Five years and billions of dollars needed to rebuild Mosul: officials

Mosul, Iraq

MOSUL'S wrecked roads, bridges and broader economy will take at least five years to repair and need billions of dollars of development that Iraq's government will struggle to afford, officials returning to the battle-scarred city said.

The airport, railway station and university were all destroyed in the long fight to dislodge Islamic State militants from their main Iraqi stronghold.

Iraqi government forces backed by a US-led coalition have now retaken the eastern half of the city - letting regional councillors return for the first time in two-and-a-half years to survey the damage. "After Mosul is fully liberated, we need a working plan to restore things to the way they were before 2014 when Islamic State took over," N…