US Commander says, War against Islamic State not over

A senior US commander in Iraq, Lieutenant General Stephen Townsend says the war against the Islamic state is not over despite a historic victory in Mosul.

Townsend told newsmen that there were still Islamic State fighters in Iraq.

He said that the government should now reach out to Iraq’s Sunnis Muslims majority to stop the jihadist group from renewing its operations.

Iraq’s Prime Minister, Haider Al-Abadi has formally declared victory over Islamic State in Mosul after a nine-month battle that led to the killings of thousands of civilians and displaced more than 90 thousand others.