Member of the Iraqi security forces removes a banner bearing Daesh logo in eastern Mosul during military operation against the jihadists in 2017. AFP
Member of the Iraqi security forces removes a banner bearing Daesh logo in eastern Mosul during military operation against the jihadists in 2017. AFP

2017 - The fall of Daesh caliphate

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Updated 19 April 2025
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2017 - The fall of Daesh caliphate

2017 - The fall of Daesh caliphate
  • At its height, the terrorist group controlled vast swaths of Syria and Iraq; even now, its influence and radical ideology persists 

DUBAI: On June 29, 2014, Iraqi militant Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi declared the formation of a caliphate, to be known as the “Islamic State,” with himself as its leader. So began Daesh’s reign of terror. 

Also known outside the Arab world as ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham) or ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant), the group initially emerged in 2004 as a local offshoot of Al-Qaeda. It was only after Al-Baghdadi’s declaration in 2014 that it rose to new heights of power and terror, conquering vast swaths of territories in Iraq and Syria. At its peak, Daesh reportedly controlled about a third of Syria and 40 percent of Iraq. 

Its influence extended far beyond the Arab world, with terrorist attacks carried out in its name in several Western countries. They included the attacks in Paris on Nov. 13, 2015, at the Bataclan theater, restaurants and bars, and close to the Stade de France, that killed 130 people and injured more than 400. It was the bloodiest peacetime attack in the country’s history. 

The threat Daesh poses to the world order is not only physical; perhaps even more dangerously, it is ideological. Several groups and individuals have acted in the group’s name, professing to subscribe to its ideology. 

How we wrote it




Arab News’ front-page headline “The End of Daesh?” reported Iraq’s military victory, marked by Mosul’s iconic Al-Nuri Mosque’s recapture.

A gunman opened fire, for example, at a free-speech forum in Copenhagen, Denmark, on Feb. 14, 2015, before shooting several people outside a synagogue and then firing on police. He had sworn allegiance to Daesh leader Al-Baghdadi just days before, in a message posted on Facebook. 

On Aug. 8, 2014, American airstrikes against Daesh began in Iraq. On Sept. 10, 2014, the US announced the formation of an international military coalition to defeat the terrorist group in Iraq and Syria, and an air campaign against its sites in Syria started 12 days later. 

As Daesh continued to control Raqqa and other strongholds in Syria, and expanded to at least eight other countries during 2015, more countries joined the coalition and the military attacks on the terror group intensified. 

By Aug. 9, 2017, the coalition had conducted 24,566 strikes, and by the end of that year Daesh had lost 95 percent of its territories, including its two main strongholds: Mosul in Iraq and Raqqa in Syria. Although fighting continued in some areas, Syria’s army declared victory over Daesh on Nov. 9, 2017. 

A month later, on Dec. 9, the prime minister of Iraq, Haider Al-Abadi, said that Daesh had been defeated in his country. “I announce from here the end and the failure and the collapse of the terrorist state of falsehood and terrorism, which the terrorist Daesh announced from Mosul,” he said.

Key Dates

  • 1

    US President Barack Obama announces that he has authorized airstrikes against Daesh in Iraq.

  • 2

    The US announces formation of international coalition to defeat Daesh in Syria and Iraq.

    Timeline Image Sept. 10, 2014

  • 3

    Iraqi forces recapture the Baiji oil refinery, the largest facility of its kind in the country.

    Timeline Image Oct. 16, 2015

  • 4

    Egypt says it has killed Abu Duaa Al-Ansari, leader of Daesh’s Sinai operations, and 45 other fighters from the group. A week later, US-backed forces take full control of the Syrian city of Manbij, near the border with Turkiye.

    Timeline Image Aug. 4, 2016

  • 5

    Syrian army declares victory over Daesh, though clashes continue in some areas.

    Timeline Image Nov. 9, 2017

  • 6

    Iraq’s prime minister, Haider Al-Abadi, officially declares victory over Daesh.

    Timeline Image Dec. 9, 2017

  • 7

    Daesh’s self-proclaimed caliph, Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, killed in a US raid in northern Syria.

