Impossible Victory: How Iraq Defeated Isis - Hardcover

by Haider Al-Abadi (Author)

By 2014, the world had grown weary of Iraq and its troubles. The Americans had all but gone and the media had switched its gaze towards Syria, but Iraq's problems were far from over. That same year, ISIS put Iraq back on the map as they crossed the border from Syria and rampaged through the country, kidnapping, raping and killing, and enforcing their murderous interpretation of Sharia law. Saddam Hussein, the occupation, sectarian war, corruption and political instability had collectively laid the groundwork for further violence, and Iraqis were about to see the worst of it.

It was against this backdrop that Haider al-Abadi became Prime Minister. What would likely be the most formidable task of his life lay ahead of him - to help unify his homeland's fractured military and politics and, slowly, to turn the tide on ISIS and achieve what had seemed an impossible victory.

This is the definitive and fascinating true story of how Iraq took on and eventually defeated ISIS, told by the country's former Prime Minister, Haider al-Abadi.

Author Biography

Dr Haider al-Abadi was born in Baghdad in 1952 into a professional, middle-class family.
He lived in exile in the United Kingdom in for twenty-seven years due to his
involvement with the political opposition to Saddam Hussein. During his exile,
Dr Abadi founded his own company specialising in rapid transit systems. He also
led the Islamic Dawa Party in the UK and was a member of the party's leadership
worldwide. In 2003, he returned to Iraq to join the new government, occupying
the positions of Minister of Communications, adviser to the Prime Minister,
chair of the Parliamentary Finance and Economic Committees and Deputy Speaker
of Parliament between the years 2006 and 2014. In 2014, Dr Abadi became the
Prime Minister of Iraq and led the country's successful military campaign
against the so-called Islamic State (Daesh) as Commander-in-Chief.