BEIJING, July 11 (Xinhua) -- A number of world leaders have expressed congratulations to Iraq over the liberation of Mosul from the Islamic States (IS) group and pledged efforts to continue combating terrorist factors.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared Monday that Mosul was liberated from the IS after nine months of fierce fighting to dislodge the extremist militants from their last major stronghold in Iraq.
"I declare to the whole world the end, failure and collapse of Daesh state, the state of (IS group) terrorism, started here in Mosul three years ago," Abadi said in a speech in Mosul.
Following the announcement, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres hailed the victory as a significant step in the fight against terrorism and violent extremism.
In a statement, Guterres paid tribute to the people and government of Iraq for their courage, determination and perseverance.
"The United Nations will stand by the government of Iraq in the tasks ahead of creating the necessary conditions for the voluntary, safe and dignified return of displaced communities, restoring the rule of law in freed up areas, preventing a return to violence and fostering accountability for all violations committed," said the statement.
Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the liberation of Mosul "underscores the success of the international effort led by the Iraqi Security Forces."
"We honor the sacrifices of the Iraqi Security Forces and Iraqi people, as well as the Kurdish Peshmerga, in achieving this victory, and express condolences for the many lives lost in the operation," the top U.S. diplomat said in a statement.
Tillerson vowed that the U.S. and its Coalition partners will continue to work closely with the UN to stabilize liberated areas throughout Mosul, supporting the return of displaced civilians to their homes.
He also cautioned that there is still much work to be done to defeat the IS, adding that the Coalition forces will continue to stand with its Iraqi partners to ensure that the IS is defeated wherever it remains in Iraq.
Mosul, 400 km north of Iraq's capital Baghdad, had come under IS control since June 2014. The IS militants used the city as its base and occupied a large swathe of land in Iraq's northern and western regions.
China also congratulated Iraq on the victory. China will, as always, support the Iraqi government in safeguarding the country's stability and pushing forward economic reconstruction, a foreign ministry spokesman said Monday at a daily briefing.
New Zealand also joined the global chorus in congratulating Iraq on the liberation of Mosul. The country's Foreign Minister Gerry Brownlee announced a further 1.4 million-NZ dollar (1.02 million-U.S. dollar) contribution to the United Nations Funding Facility for Immediate Stabilization, which has played a key role in restoring stability in Iraq.
"Now is the time to demonstrate to ISIS, through our ongoing commitment, that Iraq and the global coalition are dedicated to defeating the terrorist threat," Brownlee said.
Regional players in the Middle East also sent their congratulations.
Arab League (AL) Secretary General Ahmed Abul Gheit on Monday congratulated Iraqi Armed Forces on the "key achievement," AL spokesman Mahmoud Afifi was quoted by Egypt's official MENA news agency as saying.
Gheit said Iraqi people's support for the army had a great role in defeating the terrorists.
The AL leader also underlined the importance of proceeding with the military campaign to uproot the IS, adding that he is looking forward to congratulating the Syrians on getting rid of the IS.
Syria's Foreign Ministry said that the Mosul victory "is for all those who believed that eliminating Daesh is a noble goal that deserves the sacrifice," the ministry said, using the Arabic acronym for the IS group.
It stressed that cooperation is ongoing between the Syrian and Iraqi forces to eradicate the remnants of the IS, "because uniting our efforts is the main guarantee for making sure the IS has no return in both countries."
Earlier, Iranian Defense Minister Hossein Dehqan also congratulated Iraq on the Mosul victory, even hours before Iraq's formal announcement.
"I am confident that the defeat and vanishing of terrorism would be possible through real determination of the governments to fight against terrorism in a united front," Dehqan said in a message to his Iraqi counterpart on Sunday.
"This victory in Mosul will hopefully result in the complete defeat of proxy wars in the region," he added.
