VIDEO: Iraqi Army Special Forces Seize Islamic State Defenses near Mosul

The forces claimed that they had destroyed the trenches and tunnels created by ISIS as they advanced toward Mosul.

The pace of fighting has slowed in the Mosul offensive as Iraqi forces consolidate positions along the northern and eastern fronts.

ISIS militants have deployed suicide car bombs and fired mortar rounds to slow down the advance of Iraqi troops.

It is expected to take weeks, if not months, to drive ISIS group out of its last urban stronghold in Iraq, which is still home to more than a million people.