The Iraqis are making their way towards Mosul, the last city that was stolen by Daesh (the self-proclaimed Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) and their allies who supported the previous regime, said Iraq’s New Sabah. “The Peshmerga are joining the Iraqi forces in an organised manner that was described by the United States as seamless. In a single day, the Iraqi forces were able to liberate nine villages and are now heading towards major Daesh strongholds. Today, the Iraqis must unite just like they did in Fallujah, Ramadi and other Iraqi cities that some have claimed were like fortress that cannot be stormed and will never return to Iraq. Meanwhile, Kurdistan is also throwing its weight behind the rest of Iraq in a historic battle to liberate these lands, a battle to which the entire world is a witness.”
As the battle for Mosul rages on, now in its third week, progress is being made on the battlefield but, as expected, at a slow pace, said the Jordan Times. “Pundits of all sorts predict that while Daesh will lose territory in Iraq, and even in Syria, it will regroup in other parts of the world or, at least, activate splinter cells and followers to spread terror in the dozen or so countries they are ensconced in now. In Iraq, the fear is that in the immediate aftermath of the battle, sectarian warfare — between Shiites and Sunnis — will be rekindled, making peace a remote possibility. Moreover, freeing Mosul will not end the bigger war in Iraq, where ideologically, many downtrodden Sunnis will stay loyal to Daesh. That is a wider problem that has to be seriously addressed by the government in Iraq.”
Support for Aoun
Recent days have been a period for people to express their support for Lebanese President Michel Aoun and rejoice on the recovery of the presidency, said Lebanon’s Daily Star.
“Now is the time for hard work. It is the duty of everyone to now afford Aoun the space, time and support he needs to fulfil his agenda, since it reflects the aspirations of all Lebanese. Therefore, tomorrow is not just another day; it is a day for action, planning and taking the first steps of the 1,000-mile journey to realise what has been promised. The Lebanese people are pinning great expectations on starting the engines of governance, especially the declared intention of the president and the premier to cooperate fully because they acknowledge the needs and pitfalls that lie ahead.”
With recent political developments in Lebanon, one can say that the country has entered a new phase in which it may overcome the political, economic and social issues that it is facing, said the UAE’s Al Khaleej.
“Lebanon needs to overcome these challenges amid storms of terrorism and wars raging nearby by addressing issues at the core of its structure and working hard towards finding solutions that deal with them. The issue in Lebanon is its sectarian system and current quotas between its political parties whose existence stems from sectarian dimensions, which are used as a pretext for their actions and when dealing with national issues. The first step that needs to be taken by the new government is to quickly introduce a new law for elections that will pave the way for a real shift in Lebanese politics, a law that lays the foundation for a non-sectarian political system.”
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