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 many 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, committed massacres, and forced 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 its 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 hailed the withdrawal, believes it will deprive Iran-backed factions of the excuse they have used to retain their arsenal.

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

Hours after the US announced the completion of the pullout, supporters of those groups gathered in a flag-lined public space to celebrate the occasion, with orators delivering speeches from a stage decorated with model drones.

Speaking at the event, a military spokesman for Kataeb Hezbollah, Jaafar al-Husseini, said the factions had been in talks on "regulating" their weapons but "have not yet received a response from the Iraqi government".

As such, they were "not bound by any timeline or agreement" to surrender their weapons, he added, and retained "the right to directly respond to any American or Zionist violation of Iraq's sovereignty".

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi had earlier seized on the theme of sovereignty, characterising the end of the mission as the start of a new chapter for the country.

"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.

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

- 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.

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".

Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani also insisted on Wednesday that there was "extremely good coordination with the Iraqi federal government to confront any type of threat".

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

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

Kataeb Hezbollah has 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, targeting them with drones and missiles, and 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.