MOSUL, Iraq -- With the fight for Mosul in its final stage Monday, Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants sent female suicide bombers hidden among fleeing civilians, while Iraqi forces and the U.S.-led coalition unleashed punishing airstrikes and artillery fire that set dozens of buildings ablaze.

At least one Iraqi soldier was killed and five were wounded in the two separate suicide attacks, the military said. On Sunday, a bomber in women's clothing killed 14 people at a camp for displaced residents in Anbar province, a provincial official said.

"These tactics don't surprise me," said Sgt. Ahmed Fadil, who patrolled Mosul's Old City just 50 yards from the front.

The militants "have nowhere to go. They're trapped," he said.

Monday's two suicide bombings against Iraqi soldiers followed three other such attacks by women - some of them teenagers - in the previous two days, said Sgt. Ali Abdullah Hussein.

A soldier displayed the school ID card retrieved from the body of one of the bombers, showing her to be only 15. The photo was of serious young woman in a white hijab and indicated she had studied in Bangladesh.

Inside ISIS' self-proclaimed capital

"Most of the people who blew themselves up today are women," said special forces Lt. Col. Salam Hussein. He added that seven women strapped with explosives approached the troops Monday, "but thank God, our units stopped (them)."

Government troops advancing through the Old City were using rougher tactics to clear the remaining pockets of ISIS forces.

The tempo of airstrikes was so great Monday that coalition aircraft couldn't keep up with the requests for air support from Iraqi ground forces. Instead, they sought approval for artillery strikes.

Associated Press drone footage showed the result: dozens of buildings burning in the Old City.

While shops have reopened and civilian traffic fills streets in retaken neighborhoods, thick black smoke continued to rise just a few kilometers away from ISIS-held territory on the bank of the Tigris River that divides Iraq's second-largest city. The area controlled by the militants is less than half a square mile.

ISIS militants swiftly overran Mosul in 2014. The U.S.-backed offensive to retake the city was launched in October and has proceeded slowly, even though Iraqi political and military officials had vowed to declare victory by the end of 2016.

Iraqi forces began their push to retake the Old City in mid-June.

Even though the militants are squeezed into smaller and smaller territory, the danger remains for units like Fadil's.

Mosul on brink of liberation

When they heard cries from civilians just around the corner, he and his colleagues rushed their commanding officer to safety into a nearby home that already had been cleared. They yelled at the group of sobbing women and children to hurry past.

Fadil explained the reason for their caution.

"They cry and then - boom! They explode themselves," he said. "The closer we get to victory, the more suicide bombers they will send."

At one screening point, soldiers anxiously held civilians back at gunpoint, shouting at men and boys to strip to their underwear.

Hussein, of the special forces, and a group of about a dozen men searched on foot Monday for more suicide bombers. An informant pointed out a house occupied by ISIS fighters.

A solider kicked in a door, shouted a warning and threw two grenades into the front room. A second solider stuffed a rag into a plastic jug of gasoline, lit it and threw it inside.

"There are some suicide bombers who refuse to leave the houses, so we're forced to deal with them with smoke and fire and hand grenades," Hussein said, noting that the troops burned only the basement, not the house.

His men seized five suspected ISIS fighters, binding their hands with electrical wire and blindfolding them with scraps of cloth. At least one of the five was arrested.

For most of the soldiers in Mosul, the final days of the grueling battle caps more than three years of fighting the militants.

Hassan Ahmed, a solider with the special forces deployed in the Old City, said he can't deny that the war has changed him.

"It's like I'm heartless - I don't feel anything," he said. "But we are still good people. We have mercy."</s>IS women suicide bombers hit back in Mosul; 15 die in Iraq</s>IS women suicide bombers hit back in Mosul; 15 die in Iraq</s>The Islamic State group is striking back as Iraqi forces are on the cusp of full victory in Mosul, sending female suicide bombers to target soldiers as the battle for the country's second-largest city nears its end. At least 15 people were killed in the latest assaults across Iraq, officials said Monday.

The attacks underscore the intense violence still plaguing the battered nation and the perils that will remain even after IS militants are pushed out of Mosul.

On Monday morning in Mosul's Old City neighborhood — the scene of IS' last stand, where soldiers are fast closing in on the last remaining pocket of militants — two female suicide bombers, hiding among a group of fleeing civilians, targeted Iraqi troops, killing one soldier and wounding several others.

And at a camp for displaced people in Iraq's western Anbar province, a suicide bomber dressed in a woman's all-covering robe killed 14 on Sunday evening, a provincial official said.

After days of fierce battles, the militant-held territory in Mosul is rapidly shrinking, with IS now controlling about 0.40 square miles.

Using women as suicide bombers is apparently the latest tactic by the militants, Sgt. Ali Abdullah Hussein told The Associated Press as he returned from the front line, his troops carrying the body of their slain comrade wrapped in a blanket.

"They appeared from the basement (of a building) and they blew themselves up," Hussein said of the two female bombers.

