Abadi Declares 'End of War Against ISIS' in Iraq

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi addresses attendees during the 70th session of the United Nations General Assembly at the U.N. Headquarters in New York. Reuters file photo
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi addresses attendees during the 70th session of the United Nations General Assembly at the U.N. Headquarters in New York. Reuters file photo
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Abadi Declares 'End of War Against ISIS' in Iraq

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi addresses attendees during the 70th session of the United Nations General Assembly at the U.N. Headquarters in New York. Reuters file photo
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi addresses attendees during the 70th session of the United Nations General Assembly at the U.N. Headquarters in New York. Reuters file photo

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Saturday announced the end of a three-year war by Iraqi forces to drive ISIS extremist organization out of the country.

"Our forces are in complete control of the Iraqi-Syrian border and I therefore announce the end of the war against ISIS," Abadi told a conference organized by the Iraqi journalists' union in Baghdad.

"Our enemy wanted to kill our civilization, but we have won through our unity and our determination. We have triumphed in little time," he said.

The terrorist group seized vast areas north and west of Baghdad in a lightning offensive in the summer of 2014, endangering the very existence of the Iraqi state.

Iraq's fightback was launched with the backing of an air campaign waged by the US-led coalition, recapturing town after town from the clutches of the militants.

"I announce the good news: the liberation by Iraqi forces of the whole of the Iraqi-Syrian border," the prime minister told the conference.

Lt. Gen. Abdul-Amir Rasheed Yar Allah, a senior Iraqi military commander, also said Saturday that his country's war against ISIS is over.

He said combat operations against the extremists have concluded after Iraqi forces retook control of the country's border with Syria.

“All Iraqi lands are liberated from terrorist ISIS gangs and our forces completely control the international Iraqi-Syrian border," the statement said.



Syria to Include All Sectors in New Government, Foreign Minister Says

 Saudi Arabia's Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman meets Syria's newly appointed Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, January 2, 2025. Saudi Press Agency/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo
Saudi Arabia's Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman meets Syria's newly appointed Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, January 2, 2025. Saudi Press Agency/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo
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Syria to Include All Sectors in New Government, Foreign Minister Says

 Saudi Arabia's Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman meets Syria's newly appointed Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, January 2, 2025. Saudi Press Agency/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo
Saudi Arabia's Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman meets Syria's newly appointed Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, January 2, 2025. Saudi Press Agency/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo

Syria's foreign minister has told Saudi Arabian officials that the new leadership in Damascus wants to set up a government involving all parts of Syrian society following the overthrow of Bashar Al-Assad last month.

Minister Asaad Hassan Al-Shibani was making the first foreign trip by a member of Syria's new administration as Western and regional powers seek signs on whether it show inclusivity in government.

Al-Shibani and Syria's defense minister met with Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman in Riyadh on Thursday.

"Through our visit, we conveyed our national vision of establishing a government based on partnership and efficiency that includes all Syrian components, and working to launch an economic development plan that opens the way for investment, establishes strategic partnerships, and improves living and service conditions," Al-Shibani said in a post on X, Reuters reported.

Since ousting Assad on Dec. 8, opposition factions led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) have sought to reassure Arab countries and the international community that they will govern on behalf of all Syrians.