Iran’s Shamkhani:

Battle against Daesh Still Continuing in Cultural, Ideological Fields

TEHRAN (defapress) – Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Shamkhani warned against the spread of extremist ideology of Daesh (ISIS or ISIL) after its collapse in Iraq and Syria and said the fight against the terrorist group is continuing in cultural, ideological fields.

News ID: 67246

Date: 04 December 2017 - 19:50

Speaking at a meeting with Sheikh Humam Hamoudi, the head of Iraq’s Islamic Supreme Council and the country’s first deputy parliament speaker, in Tehran on Monday, Shamkhani offered his congratulations to the Iraqi people and government over the collapse of the self-proclaimed caliphate of Daesh in the Arab country.

"The patience and perseverance of the Iraqi people and the braveries of the country’s army, security and popular forces, especially Hashd al-Shaabi, led to the destruction of the region's greatest threat (Daesh), despite the discontent of some countries,” he noted.

However, Shamkhani said, the battle against Daesh is continuing in security, cultural and ideological fields with the aim of uprooting "Daesh-creating thinking” which is supported by some regional countries.

Sheikh Hamoudi, for his part, praised Iran’s major role in the fight against terrorist groups in Iraq and the entire region and said Iraqis gained the recent victories despite economic and security problems and will continue the same path with the support of its "true allies”.

Daesh militants made swift advances in much of northern and western Iraq over the summer of 2014, after capturing large swaths of northern Syria.

However, a combination of concentrated attacks by the Iraqi military and the volunteer forces, who rushed to take arms after top Iraqi cleric Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani issued a fatwa calling for the fight against the militants, blunted the edge of Daesh offensive and later forced the terrorists to withdraw from the territory they had occupied.

Amid tensions in Iraq, Iran is known as the first country to help the Arab country and has always voiced support for Iraq’s solidarity and prosperity.