Iraq’s army said it encircled Islamic State's stronghold in the Old City of Mosul on Tuesday after taking over an area to the north of the territory.

The army's 9th armored division seized al-Shifaa district alongside the western bank of the Tigris river, a military statement said.

The fall of Shifaa means the Old City in the eastern half of Mosul is now surrounded by U.S.-backed government forces, deployed north, west, south and across the river.