US declares end to anti-ISIS mission in Iraq
Key Takeaways
- The US confirmed Operation Inherent Resolve will end in Iraq by September 30.
- Pete Hegseth announced the decision during Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi's visit to the Pentagon.
- Washington said future cooperation with Iraq will continue through a bilateral security partnership.
Pete Hegseth confirmed Operation Inherent Resolve will conclude by September as Washington shifts to a new security partnership with Baghdad
After more than a decade of military operations, the United States has formally announced the end of its counter-ISIS mission in Iraq.
US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth confirmed on Tuesday that Operation Inherent Resolve will conclude its mission in Iraq under a previously agreed timeline as he welcomed Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi to the Pentagon during the Iraqi leader's first overseas visit since taking office.
"Today, we will affirm publicly that Operation Inherent Resolve will conclude its counter-ISIS mission from Iraq on the timeline previously jointly announced," Hegseth declared.
Operation Inherent Resolve began in 2014 after ISIS captured large areas of Iraq and Syria. Although the militant group later lost its self-declared caliphate, coalition forces remained in Iraq in an advisory capacity. Under an agreement between Washington and Baghdad, the mission is scheduled to end by September 30, with both countries continuing cooperation through a bilateral security partnership.
Hegseth said the United States wants to build a new relationship with Iraq based on cooperation rather than combat.
"Iraq was not Saddam's. Iraq was not al-Qaeda's or ISIS's. And it's not Iran's. It's a strong, sovereign country that we can look forward to partnering with based on mutual benefits. [...] We appreciate your courage and boldness, and we look forward to finding ways to partner in the future," he told al-Zaidi.
The Pentagon meeting followed talks between US President Donald Trump and al-Zaidi at the White House, where the two leaders discussed broader relations between their countries, including Iraq's efforts to reduce ties with Iran-backed groups under its new government.
Al-Zaidi arrived in the United States on Monday for his first foreign trip since becoming prime minister in May. He emerged as a consensus candidate after months of political deadlock following Iraq's parliamentary elections and was formally designated prime minister in April.
Following his appointment, Trump described al-Zaidi's leadership as "the beginning of a tremendous new chapter" in US-Iraq relations centred on "prosperity, stability, and success."
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
