Iraq (Washington Insider Magazine) -Four years after it defeated the jihadist group in Iraq, the US-led coalition has officially ended their combat mission although 2,500 troops remain in the country to consult for Iraqi forces, at the invitation of the Iraqi government.
After a meeting of the joint coalition and the Joint Operations Commanders of the Iraqi security forces, there was a tweet made on Twitter from the official Resolve account on December 9th. This tweet advised as other sources had confirmed – combat was complete, but advisement would continue as long as necessary to facilitate Iraqi superiority over the Daesh.
According to the NSA Qassem al-Aaraji, the coalition will still assist in capacity building efforts. This will help to reinforce the Iraqi military superiority and strategy throughout the region.
In July, the US had agreed to withdraw combat forces by the end of the year. The change in mission from combat forces to training, advising and supporting Iraqi forces lowers the profile of the Coalition troops and turns down the heat at the same time.
According to Major General Brennan, the transformation of their status symbolizes a current and future task to maintain full surveillance in the fight against future takeover attempts by the Islamic State. In just the past few weeks alone, there have been three attacks in northern Iraq which resulted in at least 21 deaths, and have been blamed on IS militants.
In 2003 US troops first entered Iraq to overthrow then-President Saddam Hussein, and search for weapons of mass destruction which were never found. The combat troops left in 2011. However, when IS militants took over large parts of the country in 2014, US troops returned with a multinational coalition to assist Iraqi troops from being defeated. The coalition troops achieved success in the mid 2010’s after Iraqis prevailed, assisted by international troops which included the US, France, and several other nations.
Since the killing of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani and another prominent Muslim militia leader during the Trump Administration, the presence of foreign troops in the country has become a major issue for Iraqis. The two leaders had been killed in a US drone strike in Baghdad.
The Iraqi Parliament later passed a resolution calling for the coalition’s total withdrawal by the end of this year. The Islamic State continues to pose an ongoing threat in Iraq. The IS cells mostly operate in rural areas, carrying out scattered attacks.
Nicholas Heras, an analyst with the Newlines Institute in Washington concluded that the current atmosphere in the Middle East is so dynamic, the current Administration is working to keep a low profile. The main goal is to avoid crisis, namely with Iran.
The Biden Administration believes that too heavy-handed military practices could mean disaster. If the scale tips too far, militias may attach domestic forces, which would disrupt nuclear planning talks in the works with other entities.
We plan to follow this story closely, and will update with relevant information as it progresses. The current dynamic is ever-changing in the Middle East, with hope of a more peaceful future to come.
