“We are afraid that the defeat of Daesh in Syria will prompt the terrorists to return to us [i.e., Iraq] again,” Jubouri said.
At the same time, he stressed that these assumptions are an "exclusively personal opinion."
Discussing what the Iraqi military has planned to do after the liberation of Tal Afar, the commander said that the liberation of the settlements of Al-Qaim and Al-Huwaya are equally important as the next stage, but if the decision were in his hands, the priority would be the liberation of the Al-Qaim settlement.
"On the [Tal Afar] city plan, nothing is left [seized by terrorists], the cleanup is underway," Jubouri said Saturday.
On August 20, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi announced that the Iraqi government forces started the military offensive aimed at retaking Tal Afar, which is located 30 miles away from recently liberated Mosul. The city is the last major Daesh stronghold near the Iraqi-Syrian border.
