Iraq Ends US-Led Coalition Mission, Moves Toward Bilateral Security Ties

By Staff, Agencies

Prime Minister’s National Security Adviser Qasim al-Araji said Iraq reached a major juncture on September 30 as the US-led international coalition concluded its military mission, paving the way for bilateral security relations with its member states.

He stressed that the end of the coalition mission does not mean an end to cooperation, but rather a transition toward stronger bilateral ties based on mutual respect and shared interests.

Al-Araji also emphasized that Iraq’s defeat of ISIS was achieved through the sacrifices of the Iraqi people and the courage of the country’s armed forces, with support from the coalition and other friendly and brotherly countries.

He said the new phase would continue to include security and intelligence cooperation, information-sharing and capacity building.

Meanwhile, Iraqi military spokesperson Sabah al-Numan confirmed that the withdrawal of US and coalition forces was being completed on September 30, in line with the timetable agreed between Baghdad and Washington.

The deadline had been repeatedly described by Iraqi officials as final, with the transition presented as a step toward strengthening Iraq’s sovereignty and independent management of its security affairs.

The withdrawal follows years of Iraqi demands for an end to the foreign military presence. Parliament called for foreign forces to leave in 2020, following the US strike in Baghdad that martyred Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.

While the US formally ended its combat role in 2021, its forces remained in an advisory and coalition capacity before Baghdad and Washington agreed on a phased conclusion of the mission.

At the same time, al-Numan said Iraq’s future relationship with coalition members would be based on equality, with cooperation continuing outside the coalition framework.

In July, Prime Minister Ali Faleh al-Zaidi met US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon, where they discussed the end of the coalition mission and the future of US-Iraqi relations.