Iraqi forces close in on IS redoubt in Mosul after declaring end of caliphate

Displaced Iraqi civilians carry an old man after escaping from Mosul's Old City during fighting between Iraqi security forces and Islamic State militants in Mosul, Iraq, June 30, 2017. REUTERS/Alaa Al-Marjani

MOSUL, Iraq (Reuters) - U.S.-backed Iraqi forces attacked Islamic State's remaining redoubt in Mosul's Old City on Friday, a day after hailing the end of the insurgents' self-declared caliphate with the capture of an historic mosque that symbolised their power.

Dozens of civilians, mostly women and children, fled across the frontline towards the troops as bullets whizzed through the air. They were thirsty and tired, and some had been wounded.