Iranian Diplomat, Iraqi FM Discuss Counter-Terrorism Measures
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Visiting Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Jaberi Ansari held talks with Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim Al-Jaafari on issues of mutual interest, including the latest efforts to boost Tehran-Baghdad cooperation in the fight against terrorism.
In the meeting held in Baghdad on Saturday evening, Jaberi Ansari offered his congratulations over the Iraqi nation’s recent victories in their anti-terrorism campaign and the liberation of the northern city of Mosul from Daesh (ISIS or ISIL) terrorist group.
He further pledged Iran’s unwavering support for the Iraqi government and people in their efforts to boost stability and peace in the Arab country.
The Iraqi top diplomat, for his part, pointed to the massive cooperation between the two neighboring countries and reiterated Baghdad’s will to deepen bilateral relations with Tehran in all areas.
Earlier this month, Iraq declared the complete liberation of Mosul some three years after the northern city fell to Daesh terrorists.
After eight months of difficult urban warfare, Iraqi military forces on June 29 captured the Mosul mosque at the heart of the strategic northern city, where Daesh had declared its de facto capital.
The recapture of Mosul, located some 400 kilometers north of Baghdad, marked the effective end of Daesh in the Arab country.
Daesh militants made swift advances in northern and western Iraq over the summer of 2014, after capturing swaths of northern Syria.
However, a combination of concentrated attacks by the Iraqi military and the volunteer forces, who rushed to take arms after top Shiite leader Grand Ayatollah Seyed Ali al-Sistani issued a fatwa calling for the fight against the militants, blunted the edge of Daesh offensive and forced the terrorist group to withdraw from much of the areas it had occupied.
