Daesh has no place in Iraq, Mosul liberation is near, Iraqi PM says
Iraqi premier has congratulated the nation for the liberation of Fallujah from the grip of the Daesh militant group, saying there is no place in his country for the Takfiri terrorists.
“We promised you the liberation of Fallujah and we retook it. Our security forces control the city except for small pockets that need to be cleared within the coming hours,” Haider al-Abadi said in a brief speech broadcast on state television on Friday night.
“There is no place in Iraq for you and you will be punished for all the crimes you have committed. The Iraqi people are all united against you. Get out of our country, for Iraq is for Iraqis,” Abadi further said, addressing the terrorists.
The Iraqi premier also promised that the liberation of Mosul – Daesh’s de facto capital in the country since June 2014 – is very close as it is the Iraqi forces’ “next destination” in their campaign to flush the militants out of the country.
Iraqi government forces are seen after recapturing the town of Zankura, northwest of Ramadi in Anbar province, from the Daesh terrorists on June 16, 2016. (AFP)
Addressing the inhabitants of newly-liberated Fallujah, he said troops from across the country did their best to protect them and bring back peace and security to the city.
On Friday, army forces raised the Iraqi national flag over the main government compound in Fallujah, symbolizing the recapture of the beleaguered western city from Daesh. The forces met limited resistance from the terrorists, who were fleeing the city. Fallujah, in the western province of Anbar, is located about 69 kilometers (43 miles) west of the capital Baghdad.
A member of Iraqi government forces flashes the sign of victory in the back of an armored vehicle during an operation in Fallujah’s southern Shuhada neighborhood to retake the area from the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group on June 15, 2016. (AFP)
Iran congrats Iraqi people
Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hossein Jaberi Ansari on Friday congratulated the victory of the Iraqi forces against Daesh in the strategic city of Fallujah, expressing hope that the Iraqi government, backed by the national unity and all political and social factions in the country, would achieve more victories in its full-scale campaign against terrorism and extremism.
The northern and western parts of Iraq have been plagued by gruesome violence ever since Daesh terrorists mounted an offensive in the country in June 2014.
The militants have been committing vicious crimes against all ethnic and religious communities in Iraq, including Shias, Sunnis, Kurds, Christians and others.
The Iraqi army, along with fighters from the Popular Mobilization Units, has been engaged in operations to liberate militant-held regions.
