Officials: Iraqi forces have secured half of Mosul airport


              Iraqi special forces advance towards the western side of Mosul, Iraq, Thursday, Feb. 23, 2017. The advance comes as part of a major assault that started five days earlier to drive Islamic State militants from the western half of Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city. (AP Photo/ Khalid Mohammed)
Iraqi special forces advance towards the western side of Mosul, Iraq, Thursday, Feb. 23, 2017. The advance comes as part of a major assault that started five days earlier to drive Islamic State militants from the western half of Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city. (AP Photo/ Khalid Mohammed)

BAGHDAD (AP) - Two Iraqi officials say that after a day of fierce fighting, Iraqi forces have secured half of Mosul's airport and most of a sprawling military base next to it on the city's southwestern edge.

A federal police officer and an official overseeing the operation told The Associated Press Friday that Iraqi forces have also secured key infrastructure as they push forward to rout the Islamic State group from western Mosul.

Iraq's federal police, elite rapid response units, special forces and the Iraqi army are taking part in the battle, which started on Sunday.

Iraqi authorities declared Mosul's eastern half "fully liberated" in January and afterward largely paused operations to prepare for the fight for the city's west.

The United Nations estimated that about 750,000 civilians are trapped in western Mosul.

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