Iraq has announced the end of the US-led international coalition mission, marking a shift towards bilateral relations with coalition member states, said Iraqi Prime Minister Qasim al-Araji, security adviser.
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Qasim al-Araji called the move an important milestone that was the result of negotiations and understandings that began in July 2021.
US troops completed their withdrawal from their final positions in Iraq by the end of this month.
He said the new phase would involve bilateral relations with member states aimed at strengthening Iraqi sovereignty.
Araji attributed the victory over the ISIS terrorist group to “the sacrifices of the Iraqi people and the bravery of our armed forces in its various branches and formations,” as well as the support of the international coalition and friendly countries.
He stressed that the end of the coalition mission did not mean the end of the partnership, but rather a shift towards bilateral relations with its member states.
Security and intelligence cooperation, exchange of information and expertise, and capacity-building efforts will continue to be conducted based on mutual respect and shared interests, he said.
Meanwhile, the US War Department said Wednesday that the US and its coalition partners “formally ended Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq,” while the orderly withdrawal of coalition troops and equipment from Erbil Air Base marked the end of the military mission.
The Pentagon's top spokesman, Sean Parnell, said the milestone marked a shift from a wartime coalition mission to an Iraqi-led security effort supported by a more normal bilateral security relationship.
He said the 12-year campaign had defeated ISIS as an organized military threat in Iraq and across the region.
Parnell said the US expects Iraqi Security Forces to lead the ongoing effort to secure Iraq and suppress ISIS remnants. He also emphasized that the US War Department will continue to provide targeted training and intelligence support to its partners in Iraq.
Iraq and the United States agreed in September 2024 to end the coalition military mission in Iraq on a schedule that would last until the end of September 2026, with a transition to bilateral security relations between Iraq and coalition member states.
The coalition was formed under US leadership in 2014 after ISIS seized large areas of Iraq and Syria, providing air support, intelligence and training to Iraqi forces in operations against the group.
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