On Monday, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared victory over the Islamic State in the city Mosul. The battle for Mosul lasted almost nine months, left large areas in ruins, killed thousands of civilians and displaced almost a million. Three years ago Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared the establishment of IS’s caliphate in this city of 2 million. Al-Bagdadi with his small number of fighters was said to have defeated a garrison army of 60 thousand. Bagdadi is now thought to be dead or on the run to Syria where IS isn’t doing much better. Today, we ask if this victory signals the death of IS and if the fundamental questions about the structure of Iraqi state will be addressed.

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Tags:  James Dorsey,  S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies,  Haider Al-Abadi,  Iraq,  Mosul,  Islamic State,  human rights,  government,  independence,  extremism,  Phillipines siege,  South East Asia