    Timeline Image Oct. 27, 2019

In Dec. 2018, US President Donald Trump said Daesh had been defeated and he would withdraw American troops from Syria. It was not until March 2019, however, that the US-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces took the city of Baghuz, on Syria’s southeastern border with Iraq, finally ending Daesh’s reign of terror in the country.

At the time, Maj. Gen. Christopher Ghika, the British deputy commander of the Global Coalition Against Daesh, posted a message on X in which he said: “This is a historic moment, but we cannot be complacent. Even without territory, Daesh will continue to pose a threat to the people of Iraq and Syria, as well as to the wider world. The coalition must remain firm in its determination to counter Daesh.” 

The final blow came on Oct. 27, 2019, when the group’s self-proclaimed caliph, Al-Baghdadi, was killed in an overnight raid led by US military forces in Syria. During the operation, he ran into a dead-end tunnel with his children as military dogs chased him down, Trump said. 

Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, head of the US Central Command, later confirmed that Al-Baghdadi fled into the tunnel and then killed himself and his immediate family by detonating a suicide vest. 

“He crawled into a hole with two small children and blew himself up while his people stayed on the ground,” the general said. Al-Baghdadi’s body was mutilated by the blast but identified through on-site DNA analysis using samples that remained on file from his detention in an Iraqi prison in 2004. 




Iraqi federal police member waves his country’s flag in celebration in Mosul after a victory over Daesh, while other forces continued fighting the group. AFP

After the raid, the compound was destroyed, leaving it looking like “a parking lot with large potholes,” McKenzie added. 

The defeat of Daesh and Al-Baghdadi was a somber moment for many. Between 2014 and 2017, the group wreaked havoc across Iraq and Syria, kidnapping, torturing and killing countless local and foreign civilians, soldiers, journalists and aid workers, and destroying historic sites and artifacts. 

Even now, the threat posed by its radical ideology lingers. Since the “defeat” of Daesh, numerous attacks have been carried out by terrorists claiming to be inspired by, or affiliated with, the organization, in countries including Iran, Turkiye, Pakistan, Mozambique, Afghanistan, Niger, the US and Russia. 

On March 22, 2024, for example, terrorists belonging to a group called Islamic State — Khorasan Province attacked a concert hall in Krasnogorsk, Russia, killing at least 150 people and injuring more than 500. 

Disgruntled “lone wolf” social misfits looking for a cause have also latched onto Daesh’s ideology. On Jan. 1 this year, for instance, US Army veteran Shamsud-Din Jabbar drove a pickup truck into a crowd of people on the streets of New Orleans, killing 14 and injuring many more. He, too, claimed allegiance to Daesh.

  • Zaira Lakhpatwala covers the media, advertising and marketing industries for Arab News, with a focus on their impact on culture and business in the region. 


UN says ‘deeply troubled’ by Kenya protest killings

UN says ‘deeply troubled’ by Kenya protest killings
Updated 1 min 34 sec ago
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UN says ‘deeply troubled’ by Kenya protest killings

UN says ‘deeply troubled’ by Kenya protest killings
GENEVA: The United Nations on Tuesday expressed serious concern over the deaths of at least 10 people in Kenya where police and protesters clashed during anti-government demonstrations the previous day.
The violence erupted on Saba Saba Day (meaning Seven Seven) when demonstrators annually mark the events of July 7, 1990 when Kenyans rose up to demand a return to multi-party democracy after years of autocratic rule by then-president Daniel arap Moi.
“We are deeply troubled by the killings yesterday of at least 10 people, as well as looting and destruction of property in Kenya,” UN rights office spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani told reporters in Geneva.
She said that “lethal ammunition, rubber bullets, tear gas and water cannons were used” as police responded to the protests.
She highlighted that Kenyan police had reported that at least 11 people were killed, 52 police officers injured and 567 arrests made.
The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights meanwhile reported at least 10 deaths, 29 injuries, 37 arrests and two abductions, she added.
“We have also received reports of looting and damage to public and private property by unidentified individuals in multiple locations.”
Shamdasani said the violence came “barely two weeks after 15 protesters were reportedly killed and many more injured in Nairobi and other parts of Kenya on 25 June.”
UN rights chief Volker Turk renews “his call for calm and restrain, and full respect for the freedoms of expression, association and peaceful assembly,” she said.
“It is essential that legitimate grievances at the root of these protests are addressed,” the spokeswoman said.
The UN rights office noted that Kenyan police had announced an investigation into earlier incidents.
Shamdasani stressed that “under international human rights law, intentional lethal force by law enforcement officers, including with firearms, should only be used when strictly necessary to protect life from an imminent threat.”
Turk reiterates “his call for all reported killings and other alleged violations and abuses of international human rights law, including with respect to use of force, to be promptly, thoroughly, independently and transparently investigated,” she said.
“Those responsible must be held to account.”

