(UDHAYAM, COLOMBO) – Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has visited Mosul to congratulate Iraqi Forces for their victory over Islamic State (IS) militants in the city.
The city was liberated, with just one or two pockets still controlled by IS, his office said in a statement.
Iraqi forces, backed by the United States (US)-led air strikes, have been battling to retake Mosul since 17 October last year.
Islamic State militants seized it in June 2014 before proclaiming a caliphate straddling Iraq and Syria.
Kurdish Peshmerga fighters, Sunni Arab tribesmen and Shia militiamen have also been involved in the gruelling battle.
The Iraqi Prime Minister arrived to “Congratulate the Armed Forces and the Iraqi people” on the final defeat of IS in Mosul on Sunday (09), the statement said.
Courtesy: BBC
