Babies rescued from rubble as Iraqi troops make final push against IS in Mosul

Footage of babies and young children being rescued from the rubble of so-called Islamic State's last enclave in Mosul has been released by Iraqi authorities.

Iraqi commanders claim they are just "tens of metres" from defeating the group in the city and are flushing out the final pockets of resistance before declaring victory.

In the footage released by the federal police, offices are shown helping babies drink water after being evacuated.

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The operation to retake Mosul, Iraq's second largest city, began in October and militants have now been bottled up in a sliver of the Old City along the Tigris River, holding less than one square kilometre of territory.

Iraqi forces have been backed by US forces and on Sunday said they had reached the banks of the Tigris.

The battle has been made more complicated for the Iraqis because IS have been using civilians as human shields, making it harder for US warplanes to flush them out.

IS seized Mosul in the summer of 2014 when it swept across northern and central Iraq.

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