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Iraq begins rebuilding Mosul airport five years after its destruction
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi inaugurates the reconstruction of Mosul international airport, still in disrepair five years after the battle that expelled the Islamic State group from the city.
Entire sectors of the northern metropolis have remained in ruins since the July 2017 recapture of Mosul by Iraqi forces backed by a US-led multinational coalition. The airport, which was heavily damaged in the battle, has been disused since the jihadists seized Mosul and adjacent areas in 2014.
Kadhemi, in an official ceremony at the airport on the southern outskirts of Mosul, lays the foundation stone for its renovation. Airport director Haider Ali tells AFP that the reconstruction has been assigned to two Turkish companies and is expected to take 24 months.
