Residents: Mosul's last bridge disabled by airstrike

In this Sunday, Dec. 18, 2016 file photo, a member of the Iraqi Special Forces shoots his machine gun against an Islamic State militant drone n the al-Barid district in Mosul, Iraq. Iraqi forces sitting for weeks on the edges of Mosul have been bolstered by reinforcements and are now ready, along with the elite special forces, to launch a stepped up, three-pronged assault against Islamic State group militants in the city’s eastern sector, ending a two-week lull in the fighting, a top Iraqi general told The Associated Press on Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2016. (AP Photo/Manu Brabo, File) (The Associated Press)

BAGHDAD – Residents of Iraq's Islamic State-held city of Mosul say an airstrike has disabled the city's last functioning bridge.

The residents, who spoke Wednesday to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity fearing for their safety, say the airstrike happened at dawn Monday. Iraqi and U.S.-led international coalition officials were not available to comment.

Activists from inside Mosul published pictures Tuesday night of the metal bridge, known as the Old Bridge, showing its twisted girders sinking into the water as boats were seen ferrying the residents from both banks.

The northern city of Mosul had five bridges spanning the Tigris River, which runs through the center of the city.