ISIS is About to be Ousted from Iraq
Rate Article:
By Ty Joplin
Combined Iraqi Forces and Pro-Iraq militias announced Oct. 5 that Hawija, the last urban stronghold of ISIS in Iraq, was taken from the terrorist group after only 15 days of fighting.
Shortly thereafter, on Oct. 9, Javad Talibawi, the spokesperson for the Iran-backed Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), announced a new campaign to remove ISIS from their last holdouts in Western Iraq, along the border with Syria.
As of now, ISIS only holds two major towns in Iraq--Rawa and al-Qa’im, and both are under threat by Iraq and its militias. Continue reading below »
View as list 
Image 1 of 7: 1 / 7Members of the Iraqi forces pose with their rifles as they ride in the back of a pick-up truck during the advance towards villages between the northern Iraqi cities of Hawija and Kirkuk on October 6, 2017 AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP
Image 2 of 7: 2 / 7A picture taken on October 6, 2017 shows a tank belonging to the Furqat al-Abbas Brigade of the Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilisation) paramilitaries advancing towards villages between the northern Iraqi cities of Hawija and Kirkuk AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP
Image 3 of 7: 3 / 7Fighters of the Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization) paramilitaries are seen riding on infantry-fighting vehicles during the advance towards villages between the northern Iraqi cities of Hawija and Kirkuk on October 6, 2017 AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP
Image 4 of 7: 4 / 7A picture taken on October 6, 2017 shows a tank belonging to the Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilisation) paramilitaries advancing towards villages between the northern Iraqi cities of Hawija and Kirkuk AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP
Image 5 of 7: 5 / 7Tanks and vehicles of the combined Iraqi forces and Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization) paramilitaries are seen on the advance towards villages between the northern Iraqi cities of Hawija and Kirkuk on October 6, 2017 AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP
Image 6 of 7: 6 / 7Tanks and vehicles of the combined Iraqi forces and Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization) paramilitaries are seen on the advance towards villages between the northern Iraqi cities of Hawija and Kirkuk on October 6, 2017, after retaking Hawija from Islamic State (IS) group fighters a day before. AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP
Image 7 of 7: 7 / 7Members of the Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization) paramilitaries flash the victory gesture as they ride atop an infantry-fighting vehicle during the advance towards villages between the northern Iraqi cities of Hawija and Kirkuk on October 6, 2017 AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP
Image 1 of 7Members of the Iraqi forces pose with their rifles as they ride in the back of a pick-up truck during the advance towards villages between the northern Iraqi cities of Hawija and Kirkuk on October 6, 2017 AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP
Image 2 of 7A picture taken on October 6, 2017 shows a tank belonging to the Furqat al-Abbas Brigade of the Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilisation) paramilitaries advancing towards villages between the northern Iraqi cities of Hawija and Kirkuk AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP
Image 3 of 7Fighters of the Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization) paramilitaries are seen riding on infantry-fighting vehicles during the advance towards villages between the northern Iraqi cities of Hawija and Kirkuk on October 6, 2017 AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP
Image 4 of 7A picture taken on October 6, 2017 shows a tank belonging to the Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilisation) paramilitaries advancing towards villages between the northern Iraqi cities of Hawija and Kirkuk AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP
Image 5 of 7Tanks and vehicles of the combined Iraqi forces and Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization) paramilitaries are seen on the advance towards villages between the northern Iraqi cities of Hawija and Kirkuk on October 6, 2017 AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP
Image 6 of 7Tanks and vehicles of the combined Iraqi forces and Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization) paramilitaries are seen on the advance towards villages between the northern Iraqi cities of Hawija and Kirkuk on October 6, 2017, after retaking Hawija from Islamic State (IS) group fighters a day before. AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP
Image 7 of 7Members of the Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization) paramilitaries flash the victory gesture as they ride atop an infantry-fighting vehicle during the advance towards villages between the northern Iraqi cities of Hawija and Kirkuk on October 6, 2017 AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP
Though lingering cells of ISIS fighters and sympathizers remain in Iraq and will continue to pose small security risks, ISIS is on the brink of losing all territorial control of the country.
In 2014, ISIS launched a blitzkrieg across northern Iraq, quickly taking Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city, and Tikrit. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the head of ISIS, announced the beginning of ISIS’ supposed-Caliphate, or Islamic State, in Mosul.
In Syria too, ISIS has lost the vast majority of its territory: its de facto capital, Raqqa, is about to be captured by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) with U.S. air support.
Though ISIS remains a dangerous threat in the region, its near-total military defeat is a success for the embattled region which is remains crippled by civil and proxy wars.
As Iraq begins to imagine itself without an ISIS occupation, the nation weary by continuous conflict may ask itself what will come next.
Advertisement
Rate Article:
EDITOR’S CHOICE
Top Headlines
RECENT ARTICLES
- The ISIS Files: 11 Daesh conspiracy theories, from probable to impossible
- Iran to Maintain Military Presence in Syria After ISIS Defeat
- ISIS, ISIS baby! 13 facts about the baddest boys of religious fundamentalism
- Maliki vs. Abadi - Amid the ISIS crisis, which man can do the job of unifying Iraq?
- Turkey and Kurdistan as top black markets? The ISIS' 'secret' to making $2 million a day
MOST POPULAR
Add a new comment
Related Videos
Recent SlideShows
Related SlideShows
From Around The Web
User login
