Abadi hails 'great victory' against ISIL in Mosul

Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi visited Mosul to congratulate the army for driving the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group out of most of the city.

''I've come to Mosul today to follow up on our victories and on the eradication of ISIL, which we are close to achieving," Abadi said on Sunday.

Abadi's office had said he was visiting "liberated" Mosul to congratulate his "heroic fighters", but the prime minister later indicated he would only declare victory once final pockets of resistance were cleared.

"Most ISIL fighters in Mosul have been killed and just a few are left now, he said. "I will leave some room for the heroic armed forces to complete this action so we can announce victory soon, God willing."

Photographs released by his office showed Abadi dressed in a black military uniform and cap, shaking hands with police and army officers as he arrived in the city.

The prime minister joined hundreds of civilians in Mosul to celebrate the army's gains over ISIL.

Convoys of cars were seen driving through the Old City, as people chanted victorious slogans and waved national flags.

The operation in Mosul has been backed by a US-led coalition battling ISIL in Syria and Iraq, which has carried out waves of air strikes against the group and deployed military advisers on the ground.

Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, whose country is a key part of the coalition, was among the first world leaders to offer his congratulations.