The US-led military coalition has officially ended its mission in\nIraq after being deployed for more than a decade. The military coalition\nsaved Iraq from militant groups, particularly the Islamic State (ISIS),\nalthough its presence also triggered prolonged tensions.<\/p>\n
Coalition forces were deployed to Iraq and Syria in 2014 to combat\nISIS, which at the time controlled strategic territories in both\ncountries and committed massacres and atrocities. ISIS was defeated in\nIraqi territory in 2017 and in Syrian territory in 2019. However, the\nUS-led coalition forces remained to combat the remnants of the militant\ngroup.<\/p>\n
Baghdad and Washington agreed to end the coalition forces\u2019 mission in\n2024. Coalition personnel have begun withdrawing gradually from various\nbases across the Iraqi territory, such that their presence is now\nlimited only to the autonomous Kurdistan region in the north of the\ncountry.<\/p>\n
The final withdrawal of the US-led coalition forces from Iraq, as\nreported by AFP on Wednesday (30\/9\/2026), was scheduled to take place on\nWednesday (30\/9) local time.<\/p>\n
The Iraqi government believes that this withdrawal of coalition\nforces removes the pretext that has long been used by influential,\nIran-backed militant factions to maintain their weaponry.<\/p>\n
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi announced that 1 October\u2014the day\nafter the departure of the US coalition forces\u2014should be commemorated as\nSovereignty Day.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a national moment that affirms the completion of Iraq\u2019s\njourney towards sovereignty and strengthens the existence of the state\nand its institutions,\u201d stated a joint declaration from Iraq\u2019s executive,\nlegislative, and judicial leaders.<\/p>\n
They added that \u201cthe presence of weapons outside the control of state\nauthorities must be addressed\u2026 in accordance with the schedule set by\nthe government, in a manner that strengthens state sovereignty.\u201d<\/p>\n
Al-Zaidi, who has been in office since this year with US approval, is\ndetermined to strengthen the state\u2019s monopoly on weaponry and ensure\nthat armed factions in Iraq surrender their weapons to the state.<\/p>\n
During the battles against ISIS, both the US-led coalition and\nIran-backed armed factions fought against the militant group, which was\na common enemy. However, after the defeat of ISIS, the presence of the\ncoalition forces became a source of prolonged dispute in Iraq.<\/p>\n
These armed factions demanded the withdrawal of US forces and began\nattacking them with drones and missiles, which triggered US retaliation,\nresulting in the deaths of several faction commanders over the past few\nyears.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/us-led-coalition-officially-ends-mission-in-iraq-after-one-decade-1790751623", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }