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. 


UK court orders singer Chris Brown held in custody over 2023 nightclub fight in London

Updated 3 min 59 sec ago
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UK court orders singer Chris Brown held in custody over 2023 nightclub fight in London

UK court orders singer Chris Brown held in custody over 2023 nightclub fight in London
LONDON: Grammy-winning singer Chris Brown was ordered held in custody after appearing Friday in a British courtroom to face a charge that he seriously beat a music producer in a London nightclub in 2023.
Brown, 36, was charged in Brown in Manchester Magistrates’ Court with one count of causing grievous bodily harm. He was arrested at a Manchester hotel early Thursday morning and held in custody until the hearing.
His case was transferred to Southwark Crown Court in London, where he will appear on June 13.
Brown arrived at the dock flanked by court officers. His hair was bleached blonde and he wore sweatpants and a black T-shirt.
Brown confirmed his name and birth date and said his address was the local Lowry Hotel where he was arrested.
The charges relate to an incident at a London nightclub in the swanky Mayfair neighborhood in February 2023 when Brown was on tour in the U.K.
Brown’s representative didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press.
Brown, often called by his nickname Breezy, burst onto the music scene as a teen in 2005 and has become a major hitmaker over the years with notable songs such as “Run It,” “Kiss Kiss” and “Without You.”
He won his first Grammy for best R&B album in 2011 for “F.A.M.E.” then earned his second gold trophy in the same category for “11:11 (Deluxe)” earlier this year.
The singer is due to launch an international tour next month with artists Jhene Aiko, Summer Walker and Bryson Tiller, opening with a European leg before starting North America shows in July.

Swedish diplomat spy suspect has died, his lawyer says

Swedish diplomat spy suspect has died, his lawyer says
Updated 8 min 46 sec ago
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Swedish diplomat spy suspect has died, his lawyer says

Swedish diplomat spy suspect has died, his lawyer says
  • Sweden’s SAPO security service had detained the man on Sunday
  • “I heard the tragic news this morning and my thoughts go to his family,” his lawyer said

STOCKHOLM: A Swedish diplomat who was recently questioned by police on suspicion of espionage has died, the man’s lawyer said on Friday.

Sweden’s SAPO security service had detained the man on Sunday and kept him for questioning until Wednesday, when he was released, although he remained subject to investigation, the country’s prosecution service has said.

“I heard the tragic news this morning and my thoughts go to his family,” his lawyer, Anton Strand, told Reuters.

Strand declined to comment on the cause of the man’s death.

The man had denied any wrongdoing and had made a complaint against the police over the handling of the case, Strand said.

Public broadcaster SVT has reported that the diplomat had served at several Swedish embassies and that SAPO was investigating a potential connection to the resignation of the government’s national security adviser last week.

Sweden’s foreign ministry confirmed that one of its employees had died but declined to comment further.

“We can regrettably confirm that an employee of the foreign service has passed away,” the ministry said in a statement to Reuters. “Out of concern for the relatives we will refrain from giving further detail.”


Third pair of Filipino conjoined twins prepares for life-changing surgery in Riyadh

Third pair of Filipino conjoined twins prepares for life-changing surgery in Riyadh
Updated 13 min 45 sec ago
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Third pair of Filipino conjoined twins prepares for life-changing surgery in Riyadh

Third pair of Filipino conjoined twins prepares for life-changing surgery in Riyadh
  • Maurice Ann and Klea Misa are traveling to Saudi Arabia on Saturday
  • They are fully supported by the Saudi Conjoined Twins Program

MANILA: When Maricel Misa saw a social media post about Filipino conjoined twins separated in Saudi Arabia last year, she congratulated them and said she hoped her daughters would also get that chance one day. Little did she know that a few months later, they would be flying to Riyadh for the same life-changing help.

Misa, who owns a small shop with her husband in Lubang, a municipality on the island of Mindoro, learned that her children were joined at the head in her sixth month of pregnancy. At first, they did not believe the ultrasound reading and hoped everything would still be fine.

When the girls were born, their parents’ world suddenly turned upside down, but they soon overcame the shock and organized themselves to give Maurice Ann and Klea all the support they could afford.

“My husband gave up his work so that someone could stay home to take care of our children as they grew up. We know that they are not like other children. They need constant care, someone to assist them when walking, bathing, and eating every single day,” Misa told Arab News.

“What we are going through right now is really very tough, especially when it comes to their schooling … One of them, I’m not even sure if she’s learning well, because she’s always facing sideways. But by God’s grace, they’re learning a lot and have made friends. And thankfully, they’re not getting bullied by their classmates.”

Like all parents, she and her husband have always hoped their daughters would one day live like other children and become independent. Misa knew it was possible after the separation of another pair of Filipino conjoined twins made headlines last year.

“We saw a post from Saudi Arabia about conjoined twins from the Philippines who had undergone surgery there, and I commented, saying I hope we can be helped too. Someone noticed my comment and reached out to me,” she said.