Acropolis shuts, outdoor work halted as heatwave scorches Greece

Acropolis shuts, outdoor work halted as heatwave scorches Greece
Updated 20 sec ago
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Acropolis shuts, outdoor work halted as heatwave scorches Greece

Acropolis shuts, outdoor work halted as heatwave scorches Greece
  • To protect outdoor workers, the labor ministry has decreed a work stoppage from 12:00 to 5:00 p.m. in various parts of the country, including several islands
  • The Greek culture ministry said the world renowned site would be shut till 5:00 p.m

ATHENS: Greece’s top archaeological monument, the Acropolis, was partially shut Tuesday as part of emergency measures to protect visitors and workers around the country during a four-day heatwave.
The Greek culture ministry said the world-renowned site would be shut till 5:00 p.m. (1400 GMT) “for the safety of workers and visitors, owing to high temperatures.”
The four-day heatwave confirmed by meteorologists began Sunday is the second to grip Greece since late June.
Temperatures are expected to reach 42 Celsius (107.6 Fahrenheit) on Tuesday, with a maximum of 38 Celsius in Athens.
Similar temperatures are expected on Wednesday.
To protect outdoor workers, the labor ministry has decreed a work stoppage from 12:00 to 5:00 p.m. in various parts of the country, including several islands.
The stoppage mainly affects construction work and delivery riders.
“Days with a heatwave make my job more difficult,” cycle-riding courier Michalis Keskinidis told AFP.
“We drink a lot of water to protect ourselves from the heat, combined with electrolytes, and take breaks whenever possible,” the 43-year-old said.
The 2,500-year-old Acropolis, built on a rock overlooking the capital that offers little shade, draws tens of thousands of visitors daily.
Last year it recorded some 4.5 million visitors, an increase of over 15 percent compared to 2023.
Officials had been forced to order similar shutdowns in the past two years in heatwave conditions.

The Greek civil protection authority has warned of high fire risk in the greater Athens area, in central Greece and the Peloponnese peninsula.
Greece’s fire department has been dealing with up to 50 fires daily, the head of the Greek fire service officers’ union Constantinos Tsigkas told state TV ERT.
Elsewhere, Serbia’s hydrometeorological service RMHZ warned that weather conditions could fuel more fires, after 620 fires were recorded Monday.
But there are also thunderstorms expected in Serbia’s northern Vojvodina region, as well as in western and central areas.
RHMZ has also warned of the possibility of hail and hurricane-force gusts of wind.
Croatia has already felt the impact of storms since Monday, with several of the country’s regions affected.
Two people were injured and hospitalized in Vinkovci after a storm knocked down a power line on a family house near the eastern town, police said.
The authorities said they had taken dozens of calls over wind-related emergencies including trees blocking roads, damaged roofs and power failures.
On Tuesday, heavy rain and gale-force winds flooded roads, knocked down trees and caused power outages at the Croatian port town of Split, the state-run HRT broadcaster reported.
At the town’s port, a ferry broke its moorings and hit a catamaran and a tourist excursion boat, sinking the latter.
There was similar trouble further north, with storms raging in Hungary and Slovakia.
In Budapest, strong winds damaged roofs, felled trees onto roads and downed power lines on Monday, with the national meteorological service HungaroMet measuring winds up to 137 kilometers (85 miles) per hour locally.
Rail traffic was severely disrupted across Hungary with full restoration of services potentially requiring weeks, according to Construction and Transport Minister Janos Lazar.
In Slovakia, gale-force winds caused power outages and blew off the roof of a block of flats in the eastern town of Gelnica and fallen trees disrupted road and railway transport across the region.
The country’s weather service SHMU has issued a storm warning with heavy rain, wind and hail for Tuesday, mainly for central and eastern Slovakia.


