By Ibrahim Salih and Serhad Shaker

NINEVEH, Iraq

Iraqi forces battling the Daesh terrorist group on Sunday reached the banks of the Tigris River in the Old City of Mosul.

In a statement, Lieutenant General Abdul-Amir Yarallah, head of the Joint Operations Command, said the elite anti-terrorism forces captured al-Maydan district in western Mosul.

"Our forces have reached the Tigris riverbanks and are advancing on al-Qulayat district, the last target of the anti-terrorism forces," he said.

State television said Iraqi forces have raised the Iraqi flag on the Tigris riverbanks.

Daesh militants still hold a small pocket near the Tigris River, which divides Mosul into two spheres.

Since October, the Iraqi forces, backed by a U.S.-led air coalition, have been trying to dislodge Daesh from Mosul, the terrorist group's last stronghold in northern Iraq.