Abadi urges world countries to reconstruct war-torn Iraqi cities

Baghdad (Iraqi news.com) – Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has called on the international community to reconstruct Iraqi cities that were destroyed in the brutal war against Islamic State.

Speaking in a televised speech ahead of his visit to Brussels to attend meetings of the global anti-IS coalition, slated for Thursday, Abadi said that “the Iraqi government has allocated a large portion of its budget for the reconstruction process and provision of job opportunities in the country.”

“Iraq took the lead in fighting terrorism on behalf of the world in order to keep Iraqi people, the region and the world safe,” Abadi pointed out, adding that Iraq managed to eliminate terrorism and defeat the Islamic State military.

Abadi declared last December final victory over Islamic State, three years after the militant group captured about a third of Iraq’s territory.

In a speech during the international media conference held at the journalists syndicate in Baghdad in December, Abadi said, “Our troops gained full control on the Iraqi-Syrian borders. We announce the end of war against Islamic State.”

“Our battle against the enemy, who wanted to destroy our civilization, is over. Thus, we gained victory through our unity and determination that made us defeat IS in a short time,” he said.

Abadi’s announcement came two days after Russia announced a similar victory over Islamic State militants in neighboring Syria. Abadi declared Dec. 10 an annual national holiday on this occasion.