Iraqi forces have taken complete control of the eastern side of Mosul, dislodging IS militants from the last pocket they held east of Tigris river, the defense ministry said on Monday.

Axar.az reports that, Mosul is IS's last major city stronghold in Iraq.

"The armed forces succeeded in liberating the left bank of the city of Mosul completely, after inflicting heavy losses in lives and equipment to the enemy," the ministry said in a statement on its website.

Iraqi forces launched a U.S.-backed campaign in October to retake Mosul from the hardline group, which captured the city in 2014, declaring from its Grand Mosque a "caliphate" that also spanned parts of Syria.