Baghdad, 10 December 2021 (TDI): Iraq is celebrating its 4th Victory day anniversary, a public holiday, to commemorate Iraq’s victory over the so-called Islamic State (ISIS) in December 2017.
Despite the difficulties, during the battle against ISIS, Iraq did not stop its cultural, economic, and political movement and its role in the region and the world. Iraq was fully committed to international agreements and cooperation with the League of Arab States, the Organization of the Islamic Conference, and many regional and international organizations. As well, it cooperated with the European Union, Russia, and the United States to jointly combat the terrorist organization.
Brief History of Iraq’s Victory Day
In 2014, ISIS launched an offensive in Iraq taking control of about a third of Iraqi territory including the second-biggest city, Mosul. Therefore, the country started to confront the ISIS takeover of its territory, with liberation efforts in each town and city met with fierce resistance.
On December 9th, 2017, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared final victory over ISIS after Iraqi forces drove its last remnants from the country. The Minister declared December 10th as “Iraq Victory Day”, the national holiday to be celebrated every year to mark the victory.
On the fourth anniversary of the military defeat of Daesh, Major General Yehia Rasool said that “Iraq’s heroic armed forces will continue to hunt down Daesh remnants until they are completely rooted out from Iraq”.
This public holiday is really important for the Iraqis, as the country pays tribute to its heroic armed forces in all their formations, to the families of the martyrs and the injured, and to the Iraqi people for their sacrifices in the defense and liberation of Iraq.
Arantza Renteria is a Peruvian third-year student of International Relations with a specialization in cooperation and development.
Her work experience mostly covers Middle Eastern affairs. Her area of expertise is the Levant. Among these countries, Lebanon, Iraq, and Palestine.
She has worked in intercultural governmental and non-governmental work environments, including the Embassy of Palestine in Lima.
Currently, she leads the Middle East and Gulf Research Desk at The Diplomatic Insight.
