This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-42291985
The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 4 | Version 5 |
|---|---|
| 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) is over. | Iraq has announced that its war against so-called Islamic State (IS) 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 US state department welcomed the end of the "vile occupation" of IS in Iraq and said the fight against the group would continue. | The US state department welcomed the end of the "vile occupation" of IS in Iraq and said the fight against the group would continue. |
| Iraq's announcement comes two days after the Russian military declared it had accomplished its mission of defeating IS in neighbouring Syria. | Iraq's 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 | A battle unfinished |
| By Sebastian Usher, BBC Arab affairs editor | By Sebastian Usher, BBC Arab affairs editor |
| This is undeniably a proud moment for Mr Abadi - a victory that once looked like it might only ever be rhetorical rather than real. | This is undeniably a proud moment for Mr Abadi - a victory that once looked like it might only ever be rhetorical rather than real. |
| But if the direct military war with IS in Iraq is genuinely over, and the country'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, Syria or the wider world. | But if the direct military war with IS in Iraq is genuinely over, and the country'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, Syria or the wider world. |
| Attacks may be at a lower level than they once were, but Iraqi towns and cities still fall prey to suicide bombers, while the conditions that fuelled the growth of jihadism remain - even in the territory that's been recaptured. | Attacks may be at a lower level than they once were, but Iraqi towns and cities still fall prey to suicide bombers, while the conditions that fuelled the growth of jihadism remain - even in the territory that's been recaptured. |
| 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. |
| US state department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement that Iraqis who had lived under the jihadists' "brutal control" were now free. | US state department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement that Iraqis who had lived under the jihadists' "brutal control" were now free. |
| "The United States joins the government of Iraq in stressing that Iraq's liberation does not mean the fight against terrorism, and even against Isis [IS], in Iraq is over," she added. | "The United States joins the government of Iraq in stressing that Iraq's liberation does not mean the fight against terrorism, and even against Isis [IS], in Iraq is over," she added. |
| UK Prime Minister Theresa May congratulated Mr Abadi on a "historic moment" but warned that IS still posed a threat, including from across the border in Syria. | |
| Last month, the Syrian military said it had "fully liberated" the eastern border town of Albu Kamal, the last last urban stronghold of IS in that country. | Last month, the Syrian military said it had "fully liberated" the eastern border town of Albu Kamal, the last last urban stronghold of IS 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. |
| Iraq's war with IS | Iraq's war with IS |