Jul 10, 2017

President Donald Trump on Monday hailed the "victory" of Iraqi forces over the Islamic State group in the northern city of Mosul.

The retaking of the devastated city after nearly nine months of fighting signals the jihadist group's "days in Iraq and Syria are numbered," Trump said in a statement, praising Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.

Earlier Monday, Abadi declared a victory over "brutality and terrorism" in Mosul, after his forces ended the Islamic State group's rule over the country's second city.

Abadi hailed the recapture of Mosul -- where IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared the creation of the group's self-styled "caliphate" three years ago -- as a historic moment in the battle against the extremists.

The US-led coalition that backed the Mosul offensive is supporting another assault on IS's Syrian bastion Raqa.