US-led coalition mission against ISIS in Iraq set to end by 2025

BAGHDAD — The U.S.-led international coalition mission against the Islamic State group in Iraq will conclude by the end of 2025, Washington and Baghdad announced in a joint statement on Friday.

The announcement follows months of discussions between the U.S. and Iraq on the future of the coalition, which was established in 2014. The alliance, which includes forces from several countries, including France and the United Kingdom, was formed to combat ISIS in Iraq and Syria.

The coalition’s mission in Iraq will end “no later than the end of September 2025,” according to the joint statement.

The two sides agreed on a “two-phase transition plan,” according to a U.S. official.

The first phase, lasting until the end of September 2025, will involve the “withdrawal of coalition forces from certain areas in Iraq.” The international coalition will continue its operations in Syria, according to the statement.

“As Iraq is a key member of the coalition, and to prevent the resurgence of the terrorist threat posed by ISIS from northeastern Syria, and depending on field conditions and consultations between Iraq, the United States, and coalition members, the coalition’s military mission operating in Syria, from a platform determined by the High Military Committee, will continue until September 2026,” the statement said.

“The second phase, from September 2025 to September 2026, concerns the Kurdistan region”, Iraqi Defense Minister Thabet al-Abbassi said earlier in September.

In a special briefing via teleconference, a senior U.S. defense official, when asked about the continued presence of U.S. troops in Erbil, said, “Just to speak about Erbil, we do of course have a significant presence there and a strong partnership with the Kurdish Regional Government that is the host under the Iraqi federal government as well, and so that’s been a very productive location from which to do our counter-ISIS operations. But again, we’re – we’ll hold on describing future deployments until those decisions have been made.”

The statement does not specify what will happen to the approximately 2,500 U.S. troops currently stationed in Iraq or the additional 900 stationed in Syria. It urges Iraq to secure a safe conclusion, stating, “To ensure the safe and orderly conclusion of the coalition’s military mission, the Government of Iraq reaffirms its commitment, in accordance with its international obligations, to protect international advisors present in Iraq at the invitation of the Iraqi government.”

“We are not going to discuss specific plans regarding the location of bases or the number of personnel,” a U.S. defense official said. “We have been and will continue to be in contact with the Iraqi government on how our bilateral relationship will evolve.”

Talks on the coalition’s future began in the winter of 2023, addressing regional tensions affecting Iraq. Pro-Iranian armed groups have claimed responsibility for drone strikes and rocket attacks on coalition forces in Iraq and Syria, exacerbated by the Gaza conflict.

In response, the U.S. carried out strikes on pro-Iran factions.

Although Iraq declared “victory” over ISIS in 2017, jihadist cells continue to carry out sporadic attacks, particularly in rural areas outside major cities.

Baghdad insists its security forces can now independently handle the threat posed by ISIS, with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani stating in a September 17 interview with Bloomberg that the presence of coalition forces in Iraq “is not required anymore.”

On September 24, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Prime Minister Al-Sudani met to discuss the coalition’s future presence in Iraq. While both reaffirmed their commitment to security cooperation, their statements reflected differing views on the coalition’s role. Blinken stressed the need to transition “the military mission of the D-ISIS coalition in Iraq,” while Iraq’s statement indicated a preference for an expedited conclusion.

On Aug. 31, U.S. Central Command announced a joint operation by U.S. and Iraqi forces that killed 15 ISIS fighters in Iraq’s Anbar Desert, with seven U.S. soldiers injured. CENTCOM reported that the fighters were “armed with numerous weapons, grenades, and explosive ‘suicide’ belts.”

ISIS, which declared a self-claimed caliphate in 2014, was driven out of Iraq in 2017 by Iraqi and Peshmerga forces, supported by the U.S.-led coalition. The group lost its final Syrian stronghold two years later.

A United Nations report released in July estimated that ISIS’s combined strength in Iraq and Syria had dwindled to between 1,500 and 3,000 fighters due to battlefield losses, desertions, and recruitment difficulties. The report noted that while ISIS activities in Iraq are “largely contained,” the group remains capable of sporadic but impactful attacks.