Iraqis Congratulated on Anniversary of Mosul Liberation
They described the city’s liberation and the victory over the Daesh (ISIL or ISIS) terrorist group as a national epic that was achieved thanks to the cooperation among the armed and security forces and the people, al-Sumaria TV reported.
They also highlighted the role of Iraqi top cleric Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani’s Fatwa (religious edict) in mobilizing the forces to liberate Mosul and other parts of Iraq.
Daesh began a terror campaign in Iraq in 2014, overrunning vast swathes in lightning attacks.
Former Iraqi prime minister, Haider al-Abadi, declared the end of military operations against Daesh in the Arab country on December 9, 2017.
On July 10 that year, he had formally declared victory over Daesh in Mosul, which served as the terrorists’ main urban stronghold in Iraq.
In the run-up to Mosul's liberation, Iraqi army soldiers and voluntary fighters from the PMU – better known by the Arabic name Hashd al-Sha’abi – had made sweeping gains against Daesh.
Iraqi forces took control of eastern Mosul in January 2017 after 100 days of fighting.
