Iraq Declares Victory as US-Led Coalition Winds Down Mission
After more than a decade of foreign boots on Iraqi soil, Baghdad is finally getting what it wanted: the end of the US-led coalition’s mission.
Iraq’s military declared Monday that the long-awaited withdrawal is not just a strategic shift, but a political victory. Sabah al-Numan, spokesperson for the commander-in-chief of the Iraqi forces, said the pullout marked “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.”
Give the gift of hope
We practice what we preach:
accurate, fearless journalism. But we can't do it alone.
- On the ground in Gaza, Syria, Israel, Egypt, Pakistan, and more
- Our program trained more than 100 journalists
- Calling out fake news and reporting real facts
- On the ground in Gaza, Syria, Israel, Egypt, Pakistan, and more
- Our program trained more than 100 journalists
- Calling out fake news and reporting real facts
Join us.
Support The Media Line. Save democracy.
His comments followed reports that US forces have already begun drawing down at Al-Asad Airbase in western Anbar province. The move comes ahead of a planned September deadline for the coalition’s mission to formally end, according to Hussein Allawi, the Iraqi prime minister’s national security adviser.
The announcement puts an exclamation mark on a chapter that began in 2014, when the Islamic State’s lightning advance forced Iraq to call for international help. At its height, the coalition’s presence stretched across dozens of bases. Today, roughly 2,500 American troops remain—soon to depart a country where their welcome has grown thin.
For Baghdad, the withdrawal signals sovereignty restored, a long-cherished goal for a government eager to shed the image of dependency. For Washington, it marks the end of yet another Middle Eastern campaign that was never meant to last so long.
The foreign boots may be gone, but the shadows they leave behind will test Iraq’s strength alone.
