Iraqi army effectively cut last main exit road out of Mosul

An Iraqi special forces soldier fires his rifle at Islamic State fighters' positions during a battle in Mosul, Iraq February 28, 2017. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic

MOSUL, Iraq (Reuters) - U.S.-backed Iraqi army units on Wednesday took control of the last major road out of western Mosul that had been in Islamic State's hands, trapping the militants in a shrinking area within the city, a general and residents said.

The army's 9th Armored Division was within a kilometer of Mosul's Syria Gate, the city's northwestern entrance, a general from the unit told Reuters by telephone.