UN Secretary-General arrives in Baghdad

Baghdad, March 30 (IANS) UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres arrived here on Thursday to hold talks with Iraqi officials, the Foreign Ministry said.

Guterres is expected to meet Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and President Fuad Masoum to discuss the war against terrorism and the condition of thousands of displaced people from the war zones in and around Mosul city, a ministry official told Xinhua news agency.

The visit came as the Iraqi security forces are fighting to seize Mosul, the Islamic State terror group's last stronghold in Iraq.

The fierce battles in the western side of Mosul have caused heavy casualties among civilians.

Mosul, 400 km north of Baghdad, has been under IS control since June 2014.