OMM Redaksiyası
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Thursday welcomed what it called the “expulsion” of the United States from Iraq, saying the development could mark the start of a broader US withdrawal from the region.
In a statement marking the completion of the US withdrawal from Iraq, the IRGC described the development as “the herald of West Asia’s liberation from the yoke of the Great Satan’s domination.” It said the departure reflected the will of the Iraqi people and actions by Iraq’s government, calling it a “historic victory.”
IRGC calls for wider US withdrawal
The IRGC urged Washington to leave the region and “leave the management of security to the peoples of its countries.” It said the US presence in Iraq had lasted two decades and described its departure as a first step towards removing American forces from the region.
Coalition mission formally concluded
On Wednesday, the US Defense Department said the United States and its coalition partners had formally concluded Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq. It said the “orderly departure” of coalition forces and equipment from Erbil Air Base marked the end of the military mission.
Pentagon chief spokesman Sean Parnell said the 12-year campaign had “defeated ISIS as an organized military threat in Iraq and across the region.”
Baghdad and Washington agreed in September 2024 to end the coalition’s military mission in Iraq under a timetable running through the end of September 2026. The plan provides for a transition to bilateral security relations between Iraq and coalition member states.
Background to the coalition mission
The US-led coalition was formed in 2014 after ISIS, also known as Daesh, seized large areas of Iraq and Syria. It provided Iraqi forces with air, intelligence and training support during operations against the group.
Iraq announced in December 2017 that it had regained full control of territory seized by ISIS. US forces first invaded Iraq in 2003 to remove Saddam Hussein and withdrew at the end of 2011.
