US-led coalition ends combat mission in Iraq: official

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq announced the end of the US combat mission in the country on Thursday, a top Iraqi military official said as the global coalition against the Islamic State (ISIS) group formally shifts its role to focusing on military advising, training, and intelligence gathering.

“We officially announce the end of the combat missions of the coalition forces and their withdrawal from Iraq,” Iraq's National Security Advisor Qasim al-Araji said in a tweet.

Iraq’s relationship with the US will “continue in the field of training, advice, and empowerment,” he added, speaking after a meeting between the coalition and Iraq's Joint Operations Command. 

The US-led coalition was formally established in October 2014 after ISIS took control of large swathes of territories in Iraq and Syria. US President Joe Biden received Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi in July and announced that the US combat mission in Iraq will be over by the end of the year as its focus shifts to high-level advisory work.

“Cooperation in the field of training with the international coalition will continue,” Saad Maan, media officer for Iraq’s interior ministry said at a press conference following Araji’s tweet.

The end of US combat mission in Iraq comes as ISIS attacks increase, threatening civilian lives and terrorizing Kurdish and Iraqi fighters. The terror group has killed 22 Peshmerga members and two Iraqi soldiers since November 27.

There are currently about 2,500 US troops in Iraq, including in the Kurdistan Region.

It is not immediately clear whether the shift in roles will change the number of American soldiers in the country, the Pentagon expressed in its most recent quarterly report, noting that the coalition’s transition “will not have a significant impact on the fight against ISIS.”

Washington has maintained a strong relationship with the Kurdistan Region and Iraq, providing the Kurdish Peshmerga with several rounds of military aid over the years.

There has been pressure from pro-Iranian groups and paramilitary militias in recent months demanding that US troops leave the country.