Iraq
Iraqi
security forces on Thursday retook control of Mosul international
airport after heavy clashes with Islamic State (IS) militants, a
security source said.
Federal
police and elite interior ministry units, known as Rapid Response,
have completely liberated the airport in southern Mosul after several
hours of fierce clashes with the IS militants, Lt. Gen. Raid Shakir
Jawdat, the commander of the federal police forces, told Xinhua.
The
troops also freed the adjacent compound of a sugar plant and its
residential buildings, Jawdat said.
The
battles in the perimeter and airport left 30 IS militants killed and
dozens of others wounded, in addition to arresting 20 militants,
including non-Iraqi Arabs and foreigners, Jawdat said.
The
airport facilities and runway were badly damaged, as the extremist
militants bombed all the buildings before they withdrew, he added.
Meanwhile,
the Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) special forces seized part of
Ghazlani military base near the airport after heavy battles with the
extremist militants, a security source told Xinhua on condition of
anonymity.
In
the morning, Lt. Gen. Abdul-Amir Yarallah, from the Joint Operations
Command, announced in a statement the start of an assault to retake
control of Mosul's international airport and a military base nearby
from IS militant group.
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