US-led coalition formally ends Iraq mission after decade-long fight against Islamic State
The United States and its coalition partners have formally concluded their Iraq mission against Islamic State, while retaining targeted training and intelligence support for Iraqi forces. Baghdad welcomed the move and will mark October 1 as Sovereignty Day, but some Iraqis fear the withdrawal could strengthen armed pro-Iran factions.
The US-led coalition has formally ended its mission in Iraq after more than a decade of operations against Islamic State, a move welcomed by Iraqi leaders but viewed with concern by some who fear it could strengthen pro-Iran armed groups. Coalition forces were deployed to Iraq and Syria in 2014 after Islamic State seized large areas and carried out massacres and enslavement. The group was defeated in Iraq in 2017 and Syria in 2019, but coalition troops remained to fight its remnants.
The United States and Iraq agreed in 2024 to wind down the mission. Troops gradually left bases across Iraq, with their presence eventually restricted to the autonomous northern Kurdistan region. “Today, the United States and our Coalition partners formally concluded Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq,” the Pentagon said.
The US Department of Defence added that it would continue targeted training and intelligence support for Iraqi partners. Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi described the end of the mission as the beginning of a new phase based on Iraqi sovereignty, stronger institutions, national decision-making and balanced partnerships. He has designated October 1 as Sovereignty Day.
Iraq’s leaders said the occasion would affirm the country’s progress towards sovereignty and the authority of state institutions. They also said weapons outside state control must be addressed under government timelines. Zaidi has promised to reinforce the state’s monopoly on arms.
His government initially set September 30 as a disarmament deadline for armed factions, but later withdrew it while talks continued on regulating weapons. Several powerful groups have refused to disarm. Kataeb Hezbollah welcomed the withdrawal as a step towards sovereignty but warned Zaidi’s government that it could be brought down.
Pro-Iran factions have previously attacked US forces with drones and missiles, prompting US retaliatory strikes. The supplied material said the withdrawal’s effect on those tensions remained a concern.
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