Iraqi PM declares victory over Islamic State in Mosul, three years after jihadists proclaimed caliphate

Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi arrived in Mosul on Sunday and congratulated the armed forces for their “victory” over Islamic State after eight months of urban warfare, bringing an end to three years of jihadist rule in the city.

The battle has left large parts of Mosul in ruins, killed thousands of civilians and displaced nearly one million people.

“The commander in chief of the armed forces [Prime Minister] Haidar al-Abadi arrived in the liberated city of Mosul and congratulated the heroic fighters and Iraqi people for the great victory,” his office said in a statement.

French President Emmanuel Macron, whose country is part of an international coalition which backed the campaign with airstrikes, training and assistance on the battlefield, welcomed the defeat in Mosul of the group also known as ISIS.

“Mosul liberated from ISIS: France pays homage to all those, who alongside our troops, contributed to this victory,” Macron said on his Twitter account.

Iraq still faces uncertainty and long-term stability will be possible only if the government contains ethnic and sectarian tensions which have dogged the country since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein in 2003.