Mosul victory imminent as Islamic State lines collapse

Dozens of soldiers celebrated on the banks of Tigris river without waiting for a formal declaration

Iraqi security forces expect to take full control of Mosul within hours as Islamic State’s (IS) defensive lines crumble in its former de facto capital in Iraq, military commanders said on Saturday.

Dozens of soldiers celebrated amid the rubble on the banks of the Tigris river without waiting for a formal victory declaration, some dancing to music blaring out from a truck and firing machineguns into the air, a Reuters correspondent said.

The mood was less festive, however, among some of the nearly one million Mosul residents displaced by months of combat, many of whom are living in camps outside the city