US-led coalition mission in Iraq to end by September 2025
(VOVWORLD) - A US-led coalition's military mission in Iraq will end by next September and there will be a transition to bilateral security partnerships, the US and Iraq said in a joint statement on Friday.
 A US soldier stands with his weapon at a military base in the Makhmour area near Mosul during an operation to attack IS militants in Mosul, Iraq, October 18, 2016. (Reuteurs File Photo)
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The US has approximately 2,500 troops in Iraq and 900 in neighboring Syria as part of the coalition formed in 2014 to combat Islamic State as it rampaged through the two countries.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani initiated talks with Washington in January on the change. He has said that, while he appreciates their help, US troops have become a magnet for instability, frequently targeted and responding with strikes often not coordinated with the Iraqi government.
The agreement will see hundreds of troops leave by September 2025, with the remainder departing by the end of 2026.
Under the plan, all coalition forces will leave the Ain al-Asad airbase in western Anbar province and significantly reduce their presence in Baghdad by September 2025.
US and other coalition troops are expected to remain in Erbil. Other nations, including Germany, France, Spain, and Italy, contribute hundreds of troops to the coalition. Officials told reporters that the US mission in Syria would continue.