Fallujah victory must lead to liberation of Mosul: Pundit

Press TV has interviewed Sabah Jawad, an Iraqi political commentator in London, to discuss the liberation of Iraq’s Fallujah.

A rough transcription of the interview appears below.

Press TV: What is the significance of the liberation of Fallujah for the region in the war against Daesh?

Jawad: It is very important victory. A lot of people predicted that this was not going to happen, a lot of doubters including the United States actually. The United States tried to obstruct the battle to liberate Fallujah as they have been trying for such a long time and even the battle for Mosul because they have got different agents there ... The Iraqi people want to get rid of this terrorist menace on their territories in Fallujah and Mosul. The Americans actually want to play the political cards by utilizing the presence of the terrorist groups in Iraq for their own benefit.

And let us not forget for one moment that the ISIS (Daesh) terrorists are the creation of the United States and Western powers together with some regional powers like Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and so on. They tried to obstruct this battle of Fallujah. It took the Iraqi forces about a month to liberate it. It could have been sooner if it was not for the desire by the Iraqi forces actually not to inflict huge casualties on the civilians still remaining in Fallujah, and they were still in Fallujah because the terrorists actually detained them and stopped them and shot at them when they tried to leave. So the Iraqi security forces were mindful of the high casualty of civilians that is why took about a month but the victory would have been sooner.

What is important now actually to translate this victory is not just a victory in Fallujah but to go forward and to liberate Mosul as well. They must keep the momentum going despite pressure from the United States and also there is very encouraging news that a similar situation might arise in Syria as well very soon regarding Deir al-Zawr, which is another stronghold of ISIS, al-Nusra Front in Syria and the battle for Raqqah and Aleppo as well. So altogether the picture looks much more encouraging in the fight against terrorism in the Middle East.

Press TV: What can the Iraqi government do to take these new liberated areas and give them a voice in the political landscape in parliament in whatnot to get all sympathizers away to deter away from supporting groups like ISIL and to get them back behind the Iraqi government?

Jawad: There is always a question. Since the occupation of Iraq, the Iraqi economy is in ruins basically. I think some economic help, reconstruction in these kinds of areas is very important not only in Fallujah and Mosul after the liberation but the entire areas in Iraq as well because the Iraqis, they need some kind of reconstruction and services provided for the people, otherwise the people are unemployed and they have no jobs and they have no services, they will always be discontent.

I am not saying that these are the reasons that created Daesh and ISIS in Iraq and similar organizations in Iraq. These terrorist organizations came as a result of the creation of the United States and their regional allies in creating this monster actually for the service of the United States policies and to safeguard the interests of Israel in the area as well.

So ISIS could thrive in a situation where the state is very weak and what the American did in Iraq actually to destroy the state, not only they destroyed Saddam Hussein regime, they destroyed the Iraqi state apparatus, and this is what they are trying to do in Syria as well where they have not been successful because the Syrian regime is still strong and the Syrian army is still strong in place and doing very good job in fighting terrorism with the help of many entities in the Middle East, freedom-loving people who support the struggle against terrorism and not to pretend they are fighting terrorism while in fact they are giving a helping hand to terrorist organizations in Iraq and Syria, in Lebanon and in Yemen, and everywhere else in the Middle East.