Iraqi army completely surrounds IS in Mosul

The Iraqi army says it has completely surrounded Islamic State militants in Mosul as it continues to make gains in its final push to retake the city.

The military said that federal police units recaptured the last bridge over the Tigris River on Saturday, effectively cutting off IS’ last remaining escape route.

US-backed Iraqi troops also recaptured a number of neighbourhoods in the Old City.

"Daesh now holds control over a few small residential areas. Iraqi forces are advancing into the Old City," Iraqi joint forces spokesman Yahia Rasoul told state-run TV, using the Arabic acronym for the militant group.

“Victory in the western part [of the city] will be announced soon".

On Thursday, Iraq’s Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared that IS’ "state of falsehood" had ended after Iraqi forces retook al-Nuri Mosque, where the group famously proclaimed its self-styled caliphate three years ago.

"The return of al-Nuri Mosque and al-Hadba minaret to the fold of the nation marks the end of the Daesh state of falsehood," Abadi said.

A large part of the mosque, which held major significance in the history of IS in Iraq, was blown up by the fighters last week.

Officials from Iraq and the US-led anti-IS coalition said the destruction of the site was a sign of the group's imminent loss of Mosul, and Abadi called it an "official declaration of defeat".

At least 50,000 civilians, about half of the Old City's population, are believed to still be trapped in pockets of Mosul still held by IS.

People who have escaped said that civilians who remain trapped are with little food, water or medicines. The UN and aid organisations have warned that IS has stopped many civilians from leaving, using them as human shields.

Hundreds of civilians fleeing the Old City have been killed in the past three weeks.

"We are seeing the end of Daesh in Mosul as Iraqi forces closed in on the terrorists in the city's old quarters, but there are civilians who remain trapped in the area or are held as human shields by the terrorists," the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq said in a statement on Saturday.

"The well-being of civilians is a matter of extreme concern for us."