Smoke billows after an air strike by Iraqi forces towards the positions of the Islamic State militants in the Old City of Mosul, Iraq June 25, 2017. REUTERS/Erik De Castro

ERBIL, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraq’s armed forces blocked a major wave of attacks by Islamic State suicide bombers outside the Old City of Mosul on Sunday, a military statement said.

The attacks targeted Hay al-Tanak, a poor neighborhood west of the Old City, the last stronghold of the militants in Mosul.

It is the first wave of attacks reported outside the Old City since the battle to capture the historic district from Islamic State started a week ago.