35,000 Iraqi Security Men Killed in 3-Year War With IS

Over 35,000 Iraqi security men were killed during the three-year war against the self-styled Islamic State terrorist group, an Iraqi military source said.

“The anti-IS war has left over 35,000 Iraqi security men killed, and another 35,000 injured,” the source, who preferred to remain unnamed, told Al-Quds Al-Arabi on Monday, Iraqi News reported.

He added that the casualties included army and police personnel, Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Units) fighters and members of the Counter Terrorism Service.

“Thousands of Iraqi troops have sustained severe injuries, and should travel abroad for surgeries but the government cannot do so due to the austerity policy it has recently adopted.”

“The Iraqi government should pay due regard to the victims’ families and help the injured travel abroad to undergo surgery as soon as possible,” the source pointed out.

He highlighted that the Iraqi military has lost billions of dollars in the fight against IS militants, who destroyed military equipment and warplanes in the country.

“The last war against Islamic State was one of the most devastating wars in Iraq’s history as it led to the weakening of the Iraqi military and destruction of the country’s infrastructure,” he stressed.

Iraq declared the collapse of IS’s territorial influence in Iraq earlier in November with the recapture of Rawa, a city on Anbar’s western borders with Syria, which was the group’s last bastion in Iraq.

IS declared a self-styled “caliphate” in a third of Iraq and neighboring Syria in 2014. A government campaign was launched in 2016 to retake IS-held regions, managing to retake all havens.

Almost 2.5 million people remain displaced since IS militants took over large areas of Iraq in 2014.

Last week, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared final victory over Islamic State, announcing the end of the three-year war against the militant group.

Abadi’s announcement came two days after Russia announced a similar victory over Islamic State militants in neighboring Syria. Abadi declared Dec. 10 an annual national holiday on this occasion.

  $47B in Gov’t Damages

The Iraqi planning minister said on Sunday said the government has suffered damages worth $47 billion in areas liberated from IS, Anadolu reported.

Salman al-Jumaili said his ministry had prepared a 10-year reconstruction plan.

Jumaili added that a separate report will be prepared to identify damages the private sector had suffered.

In May, the Iraqi government reported that the country needed $100 billion to rebuild IS liberated regions.

The war against IS, according to Iraqi government estimates, has resulted in damage to 90% of areas in war-torn Anbar, making the governorate the most affected. The governorate of Nineveh had damage inflicted to 60% of its territory and the governorate of Salahadin 50%.

In its report, the government of Iraq said that funding for the reconstruction plans will depend on the United Nations, foreign organizations, international loans, the World Bank, the private sector and the International Monetary Fund.