The attack happened in the area of the destroyed al-Nuri Mosque, which was the focus of the Iraqi forces' push last week.

Over the past three days, Hussein said at least four such attacks have targeted Iraqi forces as hundreds of Mosul's civilians are fleeing the battles in the Old City's congested streets.

After the explosion on Monday, another group of civilians appeared on the main road, prompting the Iraqi soldiers to immediately draw their weapons. They then yelled to the group of mostly women and children to back away and take another route out.

IS overran Mosul in a matter of days more than three years ago. The U.S.-backed offensive to retake the city was launched last October and has lasted nearly nine months, although Iraqi political and military officials had vowed that victory would be declared by the end of 2016.

Iraqi forces launched the operation to retake the Old City in mid-June and after a dawn push last Thursday, they retook the area around the al-Nuri Mosque, which the militants had blown up just a few days earlier.

The 12th century mosque is hugely symbolic — it was from a pulpit of this mosque that IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi proclaimed the IS caliphate in July 2014.

After the Iraqi forces retook the landmark al-Nuri Mosque, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared an end to IS' so-called caliphate and pledged victory was "near."

The suicide bombing in Anbar took place at dusk on Sunday, as authorities were accommodating families that had fled from the Islamic State-held town of Qaim, in western Iraq, according to Councilman Taha Abdul-Ghani.

Abdul-Ghani said a police colonel was among the 14 dead, and at least 20 were wounded in the explosion.

The death toll could have been higher, Abdul Ghani said, but the colonel had become suspicious about the person in the long robe and walked up to the attacker, embracing him — presumably to reduce the number of casualties — as he detonated his explosives.

Iraqi forces have pushed IS out of most of Anbar, and though there was no immediate claim of responsibility for the camp attack, it had all the hallmarks of IS, which has in the past months staged large-scale attacks elsewhere in Iraq to distract from its losses in Mosul.</s>MOSUL, IRAQ—With the fight for Mosul in its final stage Monday, Daesh militants sent female suicide bombers hidden among fleeing civilians, while Iraqi forces and the U.S.-led coalition unleashed punishing airstrikes and artillery fire that set dozens of buildings ablaze.At least one Iraqi soldier was killed and five were wounded in the two separate suicide attacks, the military said. On Sunday, a bomber in women’s clothing killed 14 people at a camp for displaced residents in Anbar province, a provincial official said. No group claimed responsibility for the attack.Read more:U.S. takes on larger role as fight to drive Daesh from Mosul nears its endHundreds flee as Iraqi forces attack last pockets of Daesh resistance in MosulArticle Continued Below“These tactics don’t surprise me,” said Sgt. Ahmed Fadil, who patrolled Mosul’s Old City just 50 metres from the front.The militants “have nowhere to go. They’re trapped,” he said.Monday’s two suicide bombings against Iraqi soldiers followed three other such attacks by women — some of them teenagers — in the previous two days, said Sgt. Ali Abdullah Hussein.</s>MOSUL, Iraq — The Islamic State group is striking back as Iraqi forces are on the cusp of full victory in Mosul, sending women suicide bombers to target soldiers as the battle for the country's second-largest city nears its end. At least 15 people were killed in the latest assaults across Iraq, officials said Monday.

On Monday morning in Mosul's Old City neighborhood — the scene of the Islamic State's last stand, where soldiers are fast closing in on the last remaining pocket of militants — two women suicide bombers, hiding among a group of fleeing civilians, targeted Iraqi troops, killing one soldier and wounding several others.

And at a camp for displaced people in Iraq's western Anbar province, a suicide bomber dressed in a woman's all-covering robe killed 14 Sunday evening, a provincial official said.

After days of fierce battles, the militant-held territory in Mosul is rapidly shrinking, with the Islamic State now controlling just about 0.40 square miles in all.

Using women as suicide bombers is apparently the latest tactic by the militants, Sgt. Ali Abdullah Hussein told The Associated Press as he returned from the front line, his troops carrying the body of their slain comrade wrapped in a blanket.

"They appeared from the basement [of a building], and they blew themselves up," Hussein said of the two women bombers.

The attack happened in the area of the destroyed al-Nuri Mosque, which was the focus of the Iraqi forces' push last week.

Over the past three days, Hussein said at least four such attacks have targeted Iraqi forces as hundreds of Mosul's civilians are fleeing the battles in the Old City's congested streets.

The Islamic State overran Mosul in a matter of days more than three years ago. The U.S.-backed offensive to retake the city was launched last October and has lasted nearly nine months, although Iraqi political and military officials had vowed that victory would be declared by the end of 2016.

Iraqi forces launched the operation to retake the Old City in mid-June and after a dawn push last Thursday, they retook the area around the al-Nuri Mosque, which the militants had blown up just a few days earlier.

After the Iraqi forces retook the landmark al-Nuri Mosque, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared an end to the Islamic State's so-called caliphate and pledged victory was "near."</s>With fight for Mosul in final stage, militants strike back

At least one Iraqi soldier was killed and five were wounded in the two separate suicide attacks, the military said</s>MOSUL, Iraq — Two women suicide bombers, hiding among a group of fleeing civilians, targeted Iraqi troops in Mosul on Monday morning, killing one soldier and wounding several others, an Iraqi officer said.

