Nineveh operations commander Abdulemir Rashid Yarella issued a written statement saying that the Iraqi army, the federal police and the anti-terror units entered the old town neighborhood in the morning hours, and the outcome will be announced later on.

The Iraqi army had launched an operation on May 28 to liberate the last neighborhoods under ISIS control in Mosul. With the liberation of Shifa neighborhood last night, the operation entered its final phase.

The operation to liberate Mosul, invaded by ISIS on June 2015, had launched on October 2016. On January 18, Iraqi forces took back control of the eastern side of the city and after a 3-week delay, on February 19, the operation to clear the western side of the city was launched.

With the old town area being cleared of gangs, the Mosul operation will have been completed after 8 months.