The international coalition led by the US has handed over all its bases and headquarters to the Iraqi authorities, announced the head of the Iraqi security service, Lieutenant General Saad Maan. According to him, there are no more coalition combat or military forces in the country.
“The coalition has handed over all its bases and headquarters to the Iraqi authorities“, Maan said. He added that after September 30, there will be no coalition forces left in Iraq for combat or training missions. According to him, Iraqi forces are ready to take over security management, and relations with the coalition countries will continue on a bilateral basis.
The announcement comes before the official end of the mission. The chief of staff of the Iraqi commander-in-chief, Abdul Amir al-Shammari, said that the headquarters of the international coalition will be closed on September 30 and that there will be no foreign military bases on Iraqi territory. The Iraqi government plans to mark October 1 as “Sovereignty Day“.
Last sites already handed over
On September 24, the United States and Iraq signed an agreement to hand over the diplomatic support center at Baghdad airport. The site was part of the former US base “Victory“ and was subsequently used as a diplomatic and logistics center.
Earlier this year, US forces left the Ain al-Assad air base in Anbar province, which was handed over to the Iraqi army. Among the sites already handed over is the Balad base. In the autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan, coalition forces have gradually ended their presence in the Erbil region, where the last American servicemen were stationed.
End of the mission against „Islamic State“
The United States and Iraq agreed in 2024 to gradually end the military mission of the international coalition. Initially, the main part of the withdrawal was planned to be completed in 2025, but the presence in Iraqi Kurdistan was maintained until September 2026 to continue supporting operations against „Islamic State“ in northeastern Syria.
The coalition was established in 2014 after the „Islamic State“ group seized large areas of Iraq and Syria. Iraq declared victory over the group in 2017, and after the end of the military mission, relations with Washington will continue through bilateral security agreements, intelligence sharing, training and weapons programs.
Sources: Al Jazeera, 964 Media