Iraqi special forces
© REUTERS/ Goran TomasevicAn Iraqi special forces soldier fires as other soldiers runs across a street during a battle in Mosul, Iraq, March 1, 2017
The current operation to recapture Mosul carried out by the Iraqi troops backed by the US-led international coalition began in October 2016 and resulted in the liberation of the eastern part of the city this January. However, fighting in the western areas of Mosul continues.

"We wish our Iraqi friends success in the fight against the terrorist threat and the swift liberation of Mosul from extremists. In that respect we not only have coordination and an exchange of opinions, but also [provide] practical support in the form of arms deliveries and the preparation of personnel along our defense ministry lines," Bogdanov said in an interview with RT.

On Thursday, a police spokesperson told Sputnik that Iraqi security forces had managed to approach the Great Mosque of al-Nuri in Mosul.

The mosque is a symbolic place for the Daesh terrorist group, banned in Russia, as in 2014, Daesh leader Abu Bakr Baghdadi, during his public preaching there, proclaimed a caliphate across the territories controlled by the terrorist group both in Iraq and Syria.