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Mosul victory marks 'collapse' of jihadist state, Iraq PM says Mosul victory marks 'collapse' of Isis, says Iraqi Prime Minister
(35 minutes later)
Iraq's prime minister has returned to Mosul and declared “total victory” in the fight against the Islamic State group there, though some fighting is expected to continue. Iraq's Prime Minister has formally declared victory over Isis in the city of Mosul, and said their defeat marks the "collapse" of the self-proclaimed caliphate.
Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has congratulated Iraqi troops on their “victory” on previous occasions despite ongoing clashes.  "I announce from here the end and the failure and the collapse of the terrorist state of falsehood and terrorism which the terrorist Daesh announced from Mosul," Haider al-abadi said in a speech shown on state television, using an Arabic acronym for Isis.
The latest announcement came in a statement posted on Twitter. The fall of Mosul effectively marks the end of the Iraqi half of the Isis caliphate, which also holds territory in Syria. The group still controls territory west and south of the city.
Hours earlier, Associated Press reporters had seen heavy fighting still under way. A 100,000-strong coalition of Iraqi government units, Kurdish Peshmerga fighters and Shi'ite militias launched the offensive to recapture the city from the militants in October, with key air and ground support from a US-led coalition.
It was not immediately clear if the clashes had ended. Mr Abadi, wearing a black military uniform and flanked by commanders from the security forces, thanked troops and the coalition. But he warned that more challenges lay ahead.
"We have another mission ahead of us, to create stability, to build and clear Daesh cells and that requires an intelligence and security effort, and the unity which enabled us to fight Daesh," he said before raising an Iraqi flag.
About 900,000 residents have been displaced by the fighting, and thousands of civilians are believed to have been killed.
The whereabouts of Isis leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who announced the founding of the caliphate from Mosul three years ago, is unclear.
There have been several unconfirmed claims of his death. US and Iraqi military sources say he may be hiding in the border area between Iraq and Syria. 
Mr al-Abadi has congratulated Iraqi troops on their “victory” on previous occasions, in spite of ongoing clashes.
Hours before his latest statement, Associated Press reporters witnessed heavy fighting still under way.
US-backed Iraqi forces launched a massive operation to retake Mosul in October, and in recent days they had confined the remaining few hundred militants in an area measuring less than a square kilometre.US-backed Iraqi forces launched a massive operation to retake Mosul in October, and in recent days they had confined the remaining few hundred militants in an area measuring less than a square kilometre.
Mr al-Abadi visited Mosul on Sunday to congratulate the troops, even as fighting still raged nearby.Mr al-Abadi visited Mosul on Sunday to congratulate the troops, even as fighting still raged nearby.
It is feared the estimated 20,000 people who remain trapped in the city could be used as human shields by the remaining jihadists.
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