Iraqi special forces have closed in on the Tigris river that runs through central Mosul, advancing in parallel with other troops and forcing Islamic State to retreat in its last major stronghold in the country.
Islamic State has been driven out of more than half the areas it held east of the Tigris river, which bisects the city, but is still in control of the west. It will be harder for the jihadists to defend Mosul once Iraqi forces reach the river.
Baghdad meanwhile said it had come to an agreement with Ankara over a demand for withdrawal of Turkish forces from an area close to Mosul as the two regional powers sought to improve ties following a year-long spat over the military deployment.
In a visit to Iraq, Turkey's prime minister did not say a deal had been reached, but that the issue was discussed and would be resolved.
On Saturday Iraqi counter-terrorism forces pushed to within several hundred metres of the Tigris and a strategic bridge after staging an unprecedented nighttime assault the day before in a nearby district, a spokesman said.
The counter-terrorism service (CTS) spokesman said new tactics and better coordination were helping.
"Counter-terrorism forces have been sent about 500 metres from the fourth bridge," Sabah al-Numan told reporters east of Mosul.
A coalition spokesman said on Twitter that Islamic State had damaged the fourth bridge in a "desperate act" as they lost ground. The bridge has already been hit by US-led air strikes to prevent the militants sending reinforcements across the city.
A separate military statement said Iraqi federal police had recaptured a hospital complex in Wahda in southeastern Mosul, a significant turnaround after US-backed army units were forced to withdraw from the site last month under fierce counter-attacks from Islamic State.
"We are proceeding side by side ... and advancing at the same level. This is a very important factor, thanks to which Daesh (Islamic State) has not been able to move its fighters. It has to support one axis (front) at the expense of another."
"We have worn down the terrorist organisation with this type of advance."
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said Baghdad reached an agreement with Ankara on Saturday over Iraq's request that Turkish forces withdraw from its positions in northern Iraq.
He gave no details of the deal, which he announced during a visit to Baghdad by Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim.
Yildirim said at a news conference with Abadi: "We discussed the issue of Bashiqa."
"We see that significant progress is being made in cleansing Daesh from the region. In line with this, we will solve this (Bashiqa) subject somehow in a friendly way."
A joint communique issued after the prime ministers met said the countries had agreed to respect each other's territorial integrity, and noted that Bashiqa was "an Iraqi camp".
