Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi: ‘complete defeat’ of IS as Hawija is liberated

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Tuesday announced the full liberation of Hawija from the Islamic State (IS), adding he expects the “complete defeat” of the group this year. During a televised broadcast on Iraqi state television, Prime Minister Abadi said the extremist group had suffered another setback in Hawija and would be completely defeated in Iraq this year. “As I have promised to you all, this year will see the end of IS in Iraq”, the Iraqi PM said. “Members of IS are currently gripped with fear everywhere”. Abadi’s statement comes one week after he declared the recapture of the city, west of Kirkuk, after a two-week campaign against the militant group. An Iraqi army commander in Hawija said security forces had begun clearing liberated areas of booby-traps and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) planted by IS.