Iraqi forces battle IS for Mosul airport

Iraqi security forces have launched an attack on Mosul airport, a key part of the government's offensive to drive so-called Islamic State (IS) militants from the western half of the city, BBC reports.

Military police have entered the airport and taken over the runway but have come under fire from IS militants in airport buildings, AP said.

They have also entered a nearby military base amid further clashes, a military spokesman said.

Eastern Mosul was retaken last month.

The airport's runway had already been destroyed by IS, but BBC Middle East Correspondent Quentin Sommerville, who is embedded with Iraqi federal police units, says it still has value.

It's a large piece of land, and controlling it will help secure southern routes to west Mosul, our correspondent says.

The assault began with overnight air strikes by the US-led coalition before armoured columns advanced to the airport's perimeter.

IS militants have rigged the area with roadside bombs and are also firing mortars at the attacking force.

An Iraqi lieutenant was killed by one of the roadside bombs, the BBC has been told.

"We can confirm that the Mosul airport militarily has fallen and it's a matter of short time to fully control it," Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) spokesman Sabah al-Numan said.

Foreign troops from the US-led coalition were with the attacking troops, officials told AP, but did not specify their nationality.

The airport and the al-Ghazlani base are on Mosul's southern outskirts on the western side of the Tigris river.

Thousands of Iraqi troops, backed by artillery and air power, are involved in the assault to retake Mosul.

Leaflets warning residents of an imminent offensive were earlier dropped over western Mosul, where military officials say narrow winding streets could make retaking the area particularly difficult.