Fall does not mean end of Isis

THE wiping out of Isis from Mosul after three years is hugely important – not just for Iraq but for the rest of the world, even Britain.

It was at Mosul’s al-Nouri Mosque, in the Old City, that Abu Bakr al-Bahghdadi proclaimed his dreadful caliphate in 2014.

The caliphate as he dreamt it – land they wanted to claim as Isis territory – now no longer physically exists as Mosul, though in ruins, is back in Iraqi government hands.

The twisted cleric’s men swept across western and northern Iraq in an orgy of rape and beheadings, killing thousands of Iraqi police and soldiers. The men who took their place were retrained and have exacted decisive revenge on the group, killing and imprisoning them.

It is possible for Iraq now to regain control but its government has to carefully manage expectations of a new Mosul, which will cost billions to rebuild and take decades.

There will also be justified fears of increased Iranian influence in Iraq as its troops and Tehran-backed Shia Iraqi militia played a big role in retaking Mosul. As did the Kurdish Peshmerga, whose troops retook areas to the east of Mosul.

They will have demands too and Turkey will want to rein them in.

Along with the rest of NATO and Arab air forces, the RAF also played a role – a fact not lost on jihadis wanting to launch attacks in Britain.

It is likely the euphoria of defeating Isis in Mosul will mean a heightened risk of attacks across Europe as the group reverts to al-Qaeda type tactics.

So liberating Mosul is a major development in the global effort to tackle terrorism but it is by no means the end of Isis.