RNA - "The Iranian nation will continue fight until uprooting terrorism in the region," President Rouhani told reporters in Tehran on Wednesday before heading to Sochi in Russia for trilateral talks with his Russian and Turkish counterparts on Syria.
He referred to the Tuesday message of Commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Major General Qassem Soleimani to Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei in which he declared the end of ISIL control over Syria and Iraq, and said this means that the terrorist front has collapsed and the terrorists hold no more territory to claim control and rule, although they will continue to operate for a while in the form of little terrorist groups.
Noting that the Iranian nation is after interaction with the regional states and not confrontation, President Rouhani said, "We are not after tension in the region. The Americans, the Zionists and unfortunately certain countries, whose rulers have recently been empowered and are under their (the US and Israel's) inductions, are after tension in the region."
General Soleimani in his message to Ayatollah Khamenei on Tuesday blamed the US for all crimes committed by the ISIL terrorist group in the regional states, and said the Iraqi and Syrian governments and armies as well as the Hashd al-Shaabi (Iraqi popular forces) and the Lebanese resistance group led by Seyed Hassan Nasrallah certainly played a decisive role in defeating the ISIL.
"Definitely, the valuable role of the nation and servant government of the Islamic Republic, specially the honorable president, parliament, the defense ministry and the military, law enforcement police and security organizations of our country in supporting the aforementioned governments and nations is appreciable," he added, stressing the important role of the wise leadership of Ayatollah Khamenei and senior Iraqi Shiite cleric Ayatollah Ali Sistani in the victory over the ISIL terrorist group.
"...Having accomplished the Albu Kamal liberation operation, the ISIL's last stronghold (in Syria), pulling down the US-Zionist (ISIL) group's flag and hoisting the Syrian flag, I declare the end of" ISIL control, General Soleimani concluded.
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