US-led coalition ends mission in Iraq

A US-led coalition deployed in Iraq more than a decade ago to fight jihadists concluded its mission on Wednesday, a move celebrated by the country's leaders, but which some fear will embolden pro-Iran armed factions.

Coalition troops deployed to Iraq and Syria in 2014 to fight the Islamic State group, which had seized large swathes of territory, committing massacres and forcing thousands of women and children into slavery.

The group was defeated in Iraq in 2017 and in Syria in 2019, but coalition forces stayed on to battle the group's remnants.

The United States and Iraq agreed in 2024 to wind down the coalition's mission, and its troops withdrew gradually from bases across the country, restricting their presence to the autonomous northern Kurdistan region.

On Wednesday, the US announced the mission's formal conclusion.

"Today, the United States and our Coalition partners formally concluded Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq, consistent with the September 2024 US-Iraq joint statement and US national interests," the Pentagon said.

The US Department of Defense however added that it would "continue to provide targeted training and intelligence support to our Iraqi partners".

- 'Sovereignty' -

The US-led coalition did not defeat IS alone.

Kurdish Peshmerga fighters played an important role, as did powerful Iraqi factions, including pro-Iran groups that have yet to disarm.

The Iraqi government, which celebrated the withdrawal, believes it will deprive Iran-backed factions of the excuse they have used to retain their arsenal.

But many Iraqis fear the pullout might embolden the pro-Iran factions further and draw the country deeper into the Middle East war.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi hailed the end of the mission as the start of a new chapter.

"A new phase has begun, defined by Iraq's sovereignty, the strength of its institutions, the readiness of its forces, unity of decision-making, and balanced partnerships with its friends," Zaidi said at a ceremony on Wednesday.

He had also declared that October 1 would be celebrated as Sovereignty Day.

It is "a national occasion that affirms the completion of Iraq's path toward sovereignty and consolidates the presence of the state and its institutions", the heads of Iraq's executive, legislative and judicial branches said on Monday.

They added that "the presence of weapons outside state authority must be addressed... in line with timelines set by the government, in a manner that strengthens state sovereignty".

- Intensified attacks -

Zaidi, who came to power this year with the US's blessing, has vowed to reinforce the state's monopoly on arms and ensure that armed factions hand over their weapons to the state.

His government initially set September 30 as the deadline for factions to disarm, but later withdrew the time limit as talks continued to "regulate" weapons -- an issue that has fuelled division and is expected to take much longer to resolve.

Kurdish military commander Sirwan Barzani expressed disquiet over the withdrawal, saying: "We have no means to protect the skies of Kurdistan."

He nonetheless told AFP that the Peshmerga forces remained prepared to confront any threats, stating that their "capabilities and experience have improved significantly thanks to the training, assistance and armament provided by the coalition".

With several powerful groups refusing to disarm, senior politicians have intervened and are now hoping to work out a compromise deal.

Factions have put forward conditions that include not only the withdrawal of foreign troops, but also an end to American political and economic interference.

The powerful Kataeb Hezbollah group said the withdrawal of "the occupation forces... is a start towards achieving full sovereignty".

But the group also threatened Zaidi's government.

"A government that doesn't work for the good of its people will be brought down by all possible means," it said.

Pro-Iran groups have long demanded the withdrawal of US troops and began targeting them with drones and missiles, triggering US retaliatory strikes that killed several faction commanders over the years.

During the Middle East war that began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran, Tehran and allied factions intensified their attacks in Iraq, targeting US-led troops in the Kurdistan region.