Syrian President Assad hails Iraqi government’s gains against Daesh

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has hailed gains made by the Iraqi army and allied Popular Mobilization Units in their fight against terrorism.

Assad made the remark during a Wednesday meeting in Damascus with Iraqi National Security Adviser Faleh al-Fayad, who was in Syria to deliver a message on political and security cooperation to the Syrian president on behalf of Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.
The Syrian and Iraqi people are fighting the same war in their countries, and any victory against terrorism on either front is a gain for both nations, Assad added.
In his turn, Fayad stressed that the Iraqi government will coordinate with Syria on any matters that will benefit both counties in their fight against Daesh.
The northern and western parts of Iraq have been plagued by gruesome violence ever since Daesh terrorists began their reign of terror in the country in June 2014.
Iraqi army troops, backed by fighters from allied Popular Mobilization Units, are seeking to win back militant-held regions in joint operations.

Iraqi forces take part in a rehearsal for a military parade in the streets of the capital Baghdad on July 12, 2016, to be held later this week by the Joint Operations Command to celebrate the recapture of Fallujah from the Daesh Takfiri group. At the end of last month, Iraqi forces recaptured Fallujah, a city 50 kilometers (30 miles) west of Baghdad, in a major setback for the terrorists.
Having suffered heavy losses on the battlefield against Iraqi soldiers, Daesh has recently stepped up its terror attacks across the country.
Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura estimates that over 400,000 people have been killed in the conflict. The UN has stopped its official casualty count in Syria, citing its inability to verify the figures it receives from various sources.