Iraqi security forces have intensified their battle for Mosul by launching an attack on the city’s airport.
This forms a key part of the government’s offensive to drive out Islamic State (IS) militants from the western half of the city.
They also stormed the nearby Al-Ghazlani military camp, where fierce clashes are under way.
ISIS has already destroyed the runway but experts say seizing such a large site would help the Iraqi army control southern routes into Mosul.
Eastern Mosul had already been retaken by the army last month.
ISIS militants overran Mosul as they spread across much of northern and western Iraq in 2014.
