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One year ago July 10, the city of Mosul,ISIS's self-declared capital in Iraq, was liberated from ISIS by Iraqi SecurityForces. The loss of its capital in Iraq cannot beoverstated. The group's capture of the city on June 10th, 2014, was a major propagandacoup for the terrorists and a blow to Iraq's security and stability. In earlyJuly, ISIS leader Abu Bakr Baghdadi, declared a caliphate from the grand Mosqueof al-Nuri in Mosul's old city. For three years, the terrorists brutalizedthe population, burned books and destroyed the city's cherished antiquities. In late 2016, Iraqi forces began a campaignto re-take Mosul. But as they were slowly pushed out of the city, theterrorists became ever more brutal. According to Amnesty International, ISIS roundedup thousands of civilians for use as human shields. They killed hundreds ofcivilians who attempted to flee and hanged their bodies in public areas. When Iraqi forces finally evicted ISIS fromMosul on July 10, 2017, the city lay in ruins. Over 500 buildings had beendestroyed, including the al-Nouri Mosque. Nonetheless, the liberation of Mosulwas a severe loss to ISIS. Not only did it represent a tremendous blow to theterrorists' prestige and the illusion of invulnerability ISIS cultivated, the citywas its last strategic stronghold in Iraq, and its loss was the beginning ofthe end for their ambitions in Iraq. In the 12 months since the last ISISfighter fled Mosul, much has changed. ISIS losses continued to mount, andtoday, having lost all its territory in Iraq, the terrorist group is fightingfor its last footholds in Syria. In Mosul, the second part of freeing thecity from the stain of ISIS—demining, rebuilding and restoration ofservices--is well on the way. Under Iraqi leadership, the United Sates andGlobal Coalition partners are working closely with the UN to stabilizeMosul.Hundreds of thousands of its citizens are returning to homes they oncefled. Children are going back to school and markets are once again opening forbusiness. Mosul will never be the same. Nonetheless,as it has done for over 2500 years, it will survive.
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发表于 2018-8-9 17:10
楼主
发表于 2018-8-9 17:17
