Government troops and local fighters were on the cusp of pushing the terrorists out of their last stronghold in the city. Losing Mosul could spell the end of IS’ power in the country.
The Iraqi military said on Thursday that special forces were closing in on “Islamic State” (IS) terrorists in the city of Mosul. State television reported that government soldiers had stormed the airport and a military complex in the western half of the city. Later, the army confirmed that it had taken the runway amid a fierce firefight.
“Our forces started a major operation early this morning to storm the airport of Mosul and the Ghozlani base to dislodge Daesh (IS) terrorists. We can confirm that the Mosul airport militarily has fallen and it’s a matter of short time to fully control it,” said Sabah al-Numan, a spokesman for the counter-terrorism service.
Since successfully ousting the extremist fighters from eastern Mosul last month, the Iraqi army has sought to control the airport as a base for finally pushing IS out of the country’s second-largest city.
IS overran Mosul in June 2014, when a lack of troops and infighting amongst military personnel led to the abandonment of the city. Under IS occupation, the city has experienced a number of atrocities including ethnic cleansing of Christians, human trafficking most of young women, and the destruction of ancient heritage sites such as the tomb of the Old Testament prophet Jonah.
A 100,000 strong coalition government troops, Kurdish fighters and local militias, backed by the US airstrikes, has made rapid advances in retaking the city since January. If IS loses its territory in Mosul, that may well herald the end of the terrorists’ self-styled caliphate which at its peak straddled large parts of Iraq and Syria.
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