The Iraqi prime minister has congratulated his fighters on "the big victory in Mosul", even as fighting with Islamic State militants continues in the Old City, where government forces face increasingly fierce resistance.
Haider al-Abadi spoke during a news conference in Baghdad, less than a week after he declared an end to IS's self-styled caliphate after Iraqi forces took back the landmark al-Nuri Mosque in the Old City.
"Praise be to God, we managed to liberate (Mosul) and proved the others were wrong, the people of Mosul supported and stood with our security forces against terrorism," al-Abadi said on Tuesday.
His remarks came on the third anniversary of IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's sermon at the al-Nuri Mosque, from where he declared an Islamic caliphate on IS-held lands in Syria and Iraq.
Lieutenant General Abdel Ghani al-Asadi, of Iraq's special forces, said earlier in the day that Iraqi forces were just 250m from the Tigris River, in the western half of Mosul.
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
The Tigris divides the city into its western and eastern half, which was liberated from IS militants in January.
IS militants who remained trapped in just a few hundred metres of territory in the Old City were in a "fight to the death", al-Asadi said.
