- Title: Iraqi elite force reaches Mosul Old City riverbank as Islamic State faces defeat
- Date: 9th July 2017
- Summary: OLD CITY, MOSUL, IRAQ (JULY 9, 2017) (REUTERS) IRAQI MILITARY HUMVEE OF COUNTER TERRORISM SERVICE (CTS) PARKING AMONG WRECKAGE OF DAMAGED CARS / RUBBLE AND DANGLING POWER LINES CTS HUMVEE FLYING IRAQI FLAG MOVING CTS MILITARY HUMVEES PARKING AMONG WRECKED CARS GROUP OF IRAQI SECURITY FORCES MEMBERS POSING FOR PICTURE WITH UPSIDE DOWN BLACK BANNER OF ISLAMIC STATE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) UNIDENTIFIED ERD MEMBER (NAME UNKNOWN) SAYING: "We are holding their (Islamic State) flag upside down and our flags are fluttering on the river bank and God willing all the people return back safe to their homes." VOICE OF SOMEONE OFF-CAMERA, SAYING: "This is the last flag of Daesh." UNIDENTIFIED SOLDIER, SAYING: "This is their last flag and we will burn it." HUGE SMOKE RISING INTO SKY BEHIND DAMAGED BUILDINGS EMERGENCY RAPID DIVISION (ERD) MEMBERS STANDING ON PILE OF RUBBLE OF FLATTENED BUILDING GROUP OF ERD MEMBERS STANDING ON PILE OF BRICKS RUBBLE MORE OF GROUP OF ERD AND CTS MEMBERS STANDING AND WALKING THROUGH RUBBLE OF BUILDING DECAYING CORPSES OF MILITANTS LAYING AMONG RUBBLE IN THE NARROW STREETS OF MOSUL'S OLD CITY GROUP OF ERD MEMBERS WALKING THROUGH BUILDING ERD MEMBERS WALKING THROUGH RUBBLE OF FLATTENED BUILDING MORE OF ERD MEMBERS WALKING THROUGH PILES OF METAL WRECKAGE OF RUBBLE OF BRICKS CTS OFFICER STANDING AMONG GROUP OF SOLDIER (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) BRIGADIER GENERAL FALAH FADEL AL-OBEIDI, FROM THE ELITE Counter Terrorism Service (CTS), SAYING: "Counter Terrorism Service forces have completed their military operations and reached the riverbank and, as you have seen, the Iraqi flag was raised on the bank of the Tigris River thanks to the efforts of the heroes standing here. We are now on the edge of the Old City on the riverside and in the park behind me is the shrine of Nabi Jerjis (Saint George) (peace be upon him), which stands as an example of Deash crimes against religious sites." DAMAGED SHRINE OF NABI JERJIS CTS HUMVEE DRIVING ALONG STREETS LINED WITH PILES OF RUBBLE OF FLATTENED BUILDINGS BULLDOZER REMOVING RUBBLE RUBBLE OF DEMOLISHED BUILDING AND BULLDOZER OPENING ROAD
- Embargoed: 23rd July 2017 22:44
- Keywords: Iraq Mosul Old City fighting Iraqi forces
- Location: OLD CITY, MOSUL, IRAQ
- City: OLD CITY, MOSUL, IRAQ
- Country: Iraq
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Military Conflicts
- Reuters ID: LVA0016OZWV2F
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: A U.S.-trained elite Iraqi force battling Islamic State in the Old City of Mosul said on Sunday (July 9) it reached the Tigris riverbank, indicating that the insurgents' last redoubt in the city was on the verge of falling.
Islamic State's defeat in Mosul three years after taking the city is a major blow for the hardline Sunni Islamist group, which is also losing ground in its operational base in the Syrian city of Raqqa from where it has planned global attacks.
The group, however, still controls territory in Iraq and is expected to revert to more conventional insurgent tactics such as bombings as its self-proclaimed caliphate falls apart.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi arrived in Mosul on Sunday and congratulated the armed forces for their "victory" over Islamic State after nearly nine months of urban warfare, bringing an end to jihadist rule in the city. The battle for Mosul - by far the largest city to fall under the militants' control - has left large areas in ruins, killed thousands of civilians and displaced nearly one million people. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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