Iraq Victory Day – December 10, 2026

History of Iraq Victory Day

The Islamic State, also known as ISIS, ISIL, or Daesh, emerged from the remnants of al Qaeda in Iraq and was founded by Abu Musab al Zarqawi in 2004. After the surge of U.S. troops to Iraq in 2007, it faded into obscurity for several years but began to reemerge in 2011. Over the next few years, it took advantage of the growing instability in Iraq and Syria to carry out attacks in both nations and bolster its ranks.

The group moved on to change its name to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in 2013. In June 2014, ISIS launched an offensive on Mosul and Tikrit in Iraq. On June 29, ISIS leader at the time, Abu Bakr al Baghdadi announced the formation of a caliphate stretching from Aleppo in Syria to Diyala in Iraq and renamed the group the Islamic State. A number of nations fought with Iraq to take down ISIS and several efforts were made to liberate the nation from the shackles of the Islamic State. The U.S. alone launched more than 8,000 airstrikes in Iraq and Syria leading to ISIS suffering key losses along Syria’s border with Turkey. By the end of 2015, Iraqi forces made progress in recapturing Ramadi but ISIS made gains near Aleppo in Syria and still firmly held Raqqa and other strongholds.

By December 2017, ISIS had lost 95 percent of its territory, including its two biggest properties, Mosul (Iraq’s second-largest city) and the northern Syrian city of Raqqa (its nominal capital). Then Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared victory over the Islamic State in Iraq on December 9, 2017, leading to Iraq Victory day being celebrated on December 10.