Mosul, Iraq (CNN) Iraqi forces are locked in an intense battle for the final few blocks of western Mosul still under ISIS control. The capture of Mosul is imminent, but the battle remains "a difficult fight," with days -- rather than weeks -- to go, coalition spokesman Col. Ryan Dillon said Thursday from Baghdad, confirming Iraqi forces had seized the remains of an iconic mosque and minaret. The capture of the Great Mosque of al-Nuri -- where Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared the ISIS caliphate in 2014 -- marks a major stride in the eight-month battle to seize the city, Iraq's largest metropolis outside Baghdad, from the terrorist group."My little ones were dying of hunger," Iraqi woman saysRuins of an iconic mosque and minaret have been captured, Iraq and US-led coalition say
A CNN team was on the front line of the battle earlier Thursday with _ units fighting ISIS. More than 742,000 people have left Mosul and surrounding areas since the offensive began, the _ government said about a month ago.