VICTORY OVER ISIS
IRAQ: FIGHT OVER, THREAT STILL ALIVE
Iraq declared victory in its quest to purge ISIS from the country, a key point for the U.S.-backed forces three-years deep into rooting out the brutal terror group from its crumbling caliphate.
But U.S. and Iraqi officials cautioned that ISIS is far from being defanged.
Former CIA officer Joseph Wippl told the Herald the beaten-down remnants of ISIS will scatter and fighters could still be looking to pull off terror attacks.
“I don’t expect them to disappear,” said Wippl, a Boston University professor of international relations. “It’s an ideological group of individuals, whereas most of them are beaten down, there are always a few who will continue to fight in one place or another.
“I don’t think we’ve seen the last of them,” Wippl added.
The State Department pledged to continue advising, training and equipping Iraqi security forces, stressing that “Iraq’s liberation does not mean the fight against terrorism, and even against ISIS, in Iraq is over,” according to spokeswoman Heather Nauert.
“Together, we must be vigilant in countering all extremist ideologies to prevent the return of ISIS or the emergence of threats
by other terrorist groups,” Nauert said.
Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi of Iraq said yesterday the country’s security forces took control of Iraq’s border with Syria and liberated the last of the nation’s western lands.
“Honorable Iraqis, your land has been completely liberated,” Abadi said from Baghdad. “We achieved victory in difficult circumstances and with God’s help, the steadfastness of our people and the bravery of our heroic forces, we prevailed.”
At its peak, ISIS controlled a third of Iraq, but losing major battles for its strongholds in Fallujah, Ramadi and Mosul put the terror group on its heels.
Today, Abadi said the flag of Iraq flies across all its territory to its farthest point on the border.
“Our battle was with the enemy that wanted to kill our civilization, but we have won with our unity and determination,” Abadi said.
ISIS’ despotic grasp on territory in Iraq shocked the world with its use of human shields and transformation of hospitals, mosques, universities and schools into weapon factories and bases of operation.
Abadi called on Iraqis to guard against slipping back into the religious and sectarian feuding that paved the way for ISIS to flourish.
“I urge everyone to refrain from returning to the inflammatory and sectarian discourse that empowered gangs to occupy our cities and villages,” he said. “Our people have paid a dear price. … We must turn this page forever.”
The U.S. envoy to the global coalition to defeat ISIS called for unity in Iraq to take on the complicated tasks ahead.
“We honor the sacrifices of the Iraqi people, its security forces, and the Kurdish Peshmerga, and admire the unity in their ranks that had made this day possible,” said special presidential envoy Brett McGurk. “That spirit must be renewed and continue as Iraq works to consolidate these historic gains over the coming year.”
ISIS continued to pose a threat in Iraqi, an Iraqi official said, noting that intelligence gathering would become increasingly important in the post-military phase of the fight against the group.
“The triumph of military operations alone is not enough without stability,” government spokesman Saad al-Hadithi said, explaining that rebuilding in the wake of military victories against ISIS remained a “big challenge” for the Iraqi government.