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Mosul’s liberation enraptured entire region: Iran’s Rouhani

Wednesday, 12 July 2017 1:36 PM [ Last Update: Thursday, 13 July 2017 9:20 AM ]

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani (C) speaks during a cabinet session in Tehran on July 12, 2017. (Photo by president.ir)

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has hailed the liberation of the northern Iraqi city of Mosul from the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group, saying the victory enraptured not only the Iraqi nation but also the entire region.

“The victory of the Iraqi people over Daesh terrorists and Mosul’s liberation are joyful news not only for the Iraqi nation but also for the Iranians and the entire region,” Rouhani said in a cabinet session on Wednesday.

On Monday, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi formally declared victory of the country’s forces over Daesh in Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city which fell into the hands of the Takfiri terrorist group in June 2014.

Read more:

Iraqi premier formally declares victory over Daesh

The victory marked the formal end of a campaign that lasted nearly nine months.

Rouhani said the fact that Iran was the first country to rush to the help of the Iraqi people against terrorists will go down in history.

The Iranian president said the powers destabilizing the region over the past 16 years through military intervention and the occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq have not only failed to stand up to terrorists in Iraq but also rejoiced over new problems facing the region.

He said certain regional countries were also to blame for the problems of the region, adding that they thought they could achieve their objectives through using terrorism as an instrument.

Iraqis celebrate while holding a giant national flag in Tahrir Square in the capital Baghdad, July 10, 2017, after Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared victory against Daesh in Mosul. (Photo by AP)

Rouhani noted that the true fight against terror should focus on combating the ideology of terrorism.

“It takes a long time to uproot the ideology of extremism and violence,” he said.

At Baghdad’s request, Iran has been providing military advisory assistance to Iraq in its counter-terrorism campaign. Tehran says it will continue rendering assistance to Baghdad as long as the Iraqi government calls for it.

'Wise global policy'

Elsewhere in his remarks, Rouhani said Iran has proved to follow “a wise” policy vis-à-vis the region and the world.

With regard to its nuclear program, Iran showed that it was pursuing a peaceful solution to all complicated issues at the international level, he said.

Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council - the United States, Britain, France, China and Russia - plus Germany signed a historic nuclear deal -- known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) -- on July 14, 2015 and started implementing it on January 16, 2016.

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