Washington/Baghdad, Sep 30 (IANS): The United States and its allies have officially ended ‘Operation Inherent Resolve’ against the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq, the Pentagon said on Wednesday.
The Iraqi Security Forces, including the Peshmerga and other security forces in the Iraqi Kurdistan region, will “lead the continuing effort to secure Iraq and keep IS remnants suppressed,” the Pentagon’s chief spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement.
The primary responsibility for addressing Iraq’s remaining security challenges now rests with the Iraqi government, the statement said, adding that the United States will continue to provide “targeted training and intelligence support” to its Iraqi partners.
On the same day, Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi also announced the conclusion of the international coalition’s mission to combat the IS in Iraq, Xinhua news agency reported. In 2014, the United States and its allies launched their campaign and deployed forces to fight the IS militants in Iraq and neighbouring Syria.
In 2024, Washington and Baghdad agreed on a gradual pullout of US troops from Iraq, seven years after the Iraqi government declared the country’s full liberation from the IS militants at the end of 2017.
Last week, the Iraqi government said that it is in direct dialogue with the United States to secure sanctions exemptions for certain Iraqi airports to resume flights with Iran on humanitarian grounds.
The media office of Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi said on Saturday that the requested waivers aim to allow flights for medical treatment, education, religious visits, and civilian interests following recent US Department of the Treasury measures against Iranian airlines operating in the region.
The statement stressed that Iraq is actively working to de-escalate regional tensions, warned that prolonged crisis further complicate the situation, and called on all parties to resolve conflicts through dialogue.
The Iraqi government on Thursday officially signed an agreement to take over the US Embassy’s diplomatic support centre at Baghdad International Airport, according to an Iraqi Foreign Ministry statement.
The agreement was signed at the ministry headquarters by Iraqi Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammed Hussein Bahr Al-Uloom and charge d’affaires at the US Embassy in Iraq Steven Fagin.
The handover was part of the Iraqi government’s efforts to finalise procedures regarding the conclusion of the US-led international coalition and the foreign military presence in Iraq, in accordance with the timeline set for September 30 this year, it said.
In August, al-Zaidi said that September 30 remained the firm deadline for ending the US-led coalition’s military mission in Iraq and completing its troop withdrawal.
