MESOP MIDEAST WATCH: Combat Mission of US-led Coalition Ended: Iraqi National Advisor

ERBIL — 9-12-2021 Iraq’s national security adviser Qassem al-Araji on Thursday announced the official end of the combat missions of the US-led Coalition forces in Iraq.

“Today we have completed the last round of dialogue with the international coalition that we had started last year,” al-Araji said in a press release. “We officially announce the end of the combat missions of the coalition forces and their withdrawal from Iraq.”

Al-Araji’s statement comes after a meeting between the Joint Operations Command in Iraq and the US forces to discuss the withdrawal of combat forces from the country.

The meeting is the last between the two sides before the planned withdrawal of the US troops previously set for 31 December 2021.

It comes amid threatenings by the Iran-backed Shia militias who said repeatedly that they would attack the US forces if Washington refuses to leave Iraq according to the plan.

Meanwhile, many Iraqis, including senior officials, have expressed concern over the possibility of Islamic State (IS) resurgence in the absence of the US and Coalition forces.

“National Security Adviser Qassim al-Araji hosted a meeting in Baghdad between the Iraqi Military Technical Committee and its coalition counterpart, where the talks focused on the complete withdrawal of the foreign combat forces,” the Iraqi Joint Operations Command said in a statement.

The two sides also reaffirmed their “commitment to the ongoing partnership between Iraqi security forces and the coalition, and clearly outlined how the coalition will continue to support Iraqi security forces through its role in advisory, assistance and empowerment.”

The meeting praised “the successful transfer of equipment to the Iraqi side over the past months, which included more than 1,800 armored vehicles, cranes, water tanks and other materials, which contributed to increasing the mobility of Iraqi security forces and enabling them to protect Iraqi citizens from IS.”