Iraqi Prime Minister flies to Mosul, congratulates forces on victory over IS

Mosul: Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi arrived in Mosul on Sunday and congratulated the armed forces for their victory over the Islamic State after 266 days of fierce battles, which finally liberated Mosul from the IS and ended its three-year rule.

Iraqi soldiers and civilians in Mosul cheered and jumped for joy on Sunday over their historic victory over the Islamic State and hailed the liberation of the city, Xinhua reported.

Liberating Mosul from the occupation of the Islamic State is seen as a great victory for Iraq’s anti-terror war, though the war-torn country will face grave challenges of national reconstruction and reconciliation.

Mosul, the capital city of Iraq’s northern province of Nineveh and the second largest city, had been taken as the de facto capital of the Islamic State.

It was in Mosul that IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared in 2014 the establishment of the Islamic State, a caliphate in Iraq and



Syria.

The victory opened doors for the much-needed reconstruction and national reconciliation, as desired by most Iraqis after suffering from wars and conflicts for so long.

The liberation of Mosul is a great victory in the anti-terrorism war. It broke the backbone of the terrorist groups and demolished the self-declared Islamic State in Iraq, civilians in Mosul said.

The victory in Mosul will pave the way for national reconstruction and reconciliation in the post-IS Iraq, they stressed.

Macron tweets homage

Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday hailed Iraqi pro-government troops and their allies for taking control of Mosul from the Islamic State (IS) group.

“Mosul liberated from Daesh (another name for IS). Homage from France to all those, with our troops, who contributed to this victory,” Macron tweeted after IS forces lost control of Iraq’s second city, their last urban stronghold.