ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Iraq on Wednesday marked eight years to the day that it declared victory over the Islamic State (ISIS), with Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani hailing the sacrifices made during the war to bring about a “decisive and enduring victory.” 

On December 10, 2017, then-Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared Victory Day over ISIS, after Iraqi and Kurdish forces, supported by a US-led international coalition, seized back full territorial control from the jihadists. 

It was the culmination of over three years of brutal fighting, which saw ISIS take control of large swathes of Iraqi territory, particularly the northern city of Mosul, the second largest in the country. 

During the militants’ brutal reign, tens of thousands of people were killed, and countless atrocities were committed, primarily targeting vulnerable minority communities such as the Yazidis and Christians. Shiite Muslim communities in northern Iraq were also the subject of attacks. 

The last urban centers to be retaken by Iraqi forces were in the western parts of the vast Anbar province, first al-Qaim and then Rawa, in November 2017. 

Marking the eighth anniversary of Victory Day, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani said, “We drew inspiration from the heroic acts and profound sacrifices made by Iraqis as they fought one of the noblest and most honorable battles in defense of their homeland against the ISIS terrorist organization.”

“The people of our great nation, from all its components, stood together to liberate their land, guided by the blessed fatwa of the Supreme Religious Authority. Their sacrifices culminated in a decisive and enduring victory,” Sudani said in a statement. 

With the Iraqi army facing collapse and rapidly losing territory to ISIS in June 2024, and with the militants closing in on Baghdad, Iraq’s highest Shiite authority, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, declared a fatwa, a religious call to action, urging young Iraqis to take up arms against ISIS. 

The Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) soon emerged from Sistani’s call, after a loose group of militias united to fight ISIS. The PMF has since been integrated into the Iraqi security apparatus, although many of its components continue to operate with impunity and reportedly maintain strong ties to Iran. 

Eight years after the announcement of Victory Day, military and security operations continue in both Iraq and neighboring Syria to fight ISIS remnants and prevent a resurgence of the group.