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Iraq declares war with Islamic State is over | Iraq declares war with Islamic State is over |
(35 minutes later) | |
Iraq has announced that its war against so-called Islamic State is over. | Iraq has announced that its war against so-called Islamic State is over. |
Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi told a conference in Baghdad that Iraqi troops were now in complete control of the Iraqi-Syrian border. | Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi told a conference in Baghdad that Iraqi troops were now in complete control of the Iraqi-Syrian border. |
The border zone contained the last few areas IS held, following its loss of the town of Rawa in November. | The border zone contained the last few areas IS held, following its loss of the town of Rawa in November. |
The Iraqi announcement comes two days after the Russian military declared it had accomplished its mission of defeating IS in neighbouring Syria. | The Iraqi announcement comes two days after the Russian military declared it had accomplished its mission of defeating IS in neighbouring Syria. |
The jihadist group had seized large swathes of Syria and Iraq in 2014, when it proclaimed a "caliphate" and imposed its rule over some 10 million people. | The jihadist group had seized large swathes of Syria and Iraq in 2014, when it proclaimed a "caliphate" and imposed its rule over some 10 million people. |
But it suffered a series of defeats over the past two years, losing Iraq's second city of Mosul this July and its de facto capital of Raqqa in northern Syria last month. | But it suffered a series of defeats over the past two years, losing Iraq's second city of Mosul this July and its de facto capital of Raqqa in northern Syria last month. |
Some IS fighters are reported to have dispersed into the Syrian countryside, while others are believed to have escaped across the Turkish border. | Some IS fighters are reported to have dispersed into the Syrian countryside, while others are believed to have escaped across the Turkish border. |
A battle unfinished | |
By Sebastian Usher, BBC Arab affairs editor | |
This is undeniably a proud moment for Mr Abadi. Since the recapture of Mosul - the militants' main stronghold - the offensive against the jihadists has moved swiftly on both sides of the border. | |
But if the direct military war with IS is genuinely over, and Iraq's elite forces can now step back after a conflict that's taken a huge toll on them, it doesn't mean the battle against the group's ideology or its ability to stage an insurgency is finished - whether in Iraq and Syria or the wider world. | |
Mr Abadi said on Saturday: "Our forces are in complete control of the Iraqi-Syrian border and I therefore announce the end of the war against Daesh [IS]. | Mr Abadi said on Saturday: "Our forces are in complete control of the Iraqi-Syrian border and I therefore announce the end of the war against Daesh [IS]. |
"Our enemy wanted to kill our civilisation, but we have won through our unity and our determination. We have triumphed in little time." | "Our enemy wanted to kill our civilisation, but we have won through our unity and our determination. We have triumphed in little time." |
The Iraqi armed forces issued a statement saying Iraq had been "totally liberated" from IS. | The Iraqi armed forces issued a statement saying Iraq had been "totally liberated" from IS. |
Last month, the Syrian military said it had "fully liberated" the eastern border town of Albu Kamal, IS's last urban stronghold in that country. | Last month, the Syrian military said it had "fully liberated" the eastern border town of Albu Kamal, IS's last urban stronghold in that country. |
On Thursday, the head of the Russian general staff's operations, Col-Gen Sergei Rudskoi, said: "The mission to defeat bandit units of the Islamic State terrorist organisation on the territory of Syria, carried out by the armed forces of the Russian Federation, has been accomplished." | On Thursday, the head of the Russian general staff's operations, Col-Gen Sergei Rudskoi, said: "The mission to defeat bandit units of the Islamic State terrorist organisation on the territory of Syria, carried out by the armed forces of the Russian Federation, has been accomplished." |
He said Russia's military presence in Syria would now concentrate on preserving ceasefires and restoring peace. | He said Russia's military presence in Syria would now concentrate on preserving ceasefires and restoring peace. |
The collapse of IS has raised fears that its foreign fighters will escape over Syria's borders to carry out more attacks abroad. | The collapse of IS has raised fears that its foreign fighters will escape over Syria's borders to carry out more attacks abroad. |