Abadi: we’re in the final stages of liberation
The Iraqi prime minister says the country is in its final stages of liberation from ISIL militants.
As Iraqi forces battled to push the extemists out of their last remaining pockets of territory, Haider al Abadi attributed the forthcoming victory over ISIL to Iraqi unity and solidarity.
“Iraq was at a crossroads when ISIL entered using terror, the international community backed Iraq to prevent ISIL from spreading in the region,” Mr Al Abadi said.
Speaking yesterday during a meeting with Yahia Nasseri, governor of the southern Iraqi province of Dhi Qar, the prime minister said: “We are in the final stage of liberating our territories and we will continue to train our forces as terrorism prevails [in parts of the country].”
The recapture of territory has progressed swiftly since Iraqi forces, with American backing, retook the city of Mosul in July. Last month, the Iraqi military command overseeing the anti-ISIL operation declared victory in Tal Afar, west of Mosul, and announced that Hawija, 240 kilometres north of Baghdad, would be the next battle against the militants.
“By maintaining its unity and through the readiness of our people to sacrifice their lives and through the wisdom of religious authorities Iraq came out victorious,” Mr Al Abadi said.
Iraq has also carried out many economic reforms, after weathering a serious financial crisis. As a result, “the world has become confident in the Iraqi economy”, Mr Al Abadi said. “Today the country is stronger and is different than ever before and is considered a state of great importance in the world.”
He stressed again the importance of maintaining unity in the country and described the Kurdish region’s forthcoming independence vote as “unconstitutional”.
“We live in one country and cannot allow unilateral action,” he said.
On Tuesday, the Iraqi parliament rejected the highly controversial Kurdish independence vote, which is scheduled to take place on September 25.
The decision has given the prime minister the authority to take all necessary measures to preserve national unity – although what those measures might entail is unclear.
But the president of Iraqi Kurdistan, Masoud Barzani, pledged to press ahead with the referendum despite the Iraqi parliament’s vote.
Yesterday, Mr Barzani said that Erbil – capital of the semi-autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan region – considered the Baghdad parliament’s decision “as non-binding”.
Mr Barzani called on the Iraqi parliament to reconsider its decision because they “cannot break the will of the people of Kurdistan.”
The president of Iraqi Kurdistan, Masoud Barzani, pledged to press ahead with the referendum