美國支持的伊拉克部隊控制摩蘇爾機場
Iraq said Thursday that its U.S.-backed forces have retaken the airport in Mosul that had been controlled by the extremist Islamic State group since 2014.
In a flash on its screen, state television declared, "The Rapid Response Forces and federal police are fully in control of the airport of Mosul."
Iraqi forces launched a new bid to retake the western areas of Iraq's second-largest city on Sunday after saying in late January they had liberated eastern parts of the city.
Iraqi Lieutenant General Raid Shakir Jaudat said Baghdad's forces, backed by drones and heavy artillery, advanced on the airport from several positions. At first, accounts of the airport takeover said there was little Islamic State resistance, but later there were reports of Iraqi firefights with militants encamped in airport buildings.
One Iraqi special forces officer reported Islamic State fighters targeted Baghdad's fighters with a suicide car bomb and dozens of bombs dropped from drones. The officer said there were at least a dozen casualties, although many were light injuries.
Iraqi takeover of the airport would give its troops access to the city from the southwest and for the first time control of an area along the west bank of the Tigris River.伊拉克星期四說，美國支持的伊拉克部隊收復了2014年以來一直被“伊斯蘭國”極端分子控制的摩蘇爾機場。
在國家電視臺屏幕上出現的快訊宣佈，“快速反應部隊和聯邦警察完全控制了摩蘇爾機場。”
伊拉克部隊星期日發起了新的攻勢，試圖收復伊拉克第二大城市摩蘇爾西部。伊拉克政府在1月底說，他們已經解放了摩蘇爾東部。
伊拉克中將拉伊德·沙克爾·賈奧達德說，巴格達方面的部隊在無人機和重型火炮的支援下，從幾處陣地向機場推進。有關攻佔機場的最初報道說，“伊斯蘭國”幾乎沒有抵抗，但後來有報道說，政府軍與機場建築內的激進分子交火。
伊拉克特種部隊一位軍官說，“伊斯蘭國”武裝分子用一枚自殺式汽車炸彈和從無人機落下的幾十枚炸彈襲擊政府軍。這名軍官說，至少有十幾人傷亡，不過很多是輕傷。
伊拉克政府軍攻佔機場將使伊軍可以從西南方向入城，並第一次控制底格里斯河西岸地帶。
