He made the remark in reaction to reports that the US military had managed to kill Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Daesh (ISIL) Takfiri terrorist group, during a raid on Sunday.
“Iran, with its World Against Violence and Extremism plan, is at the forefront of combating Daesh and promoting a diplomatic, strategic and ideological approach against Daeshism,” Ali Rabiei, the government spokesman said on Sunday.
“Terrorism in the Middle East and northern Africa stems from military policies, oil money, and the US support for despotism,” he added.
“The Daeshism foundation will not be destroyed by bombs and missiles as long as regional petrodollars and Takfiri ideology exist,” Rabiei said, adding that these two sources must be first eradicated.
“Just as the death of [al-Qaeda founder] Bin Laden did not eradicate the roots of terror, the death of al-Baghdadi will not be an end to Daeshism,” he said.
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