Islamic State caliphate crumbles as east Mosul 'liberated'

Iraqi forces have hailed the recapture of most of eastern Mosul as a major victory in the war against Islamic State.

Local army officials announced yesterday they were in "full control" of the region, although it has since emerged that pockets of militants remain in north-eastern districts.

The mission to liberate Iraq's second-largest city, which has been under IS control since 2014, began in October, with the help of the US-led coalition, Kurdish Peshmerga fighters and Shia militias.

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"Since the start of the year, reinforcements and new tactics have quickened the pace of the offensive," reports Deutsche Welle.

Iraqi forces are now preparing to retake western Mosul, the militants' last major urban stronghold in the country.

They still face significant challenges, not least the warren-like streets of the old city which favour the militants' combat style, the BBC says.

Human rights groups warn that the western part of the city is densely packed with civilians, who are trapped without adequate food or medical supplies.

Human Rights Watch said IS was "indiscriminately or deliberately killing and wounding people for refusing to be human shields".

However, there is some optimism that the next stage of the operation will be swift. Omar Lamrani, Middle East analyst for the US intelligence firm Stratfor, said: "Mosul is already effectively surrounded and IS has no choice but to fight on or surrender in the city and its surroundings."

If government forces are able to retake the entire city, it will "effectively end IS's days as a land-holding force in Iraq and deal a death blow to its claim of running a state", says AFP.

According to security and defence analysts IHS Markit, IS lost almost a quarter of its territory in 2016 and is now left with around 23,300sq-miles of land, slighly less than the size of Florida.

It has forced the militants to switch tactics, say analysts, who highlight an increase in deadly bomb blasts in Baghdad in recent months.

Reuters says the attacks show the threat from the group "may not subside" even if IS loses key towns and cities. "It will likely switch from ruling territory to pursuing insurgency tactics, seeking to reignite the sectarian tensions that fuelled its rise," it adds.