Iraq says forces are ‘tens of meters’ from retaking Mosul

An Iraqi army soldier walks on a damaged street as Iraqi forces continue their advance against Islamic State militants in the Old City of Mosul, Iraq, Saturday, July 8, 2017. (Photo by FELIPE DANA / AP)

BAGHDAD — Iraqi commanders say their forces are “tens of meters” away from defeating the Islamic State group in Mosul, a day after a major counterattack by the militants.

The Joint Operations Command said Saturday “our units are still continuing to advance… Not much is left before our forces reach the river.”

Iraqi officials have made similar pronouncements over the past week as security forces have bottled the militants up in a sliver of the Old City along the Tigris River. But the troops’ progress has slowed in recent days.

The militants hold less than one square kilometer (mile) of territory, but are using civilians as human shields, making it nearly impossible for US-led warplanes to flush them out.

The operation to retake Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city, began in October.