Thousands told to stay home as Spain forest fire rages on

Thousands told to stay home as Spain forest fire rages on
Updated 2 min 8 sec ago
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Thousands told to stay home as Spain forest fire rages on

Thousands told to stay home as Spain forest fire rages on
  • Forest fire stoked by fierce winds has burned more than 2,300 hectares
  • Spain has in recent days sweltered through a heatwave that parched the land and heightened the risk of forest fires

MADRID: Spanish firefighters on Tuesday were battling a forest fire stoked by fierce winds that has burned more than 2,300 hectares (5,680 acres), with authorities urging thousands of residents to stay home.

The Spanish army’s emergency response unit said it had deployed overnight near the northeastern city of Tarragona to assist local authorities.

The blaze has devoured “around 2,377 hectares of land, mostly forest,” countryside rangers in the Catalonia region wrote on X.

The protected Els Ports natural park makes up 30 percent of the affected area, they added.

Firefighters released video footage shot from a helicopter on Monday showing hills enveloped in a cloud of grey and orange smoke stretching into the distance.

Winds of up to 90 kilometers per hour (56 miles per hour) made it harder to extinguish the fire overnight, firefighters said.

The national civil protection authority urged residents in the area to close their doors and windows and stay home, saying that around 18,000 people were affected.

Scientists say human-induced climate change is increasing the intensity, length and frequency of the extreme heat that causes some forest fires.

Spain has in recent days sweltered through a heatwave that parched the land and heightened the risk of forest fires.

National weather agency AEMET said last month was Spain’s hottest June on record and that the frequency of extreme heat had tripled in the past 10 years.

According to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS), some 500 fires destroyed 300,000 hectares in Spain in 2022, a record for the continent.

Around 21,000 hectares have burned so far this year.


South Sudan’s president fires army chief after seven months in post

South Sudan’s president fires army chief after seven months in post
Updated 20 min 20 sec ago
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South Sudan’s president fires army chief after seven months in post

South Sudan’s president fires army chief after seven months in post
  • No reason was given for the firing of army chief Paul Nang Majok

NAIROBI: South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir has fired the country’s army chief after seven months in the post and named a replacement, according to an announcement on state radio.
No reason was given for the firing of Paul Nang Majok in the announcement late on Monday. Majok had been in the post since December. The announcement said Kiir had appointed Dau Aturjong as the Chief of Defense Forces.
Majok was in charge of the army while fighting raged between the army and the White Army, an ethnic militia largely comprising Nuer youths, triggering the country’s latest political crisis.
“There has been a tradition that when you are appointed, or reassigned there are no reasons (given) for getting appointed and there are no reasons given for getting relieved. It is normal,” said Lul Ruai Koang, South Sudan army spokesperson.
South Sudan has been formally at peace since a 2018 deal ended the five-year conflict responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths, but violence between rival communities flares frequently.
In March, First Vice President Riek Machar was put under house arrest, stirring fears of renewed conflict.
Information Minister Michael Makuei said the arrest was due to Machar contacting his supporters and “agitating them to rebel against the government with the aim of disrupting peace so that elections are not held and South Sudan goes back to war.”
Machar’s party has previously denied government accusations that it backs the White Army, which clashed with the army in the northeastern town of Nasir in March. In May, South Sudan’s army said it had recaptured the town from the White Army.


Kremlin says former minister’s suicide is shocking

Kremlin says former minister’s suicide is shocking
Updated 1 min 41 sec ago
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Kremlin says former minister’s suicide is shocking

Kremlin says former minister’s suicide is shocking

MOSCOW: The Kremlin said on Tuesday that the suicide of former Transport Minister Roman Starovoit just hours after his dismissal by President Vladimir Putin was shocking.

Starovoit was found dead in his car outside Moscow with a gunshot wound and the principal hypothesis is that he took his own life, state investigators said on Monday, hours after Putin fired him.

A presidential decree published on Monday gave no reason for the dismissal of Starovoit after barely a year in the job.