MOSCOW (Sputnik) — On Sunday, the anti-terrorist unit of the Iraqi armed forces raised a national flag on the banks of the Tigris River in the historical part of Mosul. The same day, Iraq's Prime Minister Haider Abadi arrived in Mosul to declare the city's liberation from Daesh jihadists.
“Moscow supports the Iraqi government’s actions aimed at the restoration of sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country. We are sure that the promotion of the intra-Iraqi national reconciliation with taking into account the interests of all ethno-confessional groups will foster the fight against terrorism,” the Russian Foreign ministry said in statement.
Russia considers that the restoration of government’s control over Mosul is a major setback for Daesh in Iraq.
“The elimination of the terrorist presence throughout the country would be a next step forward,” the statement read.
The ministry noted that the liberation of Mosul was possible thanks to the courage and fortitude of the Iraqi military, the people's militia and the Kurdish Peshmerga forces.
The northern Iraqi city of Mosul, Daesh key stronghold in the country, had been controlled by terrorists since mid-2014. Iraqi troops backed by the US-led international coalition launched an operation to recapture the city in October 2016, with the eastern part of the city being liberated in January. In February, the Iraqi forces began the operation to liberate western part of the city.
