Iraqi forces storm airport, army base

US-BACKED IRAQI security forces captured Mosul airport on Thursday, state television said, in a major gain in operations to drive Islamic State from the western half of the city.

Elite Counter Terrorism forces advanced from the southwestern side and entered the Ghozlani army base along with the southwestern districts of Tal al-rumman and al-mamoun.

Losing Mosul could spell the end of the Iraqi side of militants’ self-styled caliphate.

Iraqi forces hope to use the airport as a launchpad for their campaign to drive the militants from Iraq’s second largest city.

A Reuters correspondent saw more than 100 civilians fleeing towards Iraqi security forces from the district of al-mamoun.

“Daesh fled when counter terrorism Humvees reached almamoun. We were afraid and we decided to escape towards the Humvees,” said Ahmed Atiya, one of the escaped civilians said, referring to Islamic State by its Arabic name. “We were afraid from the shelling,” he added.

Federal police and an elite interior ministry unit known as Rapid Response had battled their way into the airport as Islamic State fighters fought back using suicide car bombs, a Reuters correspondent in the area south of Mosul airport said.

Police said the militants had also deployed bomb-carrying drones against the Iraqi Counter Terrorism Forces advancing from the city’s southwest. “We are attacking Daesh from multiple fronts to distract them and prevent them regrouping,” said federal police captain Amir Abdul Kareem, whose units are fighting near Ghozlani military base. “It’s the best way to knock them down quickly.” REUTERS