What happened

Iraqi special forces, federal police and rapid response units, backed by US-led coalition support, recaptured Mosul International Airport from the Islamic State on 23 February 2017 during the offensive to retake the western half of the city. Federal police commander Maj. Gen. Raid Shakir Jawdat said his troops controlled more than half of the airport complex by early afternoon. Iraqi special forces sustained at least a dozen casualties in the assault, including some from a car bomb attack. The operation marked the first involvement of Iraqi special forces in the western Mosul offensive after the eastern half of the city had been secured in January, and the airport's capture opened a gateway for further advances into the densely populated western sector.

When cited sources give different casualty, damage or spill figures for this event, they’re reported side by side above rather than merged into one number. See how confidence levels work.