Wars & Rumors of War

Iraq officially declares Mosul's liberation from Islamic State - UPI.com
UPI reports: "Mosul has been totally liberated from control by the Islamic State, Iraq's prime minister declared Monday. [...] The battle for Mosul, the second-largest city in Iraq, has taken almost nine months as thousands of civilians died and more than 920,000 others were displaced. U.S.-led airstrikes helped the coalition take over Mosul."

Comment: This is no doubt an historic victory for Iraq and it's good that the U.S.-led coalition is letting the Iraqi forces take a victory lap as they did the bulk of the fighting and dying. I'm hoping those remaining pockets of resistance can be quickly mopped up and then the battle can be taken to Raqqa in Syria. The Islamic State as a idea and ideology may never completely go away, but it can certainly be denied territory and the liberation of Mosul has demonstrated that to all.