Iraq marks anniversary of victory over Daesh

Cairo: Tomorrow, Iraq is marking the third anniversary of its victory over the terrorist Daesh group that had seized large chunks of the country in 2014.

In a statement marking the occasion, Iraqi President Bahram Salih Thursday underscored the importance of making “swift” moves to calm tensions in the region.

“The militant groups feed on and exploit unstable regional conditions. This necessitates swift action to reduce tensions in the region,” Salih said. “We here stress Iraq’s unwavering stance of disengagement from regional conflicts and rejection of their repercussions on its security and internal stability,” he added. Iraq has recently felt the brunt of an upsurge in tensions between the US and Iran.

Pro-Iran militias have been blamed for a series of attacks on Iraqi military facilities housing US-led coalition forces that helped rout Daesh terrorists.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mostafa Kadhim, who took office in May after a months-long political deadlock, Thursday called defeat of Deash a “victory of civilisation over backwardness” and called for national unity.

“Daesh tried to hijack areas from Iraq. But Iraq does not accept division. Iraq rejected humiliation,” he said during a visit to Iraq’s western province of Fallujah that Daesh once controlled.