Maurice Ann and Klea Misa and their parents meet Saudi Ambassador Faisal bin Ibrahim Al-Ghamdi at the Kingdom's embassy in Manila on May 15, 2025. (Saudi Embassy, Manila)

“Not long after that, the Saudi Embassy called me and told me that our trip to Saudi Arabia for a medical evaluation had been approved. Now, we’re just waiting a few more days before we travel. We are really thankful for the help of the Saudi government. This is a huge blessing for us. I truly want my children to have a normal life. We are so incredibly thankful that the Saudi government noticed us, even though we are not their own people.”

Maurice Ann and Klea will be traveling to Riyadh on Saturday. The Saudi Embassy in Manila announced this week that all the costs will be borne by the Kingdom under the Saudi Conjoined Twins Program and that they will receive specialized medical care in King Abdulaziz Medical City.

“Their case will be overseen by the esteemed medical and surgical team led by His Excellency Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, supervisor-general of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center,” the embassy said.

“This case marks the third instance of Filipino conjoined twins to be treated under this pioneering humanitarian program.”

Dr. Al-Rabeeah, who leads the Saudi Conjoined Twins Program, is one of the world’s most renowned pediatric surgeons. Since the establishment of the program in 1990, he and his team have separated more than 140 children who were born sharing internal organs with their siblings.

Next week, as Maurice Ann and Klea start their treatment in Riyadh, they will observe their seventh birthday.

“I have no other wish but for them to live a normal life, to be like other children. I want them to finish their studies and achieve their dreams. Even if one day we are no longer around, we want to be at peace knowing that they can take care of themselves because they are living normal lives. That’s all I truly hope for,” their mother said.

“This upcoming surgery of our twins, if it becomes successful, will bring such a huge change in our lives … They’ll finally have the freedom to live their own lives, thanks to the support of the Saudi government. This is truly a life-changing help for us.”

Conjoined twins are a rare phenomenon, estimated to occur once in every 50,000 to 60,000 births.

The first pair of Filipino conjoined twins, Ann and Mae Manz, were separated by Dr. Al-Rabeeah and his team in March 2004. They were joined at the abdomen, pelvis, and perineum. The second pair, Akhizah and Ayeesha Yusoph, were joined at the lower chest and abdomen and shared one liver. They were successfully separated under the Saudi Conjoined Twins Program in September 2024.


Zelensky urges ‘strong reaction’ against Moscow if talks fail

Zelensky urges ‘strong reaction’ against Moscow if talks fail
Updated 14 min 6 sec ago
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Zelensky urges ‘strong reaction’ against Moscow if talks fail

Zelensky urges ‘strong reaction’ against Moscow if talks fail
  • “There needs to be a strong reaction, including sanctions against Russia,” Zelensky said

TIRANA: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called Friday for “strong” Western action against Moscow, including new sanctions, if peace talks taking place in Istanbul fail to produce a breakthrough.

“We had a real chance to take important steps toward ending this war if only Putin had not been afraid to come to Turkiye,” Zelensky told European leaders gathered in Tirana.

“If it turns out that the Russian delegation really is just theatrical and can’t deliver any results today... there needs to be a strong reaction, including sanctions against Russia’s energy sector and banks,” he said.


British doctor releases footage of aftermath of Israeli strike on Gaza hospital

British doctor releases footage of aftermath of Israeli strike on Gaza hospital
Updated 35 min 25 sec ago
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British doctor releases footage of aftermath of Israeli strike on Gaza hospital

British doctor releases footage of aftermath of Israeli strike on Gaza hospital
  • Dr. Tom Potokar, consultant plastic surgeon, took video after 6 bombs killed 28 people at European Gaza Hospital
  • ‘It’s a direct hit on the hospital … Shrapnel everywhere … Absolute mayhem’

LONDON: A British doctor in Gaza has released footage showing the devastation caused by an Israeli airstrike on the European Gaza Hospital near the southern city of Khan Younis on Thursday.

Dr. Tom Potokar, a consultant plastic surgeon, shared the video with the BBC, documenting the aftermath of an attack by Israel on the facility. Six bombs were dropped on the hospital, killing 28 people.

Potokar, who has traveled to Gaza 16 times to provide vital treatment to Palestinians trapped in the enclave, described the footage as a “snapshot” of his experience working at the hospital.

In the video, he described an “absolutely massive strike … right in front of the emergency room,” as people ran and lay on the ground outside the hospital.

“Shrapnel everywhere. Devastation right in the forecourt of the hospital. Absolutely terrible,” he said in the footage.

In further scenes described as “absolute mayhem,” Potokar walked through the corridors of the hospital as medics, patients and other civilians tried to respond to the attack. 

“It’s a direct hit on the hospital,” he said, as screams echoed in the background and smoke billowed through the building.

Standing outside an operating theater, Potokar then turned the camera on himself to survey the damage, and said the facility was “too dangerous” to take people to be operated on, and staff were leaving to find shelter. He later reported that the hospital had been entirely evacuated.

Potokar told the BBC: “We’ve been treating patients with huge open wounds, some even with maggots in, infected, multiple amputations, children down to the age of two with significant nerve injuries, traumatic brain injuries.”

At least 114 Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes in Gaza on Thursday, according to local authorities.