On December 9, 2017, the prime minister of Iraq, Haider al-Abadi, said: ‘We have accomplished a very difficult mission. Our heroes have reached the final strongholds of Daesh [Islamic State] and purified it.’
Many argued that this moment, following the defeat of the last remnants of Islamic State in Iraq, would usher in a rebuilding and ‘post-conflict’ stage for the country. Though the threat of Islamic State has receded, five years on Iraq is still mired in conflict, with no end in sight.
The deadly greed of Iraq’s elite
Political unrest since last year’s election has claimed dozens of lives – but high-level corruption has quietly killed many more Iraqis, says Renad Mansour.
