Shafaq News – Baghdad

The US Embassy in Baghdad confirmed on Monday that the Global Coalition will begin shifting its mission in Iraq from a military deployment to a bilateral security partnership.

An embassy spokesperson told Shafaq News the move “is not the end of the Coalition,” stressing that efforts against ISIS will continue worldwide under civilian leadership.

Formed in 2014, the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS includes nearly 90 countries and institutions. Its activities extend beyond combat in Iraq and Syria, focusing on disrupting ISIS finances, blocking foreign fighter flows, countering propaganda, and supporting stabilization in areas recaptured from the group.

According to an Iraqi government source, the first stage of withdrawals will take place by September 2025, when forces leave Ain al-Asad base and Coalition headquarters in Baghdad to redeploy to Erbil and Kuwait. The second stage, scheduled for September 2026, envisions a full military exit, cutting troop levels from about 2,000 to fewer than 500 advisers based in Erbil.