Iraq on Monday celebrated a year since defeating the ISIS terrorist group, with Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi pledging to fight corruption next.
Addressing a group of Iraqi military officers, he said it was a "proud day for all of us when our brave country defeated the enemies of life, dignity, freedom and peace."
"The final victory we hope for is achieving our people's ambitions and hopes," he said.
He called on Iraqis to renounce their differences and to come together for a better future.
“The time has come to leave behind all the past mistakes and conspiracies to open the doors of hope for our children for a better future," he said, vowing to rebuilt the demolished areas and help displaced people to return to their homes.
"Corruption was and remains one of the many faces of ruin and terrorism. If we do not eliminate corruption, our victory will be lacking."
A year ago, his predecessor Haidar al-Abadi announced the conclusion of a three-year battle to oust ISIS, putting an end to its so-called "caliphate" straddling Syria and Iraq after it seized swathes of Iraq.
In a congratulatory note on Twitter, Iraqi President Barham Saleh said Monday marked "the anniversary of victory over the ugliest criminal assault that history has seen".
"Our heroes achieved military victory at a high price, giving us the duty to achieve the final victory with a political, social, and cultural win," he said.
ISIS, which traces its roots to Al-Qaeda in Iraq, sent shockwaves across the world when it swept across a third of Iraq in 2014. It swiftly took over the northern city of Mosul, making it the de facto capital.
For three years, Iraqi government troops, paramilitary units, and US-led coalition forces waged a brutal fight to oust the terrorists, finally recapturing Mosul in June 2017.
In the early hours of December 9, Abadi announced "victory" over ISIS, and the following day was declared a national holiday.
To mark the one-year anniversary, checkpoints in the capital were decorated with Iraqi flags and balloons, as security forces patrolled the streets playing patriotic music.
As part of the celebrations, authorities plan to reopen parts of Baghdad's fortified Green Zone — home to key government offices and embassies — to the public. The move is billed as an act of transparency following protests against corruption and poor public services.
But beyond the celebrations, the country remains mired in crisis.
Parliamentary elections in May produced no clear ruling coalition, with political divisions paralyzing Abdel Mahdi's efforts to fill key cabinet positions.
"Lacking both a political and a popular base, Abdel Mahdi has found himself hostage to the very vested interests and political forces that Iraqis hoped his government would stand up to," said Fanar Haddad, an Iraq expert at the National University of Singapore's Middle East Institute.
"The prolonged government formation process has had far too much business-as-usual for a population that was expecting -- indeed demanding -- a new start following the territorial defeat of ISIS."
Abdel Mahdi's pledge to stamp out corruption is identical to the one made by Abadi when he announced the win against ISIS last year.
The former premier was unable to tackle embezzlement of public funds in Iraq, which is the 12th most corrupt country in the world according to Transparency International.
The challenges extend beyond the political. Much of the country remains in ruins, including large swathes of the north, as authorities struggle to gather funds to rebuild.
More than 1.8 million Iraqis are still displaced, many languishing in camps, and 8 million require humanitarian aid, according to the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).
"If this is what 'victory' looks like, then there is little to celebrate for millions of Iraqis still haunted by the crimes of the ISIS and the long war to eliminate it," said NRC Secretary General Jan Egeland. "They have largely been forgotten by their own government and the international community."
Observers also fear an outbreak of violence either between rival political forces once united against ISIS, or between authorities and a protest movement angered by lack of services and jobs.
And while ISIS no longer holds large chunks of territory, it can still wage hit-and-run attacks that chip away at the sense of security many hoped would return.
