Iraq announces end of US-led international coalition's combat mission

Coalition to continue its advisory, training role, says NSA Qassem al-Araji

By Ali Jawad

BAGHDAD (AA) - Iraq on Thursday announced the end of the combat mission of the US-led international coalition forces against Daesh/ISIS.

"Today we ended the last round of dialogue with the international coalition, which we started last year, to officially announce the end of the combat missions of the coalition forces and their withdrawal from Iraq," Iraq's National Security Adviser Qassem al-Araji said in a tweet.

"The relation with the international coalition will continue in the field of training, advice, and empowerment," he added.

On July 26, Baghdad and Washington agreed in the fourth and final round of the strategic dialogue to withdraw US forces from Iraq by the end of 2021.

The US has led the coalition since 2014 to fight the terror group, which captured almost one-third of Iraq's territory in 2014. It was, however, defeated by the Iraqi army, with the help of the US-led coalition, in 2017.

*Writing by Mahmoud Barakat in Ankara

Kaynak:

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