The Iraqi premier announces end of war against ISIS. But the jihadist ideology remains

Al-Abadi confirms that the Iraqi forces "have taken complete control" of the Iraqi-Syrian border. He speaks of victory as the fruit of "unity and determination" and obtained "in a short time". Previously Russia had described the mission in Syria against the Caliphate as "complete". However, a military victory does not imply the eradication of fundamentalist doctrine.

Baghdad (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has announced the end of the three-year war of security forces to expel the militias of the Islamic State (IS, former ISIS) from the country.

The official communication came on 9 December, during which the Prime Minister stressed that "our forces have taken complete control of the Iraqi-Syrian border" thus putting an end to the "war against Daesh [the acronym for IS]".

During a press conference, al-Abadi said that the "enemy" wanted to "kill our civilization", but "we won thanks to our unity and our determination". He then stressed that "we have triumphed in a short time".

The Caliphate militia, which appeared for the first time in the summer of 2014, had conquered most of the territories between Syria and Iraq, to control up to half of the two countries at the time of its maximum extension. Under their rule some of the most serious atrocities of recent history were carried out, in particular against the Yazidi Muslim minority.

In October last year, the Iraqi government, supported by a US-led international coalition, launched a massive offensive against Mosul, a stronghold of the Caliphate in Iraq. After about a year the anti-jihadist coalition confirmed the liberation of the area. Over the weekend, the Prime Minister's final declaration, which speaks of "good news: the liberation by the Iraqi forces of the entire border between Syria and Iraq". The premier did not mention the great contribution to the liberation of Mosul given by the Kurdish peshmerga troops, now in conflict with the central government after the Kurdistan independence referendum.

The official announcement of al-Abadi comes two days after the note of the Russian army, which described the mission to fight ISIS in neighboring Syria as "complete". However, analysts and experts point out that military victory does not also imply the definitive defeat of the jihadist ideology in the area, now rooted in a part of the population. A danger also highlighted by priests from the plain of Nineveh in northern Iraq, interviewed by AsiaNews for whom the "threat" is still present.