Donald Trump Congratulates Victory in Mosul

On Monday, July 10, Donald Trump, the President of the United States, congratulated the recapture of the city of Mosul from the Islamic State (ISIS). The U.S. President stated in a message: "Today, Iraqi forces, with the support of the United States and the international coalition, liberated the city of Mosul and ended the long nightmare of ISIS rule." Trump emphasized: "We congratulate Haider al-Abadi, the Prime Minister, the armed forces of Iraq, and all Iraqis on their victory over terrorism." The Iraqi Prime Minister announced on Monday that Iraqi forces had completely regained the city of Mosul from ISIS. The U.S. President also expressed condolences to the families of the victims of ISIS in Iraq and Syria. Trump remarked that the victory in Mosul, which was once the center of ISIS's self-proclaimed caliphate, indicates that there are only a few days left for the continued presence of ISIS in Iraq and Syria. He stressed: "We will continue the fight until the complete destruction of ISIS." An alliance consisting of 100,000 Iraqi army troops, Kurdish Peshmerga, and Shiite militias began operations to liberate Mosul nine months ago, supported by air and ground assistance from the U.S.-led coalition. The Islamic State managed to seize vast areas of western Iraq in a rapid operation in the summer of 2014. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of this group, declared the caliphate in the al-Nuri Mosque in Mosul, an act that reportedly shocked the Middle East and Western countries, according to Reuters. Meanwhile, Haider al-Abadi visited Mosul on Sunday to congratulate Iraqi forces on regaining the city from ISIS. However, the United Nations states that despite recent progress in driving ISIS out of Mosul, there is no prospect for an end to the humanitarian crisis in Iraq. Reports indicate that since the beginning of the Mosul recapture operations, over 800,000 residents of the city have been displaced.