Iraqi forces battle on in Mosul university complex

Iraqi Special Operations Forces (ISOF) carry weapons during clashes with Islamic State militants on the frontline near university of Mosul. REUTERS/Ahmed Saad

MOSUL, Iraq/BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi special forces drove back Islamic State militants in the Mosul University campus on Saturday, while elite police units took over large areas along the east bank of the Tigris river, military officials said.

The head of Iraq's Counter Terrorism Service (CTS) said security forces were close to seizing the entire east bank of the Tigris, which bisects Mosul north to south. That gain will bring at least half of Islamic State's last major stronghold in Iraq back under government control.