Al-Araji: Coalition mission ends, security partnership continues
Shafaq News- Baghdad
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi’s special security adviser Qasim Al-Araji said on Wednesday that the end of the US-led Coalition’s mission and troop presence in Iraq does not end security ties, but shifts them toward bilateral intelligence and security cooperation.
استكمالاً لمسار المفاوضات والتفاهمات التي بدأت منذ 22 تموز 2021 ،والتي كان لنا شرف الإسهام فيها خلال مسؤوليتنا السابقة في مستشارية الأمن القومي، نصل اليوم إلى محطة مهمة بإنهاء مهمة التحالف الدولي ووجود قواته، والانتقال إلى علاقات ثنائية مع دوله، بما يرسخ السيادة ويخدم المصالح… pic.twitter.com/6lGCg06XIb
— قاسم الاعرجي (@qassimalaraji) September 30, 2026
Today we reach an important milestone with the end of the Global Coalition’s mission and the presence of its forces, and the transition to bilateral relations with its member states in a way that “reinforces sovereignty and serves Iraq’s national interests,” Al-Araji said.
He credited Iraqi forces with defeating ISIS, while acknowledging the support provided by the Coalition and other partner countries.
Baghdad and Washington agreed in September 2024 on a two-phase transition from the Coalition framework. The first phase ended in September 2025 with Coalition forces leaving Baghdad and Ain Al-Asad air base, while a contingent remained in the Kurdistan Region to support operations against ISIS in Syria through September 2026.
Washington has also described September 30 as a “transition” rather than the end of US-Iraq security cooperation. A senior US official previously told Shafaq News that the Coalition’s military mission would be reduced as relations shifted toward a “longer-term bilateral security partnership.”
The Global Coalition was formed in 2014 after ISIS seized large parts of Iraq and Syria. Its role in Iraq later shifted from direct combat toward training, advising and intelligence support as Iraqi forces assumed greater responsibility for security.
Read more: Iraqi Army after US-led Coalition withdrawal
Iraq is marking the transition with “Sovereignty Days,” with the government presenting September 30 as the completion of the Coalition military mission and October 1 as the start of a new phase in the country’s security relations.
