The US-led coalition ends its mission in Iraq
Coalition troops were deployed to Iraq and Syria in 2014 to fight the Islamic State, which had seized large swaths of territory, committed massacres and forced thousands of women and children into slavery.
Image of a member of the security forces
The U.S.-led coalition, deployed in Iraq more than a decade ago to fight the jihadists, concluded its mission on Wednesday, a move celebrated by the country's leaders, but one that some fear will embolden pro-Iranian armed factions.
Coalition troops were deployed to Iraq and Syria in 2014 to fight the Islamic State, which had seized vast swaths of territory, committing massacres and forcing thousands of women and children into slavery.
The group was defeated in Iraq in 2017 and in Syria in 2019, but coalition forces remained in the country to combat the group's remnants.
In 2024, the United States and Iraq agreed to end the coalition's mission, and U.S. troops gradually withdrew from bases across the country, limiting their presence to the autonomous region of Kurdistan in the north.
On Wednesday, the United States announced the formal conclusion of the mission.
"Today, the United States and our Coalition partners formally concluded Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq, consistent with the September 2024 U.S.-Iraq joint statement and U.S. national interests," the Pentagon said.
However, the U.S. Department of Defense added that it would "continue to provide targeted training and intelligence support to our Iraqi partners."
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