US backed Iraqi forces fought Islamic State fighters today to clear the way to Mosul's airport. Today is the second day of a ground offensive on the jihadists' remaining stronghold in the western side of the city. <br/><br/>Federal Police and elite interior ministry units known as Rapid Response are leading the charge toward the airport, located on the southern limit of the Mosul, trying to dislodge the militants from the nearby hilltop village of Albu Saif.<br/><br/>The Iraqi forces plan is to turn the airport into a close support base for the onslaught into western Mosul itself.<br/><br/>Islamic State militants are under siege in western Mosul, along with an estimated 750,000 civilians, after they were forced out of the eastern part of the city in the first phase of an offensive that concluded last month, after 100 days of fighting.