According to the Iraq News Agency (INA) on the 18th, the spokesman for the Commander of the Iraqi Armed Forces, Sabah Numan, stated that the withdrawal of the US-led International Coalition from Iraq is “an achievement of the government”, and Iraq has the ability to combat terrorism and maintain national security and stability without relying on external aid.
Hossein Alavi, the security advisor to the Prime Minister of Iraq, told INA on the 17th that the military mission of the International Coalition in Baghdad and Assad Airbase in Iraq will end in September. He emphasized that the Iraqi government is committed to building its own armed forces and transforming its security relationship with the countries in the International Coalition into a defense partnership based on political, economic, and cultural ties.
In September 2024, the Iraqi government and the US reached an agreement to end the military mission of the US-led International Coalition in Iraq to combat the extremist organization “Islamic State” within the next 12 months, with a deadline no later than the end of September 2025.
The US launched the Iraq War in 2003 and withdrew its troops from Iraq at the end of 2011, leaving only a small number of驻军. The extremist organization “Islamic State” captured large areas in the west and north of Iraq in 2014, prompting the US-led International Coalition to increase its presence in Iraq. In January 2022, the Iraq Prime Minister’s Office issued a statement saying that the International Coalition’s combat mission had ended, and that Iraqi military had taken over all military bases. Some foreign military personnel engaged in advisory work still remain in Iraq to provide support to the Iraqi security forces.
(Note: The word “驻军” at the end of the third paragraph refers to military personnel stationed in a country, and should be translated as “troops” or “stationed troops” in English.)