Iraq PM arrives in Mosul to celebrate victory on Daesh

By Amer al-Hassani

NINEVEH, Iraq (AA) – Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi arrived in Mosul on Sunday to celebrate victory over the Daesh terrorist group.

State television said Abadi arrived in the city "to congratulate the heroic fighters and the Iraqi people for the great victory".

The Iraqi premier is expected to announce the liberation of the northern city from Daesh during his visit.

Mosul was captured by Daesh along vast swathes of territory in northern and western Iraq in 2014.

Earlier Sunday, Iraqi forces battling Daesh militants reached the Tigris riverbanks in the Old City of Mosul.

Since October, the Iraqi forces, backed by a U.S.-led air coalition, have been trying to dislodge Daesh from Mosul, the terrorist group's last stronghold in northern Iraq.