It was the latest counter-attack by the Islamic State group as Iraqi forces close in on the last pocket of militant-held territory in the Old City neighborhood — the scene of the last stand by IS militants.

After days of fierce battles, the territory held by the militants in Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city, is rapidly shrinking, with IS now controlling just over 1 square kilometer in all, or about 0.40 square miles.

Using women as suicide bombers was apparently the latest tactic by the militants, Sgt. Ali Abdullah Hussein told the Associated Press.

“They appeared from the basement (of a building) and they blew themselves up,” Hussein said as he returned from the scene, his troops carrying the body of their slain comrade wrapped in a blanket.

The attack happened in the area of the destroyed al-Nuri Mosque, which was the focus of the Iraqi forces’ push last week. Over the past three days, Hussein said at least four such attacks have targeted Iraqi forces as hundreds of Mosul’s civilians are fleeing the battles in the Old City’s congested streets.

After the explosion Monday, another group of civilians appeared on the main road, prompting the Iraqi soldiers to immediately draw their weapons. They then yelled to the group of mostly women and children to back away and take another route out.

IS overran Mosul in a matter of days more than three years ago. The US-backed operation to retake the city was launched last October and has lasted nearly nine months, although Iraqi political and military officials had vowed that victory would be declared by the end of 2016.

Iraqi forces launched the operation to retake the Old City in mid-June and after a dawn push last Thursday, they retook the area around the al-Nuri Mosque, which the militants had blown up just a few days earlier.

The 12th-century mosque is hugely symbolic — it was from a pulpit of this mosque that IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi proclaimed the IS caliphate in July 2014.

After the Iraqi forces retook the landmark, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared an end to IS’ so-called caliphate and pledged victory was “near.”</s>MOSUL, Iraq — An Iraqi officer says that two women suicide bombers, hiding among a group of fleeing civilians, targeted Iraqi troops in Mosul, killing one soldier and wounding several.

Sgt. Ali Abdullah Hussein says the attack was the latest by the Islamic State group as Iraqi forces close in on the last pocket of militant-held territory in the Old City neighbourhood. The IS group’s last stand in Mosul is rapidly shrinking, with the militants now controlling just over 1 square kilometre in all.

Hussein says the attack happened on Monday morning in the area of the destroyed al-Nuri Mosque.

He said that over the past three days, at least four such attacks have targeted Iraqi forces as hundreds of civilians flee the fierce fighting in the Old City’s congested streets.</s>Officials say government troops have cut off an escape route for the fighters and 'victory will be announced soon'.

The Iraqi army says it has completely surrounded fighters of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group in Mosul as it continues to make gains in its final push to retake the city.

According to the military, federal police units recaptured the last bridge over the Tigris River on Saturday, effectively cutting off ISIL's last remaining escape route.

US-backed Iraqi troops also recaptured a number of neighbourhoods in the Old City.

"Daesh now holds control over a few small residential areas. Iraqi forces are advancing into the Old City," Yahia Rasoul, Iraqi joint forces spokesman, told state-run TV on Saturday, using the Arabic acronym for ISIL, also known as ISIS.

According to him, "victory in the western part [of the city] will be announced soon".

The latest developments come two days after Haider al-Abadi, Iraq's pime minister, declared that ISIL's "state of falsehood" had ended after Iraqi forces retook al-Nuri Mosque where the group proclaimed its self-styled caliphate three years ago.

"The return of al-Nuri Mosque and al-Hadba minaret to the fold of the nation marks the end of the Daesh state of falsehood," Abadi said in a statement on Thursday.

A large part of the mosque, which held major significance in the history of ISIL in Iraq, was blown up by the fighters last week.

Officials from Iraq and the US-led anti-ISIL coalition said the destruction of the site was a sign of the group's imminent loss of Mosul, with Abadi calling it an "official declaration of defeat".

At least 50,000 civilians, about half of the Old City's population, are believed to still be trapped in ISIL-held pockets of Mosul.

Those who have escaped said that civilians who remain behind ISIL lines are with little food, water or medicines.

The UN and aid organisations say ISIL has stopped many civilians from leaving, using them as human shields.

Hundreds of civilians fleeing the Old City have been killed in the past three weeks.

"We are seeing the end of Daesh in Mosul as Iraqi forces closed in on the terrorists in the city's old quarters, but there are civilians who remain trapped in the area or are held as human shields by the terrorists," the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq said in a statement on Saturday.

"The well-being of civilians is a matter of extreme concern for us."

In June, the Iraqi government said more than 850,000 people have been forced from their homes by the operation, which was launched in October.

On the city's west, entire blocks have been flattened by clashes, air strikes, and artillery fire.
Three female ISIL suicide bombers kill 15 people and injure five in three separate incidents over the last two days as the fight for Mosul winds down.