Baghdad (EFE).- Iraq announced the complete withdrawal of troops from the international coalition fighting the Islamic State, led by the United States, from all military bases in the country on Sunday, after confirming the last units’ removal from the Ain al-Asad air base in Al Anbar province (west).
The US-Iraq Higher Military Commission reported in a statement that the evacuation process from all military bases and leadership headquarters in official federal areas of Iraq of the advisors of the international coalition against IS has been completed, as the few remaining advisors at the Ain al-Asad air base and the joint operations command headquarters have departed.
In a statement, the US Supreme Military Committee reported the evacuation process from all military bases and leadership headquarters in official federal areas of Iraq of the international coalition’s advisors against IS. The few remaining advisors at the Ain al-Asad air base and the joint operations command headquarters have departed.
Following the coalition’s departure, total control of these positions will pass to the Iraqi security forces in accordance with the mission’s end-of-mission schedule and the agreement reached between Iraq and the US regarding the future of their security relations.
The Iraqi committee confirmed that Iraqi forces “have the will and total capability to impose security throughout the nation” and reiterated that IS “no longer poses a strategic threat.” They also defended their troops’ ability to “prevent IS from reappearing in Iraq or crossing its borders.”
According to the committee, the next step after the withdrawal of international troops is to reinforce the bilateral security relationship with the US, focusing on “activating memorandums of understanding for military collaboration” through joint maneuvers and operations, “to ensure their readiness and the fight against IS.”
Reports indicate that the second phase of the international coalition’s mission against IS in Syria has commenced, with ongoing coordination with the US-led international coalition to ensure the complete defeat of IS in Syria to prevent the emergence of IS hotspots that could potentially compromise Iraqi security.
To this end, Iraq offers the coalition logistical support for its operations in Syria via the Erbil air base, which has an international presence.
Meanwhile, the Iraqi army will carry out operations against ISIS together with the US from the al-Asad air base when necessary.
In late Dec. 2025, Hussein Alawi, advisor to Iraqi Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al Sudani, told the official Iraqi news agency INA that the Iraqi government plans to complete the second phase by Sep. 2026, focusing on Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan in northern Iraq.EFE
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