Iraq reopens Mosul airport 11 years after ISIL conflict, destruction

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The airport, which has not been operational since the radical seized Mosul successful 2014, volition person a main terminal and VIP lounge.

Published On 16 Jul 2025

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani has inaugurated the bluish metropolis of Mosul’s recently restored airport, much than a decennary aft it was destroyed successful a bid of battles to dislodge the present vanquished ISIL (ISIS) group.

“The airdrome volition service arsenic an further nexus betwixt Mosul and different Iraqi cities and determination destinations,” the premier minister’s media bureau said successful a connection connected Wednesday.

Al-Sudani’s formation landed astatine the airport, which is expected to go afloat operational for home and planetary flights successful 2 months. Wednesday’s ceremonial was held astir 3 years aft then-Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi laid the instauration chromatic for the airport’s reconstruction.

Airport manager Amar al-Bayati told the AFP quality bureau that the “airport is present acceptable for home and planetary flights.” He added that the airdrome antecedently offered planetary flights, mostly to Turkiye and Jordan.

In June 2014, ISIL seized Mosul, declaring its “caliphate” from Iraq’s 2nd biggest metropolis aft capturing ample swaths of Iraq and neighbouring Syria, imposing hardline regularisation implicit millions of people, displacing hundreds of thousands and slaughtering thousands more.

Nouri al-Maliki, who was the Iraqi premier curate astatine the time, declared a authorities of emergency and said the authorities would limb civilians who volunteered “to support the homeland and decision terrorism”.

At its peak, the radical ruled implicit an country fractional the size of the United Kingdom and was notorious for its brutality. It beheaded civilians, massacred 1,700 captured Iraqi soldiers successful a abbreviated period, and enslaved and raped thousands of women from the Yazidi community, 1 of Iraq’s oldest spiritual minorities.

A conjugation of much than 80 countries led by the United States was formed to combat the radical successful September 2014. The confederation continues to transportation retired raids against the group’s hideouts successful Syria and Iraq.

The warfare against the radical officially ended successful March 2019 erstwhile US-backed, Kurdish-led fighters of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) captured the eastbound Syrian municipality of Baghouz, which was the past sliver of onshore ISIL controlled.

The radical was besides defeated successful Iraq successful July 2017 erstwhile Iraqi forces recaptured Mosul. ISIL past declared its decision crossed the state astatine the extremity of that year. Three months later, the radical suffered a large stroke erstwhile the SDF took backmost the bluish Syrian metropolis of Raqqa, its de facto capital.

The airport, which was heavy damaged successful the battle, has not been operational since the archetypal autumn of Mosul.

It present includes a main terminal, a VIP lounge and an precocious radar surveillance system, al-Sudani’s bureau said, adding that it is expected to grip 630,000 passengers annually.

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