article_snippet: Al-Abadi, who is also the top military commander, said on state television that the city of Mosul was liberated.
article_snippet: While Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has declared victory in the battle, pockets of fighting continues.
article_snippet: Fighting continued on the outskirts of the city of Mosul, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi added.
article_snippet: At a Cabinet meeting before Cabinet declared Tikrit liberated, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi was already calling the operation a success.
article_snippet: We managed to take (ISIS) by surprise," the Prime Minister said.
article_snippet: This comment came days after al-Abadi told the BBC that while there's still work to do, al-Abadi felt confident Iraqis could recapture the key northern city.