<br /> <p>Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi arrived in Mosul on July 9 to “congratulate the armed forces and Iraqi people on … victory” over Islamic State (IS), according to his Twitter account</a>.</p><p>Iraqi forces had reached the Tigris riverside and had almost fully recaptured Mosul from IS, Al Jazeera</a> said on July 9.</p><p>About 100 IS fighters had been reported to be trapped in a sliver of the Old City along the Tigris. Many Islamic State fighters vowed to “fight to the death”, Reuters reported on July 8</a>, noting that, without Mosul, IS in Iraq would control mainly rural, desert areas west and south of the city . Credit: Command of Anti-Terrorism Forces via Storyful</p><br />
