Iraqi forces get creative dodging bullets to deliver lunch in Mosul

ISIS' three-year-long occupation of Mosul, Iraq may have come to an end this summer, as Iraqi forces reportedly reclaimed the city's mosque from the imposed caliphate.

The seizure of the almost 850-year-old Grand al-Nuri Mosque - from where Islamic State proclaimed the caliphate almost three years ago to the day - is a huge symbolic victory.

Tens of thousands of civilians remain trapped among the shattered buildings and infrastructure in Islamic State's redoubt in the Old City by the western bank of the Tigris river, the aid organization said.

A commander from the division said that some 10,000 civilians remained trapped with little food, water or medicine, in a shrinking rectangular area under the control of a few hundred terrorists. Farah was told that it was her "duty to the city", Express reported.

In Raqqa, Islamic State's headquarters in northern Syria from where it plotted attacks around the world, US -backed militia were fighting inside the historic Old City after coalition air strikes breached its walls in two places. In addition to military casualties, thousands of civilians are estimated to have been killed.

For most of the soldiers in Mosul, the final days of the grueling battle caps more than three years of fighting the militants.

"The presence of civilians has affected the troops' advance a lot".

Suspected Boko Haram Islamist militants killed nine people and abducted dozens more in southern Niger on Sunday night.

"All those forces are now turned and focused all on an axis on ISIS from what we call 'Old Mosul, '" says Croft, deputy commander for air operations in Operation Inherent Resolve, using an alternative name for the Islamic State group.

Authorities are planning a week of nationwide celebrations, according to a government statement, and Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi is expected to visit Mosul to formally declare victory. Although the northern city of Mosul was Daesh's main stronghold in Iraq, it is not its only base. The city, located some 400 kilometers (250 miles) north of the capital, Baghdad, fell to Daesh in June 2014.

Iraqi Special Forces soldiers gather before advancing against Islamic State militants in the Old City of Mosul, Iraq, Sunday, July 2, 2017.

For its part, the joint Command operations (JOC), which coordinates the fight against the IS in Iraq, has assured Monday that the federal police was still pounding and was not coming to the end of all of his goals.

Recommended:

• Utah Jazz: Gordon Hayward to make free agency decision tomorrow (Tuesday)

  The 27-year-old made his first All-Star game last season, averaging 21.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. For what it's worth, the Jazz made a a "very strong impression" during their meeting with Hayward .
  

  03 July 2017

  Launch fails for China's Long March-5 Y2 carrier rocket

  Long March-5 Y2 rocket is capable of lifting 25 tonnes into a low earth orbit and a 14 tonne class of communications satellite. The rocket was carrying the 7.5 tonne Shijian-18 communication satellite into a 36,000 km apogee Geo-stationary orbit.
  

  30 June 2017

  After fake Time cover story, Trump calls the Washington Post 'fake news'

  Fake cover hanging in one of Trump's golf courses (left). " Donald Trump is the chief purveyor of fake news in America". The covers have been discovered near the pro shops of some of his clubs, The Washington Post reported Tuesday .

• Wimbledon 2017: Hip injury forces Murray out of final warm-up match

  World number one Andy Murray has withdrawn from an exhibition match ahead of Wimbledon due to a hip problem. I was up 6-2, 5-2 and then I started playing left-handed, thinking: 'OK, I don't want to play with you'.
  

  30 June 2017

  Samsung to Establish Washing Machine Line in SC

  Samsung Electronics plans to have a washing machine production line up at the factory by early next year. They will employ craftsmen, operators, engineers and other technical and non-technical positions.
  

  30 June 2017

  United States military updates President Trump's North Korea options

  House of Representatives voted to enforce secondary sanctions against non-U.S. firms for hiring North Korean workers. South Korea only imported $1.6 billion in US autos while it exported $16.1 billion in autos to the USA that year.
• 

  03 July 2017

  'Savage and senseless murder:' DA describes road-rage killing of teen

  Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to contact the West Goshen Police Department at 610-696-7400. Authorities recovered Roberson's body in a ditch after her vehicle careened into a tree.
  

  01 July 2017

  Trump's Investigation Into Voter Fraud Is About To Get Underway

  Vermont's top election official, Democrat Jim Condos, said it goes beyond what the state can publicly disclose. Several states, including MA , have said their voter information is private and will not be shared.
  

  29 June 2017

  Doctors, parents provide update on Cincinnati man freed by North Korea

  His parents learned of their son's condition - what North Korea called a coma - only last week, they said in a statement . Fred Warmbier took to the podium wearing the same cream jacket his son wore during his confession in North Korea .
• 

  05 July 2017

  Prime Minister arrives in Israel on historic visit

  Sources said that Netanyahu seemed to be as excited as Doval for Modi's red carpet welcome to the Jewish country. The two-state solution envisions independent Israeli and Palestinian states coexisting side by side peacefully.
  

  29 June 2017

  China's treatment of activist raises fears for other detainees

  Liu but to allow his wife, Liu Xia , out of house arrest ", said Mary Beth Polley , a spokeswoman for the USA embassy in Beijing . In 2008, he helped compose a petition, called " Charter 08 " and later signed by hundreds of scholars and activists.
  

  28 June 2017

  IMF trims economic forecast for US

  The fund backs an overhaul of the US tax code, cutting corporate taxes, and getting rid of exemptions. The IMF now says the economy will expand by 2.1% this year and next.