An Iraqi air base critical to the impending offensive against Islamic State forces in Mosul may be too damaged to fully function. In June 2014, the jihadist group overran Qayyarah air base and the village surrounding it, which lie just 60 kilometers (37 miles) south of Mosul. Though Iraqi troops retook the base July 9 after launching a protracted ground attack from Baghdad, satellite imagery taken Sept. 13 shows the tremendous damage that Islamic State fighters managed to inflict on the base's facilities before they were forced to retreat. By employing scorched earth tactics at one of the bases used to support the coming operation against Mosul, the group likely hoped to slow the coalition advancing on its positions in and around the city....
