRhY2h5b247aD04Njt3PTEzMDs-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2017-05-16T133816Z_1_LYNXNPED4F0VG_RTROPTP_2_MIDEAST-CRISIS-IRAQ-MOSUL.JPG (https://www.yahoo.com/news/iraqi-military-spokesman-says-only-12-sq-km-092621831.html)By Ahmed Rasheed BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi forces have dislodged Islamic State from all but 12 square km of Mosul, a military spokesman said on Tuesday, after planes dropped leaflets into the city telling civilians the battle was nearly won. Seven months into the U.S.-backed campaign, the militants now control only a few districts in the western half of Mosul including the Old City, where Islamic State is expected to make its last stand. The Iraqi government is pushing to declare victory by the holy month of Ramadan, expected to begin on May 27, even if pockets of resistance remain in the Old City, according to military commanders.



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