Iraq 'tens of metres' from retaking Mosul

Iraqi commanders say their forces are "tens of metres" away from defeating the Islamic State group in Mosul, a day after a major counterattack by the militants.

"Our units are still continuing to advance... Not much is left before our forces reach the river," the Joint Operations Command said on Saturday.

Iraqi officials have made similar pronouncements over the past week as security forces have bottled the militants up in a sliver of the Old City along the Tigris River.

But the troops' progress has slowed in recent days.

The militants hold less than one square kilometre of territory, but are using civilians as human shields, making it nearly impossible for US-led warplanes to flush them out.

The operation to retake Mosul, Iraq's second largest city, began in October.