US, Iraq agree on ending anti-ISIS coalition mission in Iraq in year

The governments of the United States and Iraq agreed Friday on ending the military of mission of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS in Iraq by the end of September 2025. In a joint statement, the two countries announced "concluding the Coalition's military mission in Iraq over the next twelve months, and no later than the end of September 2025, and transitioning to bilateral security partnerships in a manner that supports Iraqi forces and maintains pressure on ISIS". "Second: As Iraq is a key member of the Coalition, and to prevent the return of the ISIS terrorist threat from northeast Syria, and subject to conditions on the ground and consultations among Iraq, the United States, and the members of the Coalition, the military mission of the Coalition operating in Syria from a platform determined in the Higher Military Commission will continue until September 2026." It added that the US-Iraq Higher Military Commission commits to formulate the procedures necessary to achieve what is stated in the paragraphs above, the timing, and mechanisms to implement them, including procedures to ensure the physical protection of Coalition advisors present in Iraq during the transitional period, consistent with the Iraqi constitution and laws. Practical steps to implement these commitments have started. "We look forward to strengthening relations between Iraq and the United States, in which both nations seek to advance security assistance and cooperation based on mutual respect, consistent with the US-Iraq Strategic Framework Agreement and the Iraqi Constitution," reads the statement. Source: Kuwait News Agency