The Iraqi premier has announced the defeat of “Islamic State” after months of fighting to uproot the militant group. But European authorities have warned that its ideology still remains a threat to global security.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Saturday announced the “end of the war” against the “Islamic State” (IS) militant group, saying Iraqi security forces regained control of the border with Syria.
“Our forces are in complete control of the Iraqi-Syrian border and I therefore announce the end of the war against Daesh,” Abadi said during a press conference in Baghdad, referring to the militant group by its Arabic acronym.
“Our enemy wanted to kill our civilization, but we have won through our unity and our determination. We have triumphed in little time.”
Lt. Gen. Abdul-Amir Rasheed Yar Allah, a senior Iraqi military commander, issued a similar statement, saying the country’s military had liberated “all Iraqi lands.”
Rise of the caliphate
IS rose to notoriety in 2014, when it captured large swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria, culminating in the sacking and occupation of Mosul.
In June that year, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the militant group’s leader, announced the creation of a so-called caliphate from a historic mosque in Mosul.
Shortly afterward, the militant group launched terrorist attacks across the globe, striking European capitals such as Berlin, Paris and Brussels while recruiting sympathizers to join their cause in the region and abroad.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said the armed forces “have now secured the entire length of the Iraq-Syria border”
Long road to end terror
Over the past year, a US-led coalition against IS dubbed Operation Inherent Resolve has partners in Iraq and Syria, including the Iraqi military and Kurdish-led forces, to uproot the militant group from its stronghold.
Earlier this year, Iraqi-led forces backed by Shiite militias and Kurdish forces, ousted the group from Mosul, while in Syria, an alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias drove IS from its de facto capital Raqqa.
“In conjunction with partner forces, [the coalition] defeats ISIS in designated areas of Iraq and Syria and set conditions for follow-on operations to increase regional stability,” the coalition said in a tweet on Saturday, referring to the group by an alternative acronym.