On the 14^th of July Iraqis living in our country and their friends gathered in the residence of the Ambassador of Iraq in Sofia to mark the liberation of Mosul from the ISIS terrorist group. People were joyful and visibly excited. And the comments on the news, of course, did not stop all night.

After everyone listened to the anthem of Iraq, the ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the country in Bulgaria – H. E. Mr. Kahtan Janabi, gave an exhilarating speech to the guests and his compatriots, congratulating them with the victory.

On the 9^th of July, the world news agencies announced the news that Mosul, considered the "capital" of the so-called "Islamic State", was liberated by the Iraqi army. At a meeting with the representatives of the Bulgarian media, held on July the 13^th in the Union of the Bulgarian Journalists, H. E. Mr. Kahtan Janabi recalled that the city, before its capture by the terrorists, had 3.5 million inhabitants, 2 million of whom managed to escape, but 1.5 million remained in it. This fact slowed the strikes by the Iraqi army on ISIS. The government had to do everything in its power to protect the people. "The aim was to liberate the man before the land," pointed out the Ambassador.

H. E. Mr. Kahtan Janabi was sure that with the release of Mosul from ISIS a very serious strike was made. He also said that the Iraqi government does not solely rely on military means to fight the terrorist group, but also tries to involve the people in it, with a strategy for co-operation between the military and the citizens. Particular attention is paid to working with teenagers and the young people in order to stop the brainwash from the perpetrators of violence. There are also ideas of an international conference on this topic, because the threat is related to all countries.

In front of the Bulgarian journalists, the ambassador also said that roughly 50 billion dollars are needed for the reconstruction of Iraq and he expects the Bulgarian companies to participate in it.

The joyous news of Mosul's liberation came right at the end of the term of H. E. Mr. Kahtan Janabi in Bulgaria - he will soon leave our country.

Photos: "Diplomatic Spectrum"  magazine

Above: H. E. Mr. Kahtan Janabi, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Iraq to the Republic of Bulgaria, congratulates his guests and compatriots with the liberation of the city of Mosul from ISIS.