Shafaq News– Baghdad
Iraq has completed the withdrawal of Global Coalitionadvisers from all military bases and command centers, transferring full controlof key sites, including Ain al-Asad Air Base and the Joint Operations Command, toIraqi forces, the Higher Military Commission for Ending the Coalition Missionannounced on Sunday.
In a statement, the commission said the moveimplements the September 27, 2024, timetable to end the Coalition’s missionagainst ISIS and follows the Iraq–United States statement of November 6, 2025, on future security relations. Iraqi forces now have full capacity to secure thecountry, the commission stated, asserting that ISIS no longer poses a strategicthreat and that units can prevent any resurgence or cross-border infiltration.
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With the first phase complete, it noted, Iraq willshift to a bilateral framework with Washington focused on training, equipment,armament, exercises, and joint operations to maintain counter-ISIS readiness,adding that the Coalition’s second phase in Syria has begun, with continuedcoordination to target remaining cells and prevent spillover into Iraq. Logistical support will be provided from an air base in Erbil, while jointcounter-ISIS operations may be launched from Ain al-Asad if required.
Earlier on Saturday, Iraq’s Ministry of Defensereported that Iraqi forces had assumed full control of Ain al-Asad, Iraq’ssecond-largest airbase after Balad, following the withdrawal of US troops. About 2,500 US troops remain stationed in Iraq. Baghdad and Washingtonfinalized an agreement in August 2025 outlining a roadmap for the completewithdrawal of American forces by September 2026.
: The US exits Iraq: A withdrawal heralds a sovereign future
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