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The US-led coalition against ISIS has completed its combat mission in Iraq and will transition to a training and advisory role, the alliance and its host nation said on Thursday.
The change of mission of about 2,500 US troops stationed in the war-torn country by the end of the year was first announced by US President Joe Biden in July when he hosted the Prime Iraqi Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi.
The Iraqi government has come under pressure from powerful pro-Iranian political groups with armed wings who have vehemently demanded that all US troops leave the country.
“We are officially announcing the end of the coalition forces’ combat mission,” National Security Advisor Qassem al-Aaraji wrote on Twitter.
“The relationship with the international coalition continues in the areas of training, advice and capacity building” of Iraqi forces, he added.
Aaraji was speaking after a meeting between the coalition and the Iraqi security forces joint operations commanders.
The coalition confirmed that it had “completed its transition to a non-combat mission”.
In a statement, he said Iraqi forces “protect coalition personnel who are guests” and that while “coalition personnel do not have a combat role, they maintain the inherent right to self-defense. “.
Indeed, the approximately 2,500 American troops and 1,000 other coalition soldiers deployed in Iraq will remain in the country. They have been acting as advisers and trainers since mid-2020.
ISIS established a so-called caliphate in swathes of Syria and Iraq from 2014.
He was defeated in Iraq in 2017 after offensives by Iraqi forces with support from the coalition that included more than 80 countries, including Britain, France and several Arab countries.
Even though Iraq declared victory against ISIS jihadists in December 2017, the remnants of the group are still carrying out attacks against security forces and civilians and in recent weeks have killed several Kurdish fighters in the north of the country. ‘Iraq.
– ‘Change of messaging’ –
The Hashed al-Chaabi, a former coalition of Iraqi paramilitary groups now integrated into the regular forces, an influential political actor and Tehran’s ally, are particularly vocal about the departure of American troops.
On social media, groups close to pro-Iranian factions have issued threats and reminded Washington of the December 31 deadline they have set for a full US withdrawal.
Dozens of rocket and drone attacks have targeted US troops and interests in Iraq in recent months. Never claimed, these attacks are systematically blamed by the United States on pro-Iranian factions.
Washington has no plans to abandon Iraq to the influence of its sworn enemy Tehran, with whom it is engaged in a standoff over Iran’s nuclear program.
Analyst Nicholas Heras of the Newlines Institute in Washington said the United States “continues to play the same military role in Iraq as before, the main change being the message of that role.”
“Put simply, the political and security environment in Iraq is so busy that Team Biden wants America to keep a low profile and avoid crises, especially with Iran.
“The White House is well aware that if the United States shakes the boat too much in Iraq, Iranian-backed militias will attack American forces, which could ruin American public opinion to stay in nuclear talks with the Iran.”
– ‘Clandestine presence’ –
Iraqi Interior Ministry media official General Saad Maan told a press conference on Thursday that “the coalition will have fully completed the transition to a non-combat mission by the end of the year “.
He was quoting what the coalition commander, Major General John W. Brennan Jr., had said at their meeting.
The majority of US troops sent to Iraq in 2014 as part of the coalition were withdrawn under President Donald Trump.
But Iraq remains an important link in Washington’s strategic posture, especially for anti-jihadist operations in neighboring Syria.
A UN report earlier this year said ISIS maintains some 10,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria and is waging a sustained insurgency on both sides of the border.
The coalition insists it is in Iraq at the invitation of the government, with its troops now stationed at three Iraqi bases managed by Iraqi forces.
In recent months, she has made numerous announcements highlighting her change of mission.
In November, she noted in a statement the departure from Iraq of more than 2,100 trucks carrying military equipment.
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