Iraqi official calls for ‘total elimination’ of Daesh

BAGHDAD

Iraqi Parliament Speaker Salim al-Jubouri on Tuesday voiced hope that the ongoing army campaign to "liberate" Daesh-held Mosul -- now in its second week -- would result in the "total elimination" of the terrorist group.

Al-Jubouri made the assertion at the Al-Qayyarah airbase south of Mosul, where he inspected military preparations inside the city, the situation of displaced residents and humanitarian relief operations.

"We don’t want merely to expel Daesh from Iraq so that they might regroup again elsewhere," al-Jubouri said in a statement read out on state television.

"Our victory in Mosul will pave the way for national dialogue in Iraq; it will melt the ice between our country’s political components," the parliament speaker added.

"The participation of all parties in the battle for Mosul will boost the chances for a rapid victory," he asserted.

Purging Kirkuk

In a related development, Halo Najat, director of Kurdish police forces in Kirkuk, told Anadolu Agency that at least 75 Daesh militants had been killed in Kirkuk -- and 30 others arrested -- since the terrorist group attacked the city last Friday.

Daesh, however, remains in control of the Al-Haouija district, roughly 30 kilometers southwest of Kirkuk’s city center.

Kirkuk province -- which is home to sizeable Turkmen, Kurdish and Arab populations -- is currently under the control of Kurdish Peshmerga forces.

Last week, the Iraqi army, backed by U.S.-led coalition airstrikes, launched a much-anticipated operation to retake Mosul, Daesh’s last stronghold in northern Iraq.

While most villages on the city’s outskirts have fallen before the onslaught, Daesh remains in control of Mosul, which it overran in mid-2014.

*Reporting by Ali Jawad; Writing by Ali H. M.Abo Rezeg