UNITED NATIONS, July 13 (Xinhua) -- The UN Security Council on Thursday welcomed the liberation of Iraq's northern city of Mosul, saying that it marks an "important milestone" in the global effort to defeat the Islamic State (IS).
In a unanimous statement, the 15-nation council commended the Iraqi security forces and the Iraqi people for the successful effort in the battle to rid Iraq from IS.
Iraq formally announced on Monday that Mosul has been freed from the IS after nine months of fierce fighting to dislodge the extremist militants from their last major stronghold in Iraq.
The council also asked relevant parties to comply with their obligations to protect civilians as the Iraqi security forces liberate the remaining pockets of IS-controlled territory.
"The members of the Security Council recognized the Government of Iraq's ongoing partnership with the United Nations to stabilize liberated areas across Iraq and called on all Iraqis to continue to work toward this important task," said the statement.
Mosul, 400 km north of Iraq's capital Baghdad, came under IS control since June 2014 when government forces fled. The IS capture of Mosul enabled its militants to take control of parts of Iraq's northern and western regions.
