Iraqi federal police forces – backed by U.S. air support – entered Mosul International Airport and took control of the runway from the Islamic State, an official said Thursday. Two police officers said the airport buildings were under fire from Iraqi forces. Reuters reported Monday that Iraqi forces were closing in on the airport after pushing ISIS fighters back at a nearby hill. Mosul fell to ISIS in the summer of 2014, along with large swaths of northern and western Iraq. Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, a top U.S. commander in Iraq, said Monday the Iraqi forces are an "increasingly capable, formidable and professional force."

Source: Fox News February 23, 2017 08:34 UTC