"In the north a coalition special operations commander accepted a signed ceasefire agreement from the Iraqi 5th Corps commander regular army near Mosul," he told a press briefing.

He said that now the ceasefire has been signed, members of the 5th Corps were expected to leave the battlefield.

"Some of them already have, leaving their equipment and either returning to the garrison or simply proceeding with life as civilians out of uniform," the general said.

He said the ceasefire had been negotiated for some time following "a period of bombing and close air support missions and also efforts to make contact."

He said Iraqi forces in other parts of the country also were walking away from battlefields, leaving their weapons and uniforms behind "just as the coalition requested."

SPACE.WIRE