MOSUL (AFP) – Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi on Wednesday inaugurated the reconstruction of Mosul international airport, still in disrepair five years after the battle that expelled the Daesh terrorist group from the city. Entire sectors of the northern metropolis have remained in ruins since the July 2017 recapture of Mosul. The airport, which was heavily damaged in the battle, has been disused since the terrorists seized Mosul and adjacent areas in 2014. Kadhemi, in an official ceremony at the airport on the southern outskirts of Mosul, laid the foundation stone for its renovation. Airport director Haider Ali told AFP that the reconstruction has been assigned to two Turkish companies and is expected to take 24 months.