Turnbull lauds Iraqi victory over IS

PRIME Minister Malcolm Turnbull has congratulated Iraq for driving ISIS from its borders and ending a regime of terror, anguish and murder.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al- Abadi announced his forces had rid the country of the extremist militia group.

“Their bravery in the face of unimaginable brutality has made the region and the world a safer place by robbing terrorists of their narrative of invincibility,” Mr Turnbull said in a joint statement with Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and Defence Minister Marise Payne yesterday.

But they also conceded Iraq’s liberation had come at a great cost.

They thanked Australia’s defence forces for the vital role they played as part of the international counter- ISIS Coalition.

PRIME Minister Haider alAbadi at the weekend declared victory in a three- year war by Iraqi forces to expel the Islamic State jihadist group that at its height endangered Iraq’s very existence.

“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 in Baghdad. “Our enemy wanted to kill our civilisation, but we have won through our unity and our determination.”

IS seized vast areas north and west of Baghdad in a lightning offensive in 2014.