Over $100 Billion: The Cost of the Rise and Fall of ISIS in Iraq

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi estimated the damages caused by the rise and fall of the group known as the Islamic State in the country to be equivalent to $100 billion. Al-Abadi made these remarks during a visit to Karbala, one of the holy cities for Shia Muslims, where millions of pilgrims gathered for the annual Arbaeen ceremony. According to the French news agency, the Prime Minister stated, "The damage caused by the capture of Iraqi cities by the Islamic State group has exceeded $100 billion so far." Currently, the assessment of damages is limited to two areas: economic and infrastructural. The Islamic State group, composed of extremist Sunnis, captured nearly one-third of Iraq's territory and parts of Syria about three years ago during significant advances. Although the territory of this self-proclaimed 'caliphate' has been reduced due to multiple attacks and is now limited to areas along the Iraq-Syria border, Iraqi forces launched a new operation on Saturday to reclaim the last cities occupied by the Islamic State in the country, including Rawah and nearby settlements. Haider al-Abadi, who is also the commander of Iraq's armed forces, announced that another goal of this operation is to "cleanse open desert areas". Given the ongoing attacks by the Islamic State group against Shia Muslims, the expulsion of this group from Iraqi cities was particularly significant during this year's Arbaeen ceremony. Last year, at least 70 people were killed in a suicide attack, most of whom were Iranian pilgrims returning from the Arbaeen ceremony.