Iraq's Embassy Hosts Photo Exhibition in Support of Mosul Offensive

The Embassy of Iraq staged on Sunday a photographic exhibition to muster support for the liberation of Mosul, bringing together Iraqi community members.

Organized by Baghdad's Ambassador to Sofia, H.E. Kahtan Janabi, the event took place on the same day Iraq's Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi launched an offensive on West Mosul to liberate it from the Islamic State (IS) group. IS has been holding the city since the summer of 2014, turning it into its de facto capital.

Themed "Together for the Success of Iraqi Soldiers in the City of Mosul", it unveiled rare moments of the troops' life and interaction with the locals.

The offensive to liberate Mosul, a city of 1.5 million, began on October 10 last year, with a number of neighbouring villages and areas having been liberated first to avoid losses among Mosul residents or massive displacement.

"The Iraqi government is unable to cover the basic needs and healthcare of the displaed population if its number is quite big... The liberation plan is divided into stages, so that displaced people can be returned to the liberated areas at the end of every stage," Ambassador Janabi said while speaking to the audience.

"The liberation of the city of Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city considered by Daesh [an Arabic acronym for Islamic State] as their capital, will put an end to the military presence of this terrorist organization on the territory of Iraq," he added.

Mr Janabi added that his government expected IS would be eliminated soon.

He highlighted the effort of the Iraqi troops and all Shia, Sunni and Kurdish groups helping in the fight against Islamic State, a terrorist group bringing together fighters from more than 100 countries.

All ethnic and religious groups are...