Baghdad announces US coalition 'completes' Iraq mission

An Iraqi military official said all US-led international forces are now in the northern Kurdistan region 

 News Desk - The Cradle 

Washington’s ‘anti-ISIS’ coalition has officially ended its mission in federal Iraq, leaving behind only “four to five personnel” in Baghdad who are tasked with logistical and diplomatic work, an Iraqi official said on 26 November. 

“The international coalition has completed its mission in federal areas. Only four to five personnel remain to handle logistical and diplomatic affairs,” said Qais al-Muhammadawi, the commander of Iraq’s Joint Operations Command (JOC) – a military body which coordinates with and receives training and assistance from the US military. 

“All international coalition forces are now in the Kurdistan Region,” he added. 

US military forces began withdrawing from a number of sites in Iraq earlier this year, after negotiations between Baghdad and Washington regarding the future of the coalition. 

The US and Iraq had been holding talks to end the “combat role” of the international coalition led by Washington. Prior to the latest announcement by Muhammadawi, the US maintained a presence of about 2,500 troops in Iraq. 

Baghdad and Washington have agreed that the withdrawal would be complete by September 2026. Yet Washington has continued to frame the move as a shift toward an ‘advisory’ presence rather than a full pullout. 

In early November, a US State Department spokesperson told Iraqi media outlet Shafaq News that “this is not a withdrawal, it is a shift toward a more traditional bilateral relationship in the areas of security and diplomacy.”

The spokesperson also rejected Baghdad’s wish to link the withdrawal to the disarmament of Iraqi resistance factions. 

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said earlier this month that while Iraq is committed to bringing all weapons under state control, it will not be possible while a US-led coalition remains in the country.

Recently, Washington has increased pressure on Baghdad to dismantle Iraq’s resistance movements, which are backed mainly by the Islamic Republic of Iran. However, these groups are represented in the Iraqi government and are deeply embedded in Iraq’s military institutions. 

Over the last few years, Baghdad has held talks with the factions about the issue of disarmament. Yet, the issue hinges mainly on the presence of the US military in Iraq and the groups’ insistence on a full withdrawal. 

These groups include Kataib Hezbollah, Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada, and the Al-Nujaba Movement. 

In October 2023, several Iraqi resistance factions banded together and began targeting US bases in Iraq and Syria, as well as targets in Israel, in support of the Palestinian resistance in Gaza following the start of the genocide.

The attacks on US bases ended due to intense Iraqi government pressure after the killing of three US soldiers on the Jordan–Syria border in January 2024. The following month, US warplanes launched heavy strikes on resistance sites in Iraq.

Iraqi factions continued to target Israel for months after ending operations against US bases. The Iraqi factions also carried out joint operations with the Yemeni Armed Forces (YAF).

On 2 November, Iraqi Defense Minister Thabet al-Abbasi said the US has issued its “final” and “most serious” warning to Iraq regarding the Iran-linked resistance factions in the country.