Published: 11:43, August 19, 2025
Iraq hails international coalition forces withdrawal as govt achievement
By Xinhua
A Dutch member of the US-led Coalition Forces based in Iraq poses with a new badge on his sleeve marked in English and Arabic "Advisor" outside the Operations Centre in Baghdad's Green Zone on Dec 9, 2021. (PHOTO / AFP)

BAGHDAD - The Iraqi military on Monday said the withdrawal of the US-led international coalition forces from Iraq is "one of the achievements of the government."

Sabah al-Numan, spokesperson for the commander-in-chief of the Iraqi forces, told the official Iraqi News Agency (INA) that "the withdrawal of the international coalition forces from Iraq is one of the achievements of the government and an indicator of Iraq's ability to confront terrorism and maintain security and stability without the need for assistance from others."

READ MORE: Iraq no longer needs US-led coalition forces

Al-Numan's comments came as media reports indicate that US forces have begun withdrawing some of their troops from the Ayn al-Asad airbase in Iraq's western Anbar province.

On Sunday, Hussein Allawi, the security advisor to the Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani, told the INA the mission of the US-led international coalition in Baghdad and at the Ayn al-Asad base will end in September.

READ MORE: Iraq seeks removal of US-led coalition troops

The United States (US) has approximately 2,500 troops in Iraq as part of the coalition formed in 2014 to combat the Islamic State (IS) as it rampaged through the country.