U.S. base rises from the rubble for Mosul push

QAYYARA WEST AIRFIELD, Iraq (Reuters) - U.S. troops are hard at work rehabilitating this battle-scarred, rubble-strewn airfield as a logistics and support hub for Iraqi and international forces in the decisive battle against Islamic State for the city of Mosul 60 km to the north.

The whirl of activity and the return of American soldiers signify a new U.S. build-up in Iraq 14 years on from the invasion that set off a conflict which has undergone various permutations. (For a map of Mosul battlefront click http://tmsnrt.rs/2fd0nGE)