The latest Ireland breaking news may be focused at home, but a major international development is reshaping the security picture in the Middle East. The final US and UK military personnel have left Iraq, ending a coalition mission that operated in the country for more than a decade.
The withdrawal marks the conclusion of Operation Inherent Resolve, the international campaign established to defeat the Islamic State group in Iraq. Iraqi security forces now hold primary responsibility for protecting the country, although significant security challenges remain.
Iraq security responsibility passes to national forces
Approximately 100 remaining British personnel departed from Irbil, in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, in coordination with US forces that left on Wednesday. Their departure follows a two-year agreement between Washington and Baghdad to end the foreign military presence by the close of the month.
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi described the end of the coalition mission as a transition towards Iraq taking full responsibility for its own security and stability. The government plans to mark the withdrawal with four national “Sovereignty Days”.
The UK Ministry of Defence said Iraqi Security Forces and Kurdish Peshmerga units had achieved the enduring territorial defeat of Islamic State, also known as Daesh. It said the next phase should centre on security cooperation led by Iraq rather than a foreign combat mission.
What the coalition achieved
British personnel supported training and capacity-building programmes for more than 111,000 members of the Iraqi Security Forces, including over 21,000 Peshmerga fighters. The Royal Air Force also carried out thousands of sorties and struck more than 2,300 Islamic State targets during the mission.
The Pentagon said the United States would continue providing targeted training and intelligence assistance to Iraqi partners. The coalition’s joint task force is now based in Jordan, while US forces will maintain operations against Islamic State remnants in neighbouring Syria.
Islamic State weakened but not eliminated
Iraq declared the military defeat of Islamic State in 2017, but international forces stayed behind to prevent the organisation from rebuilding. A recent United Nations assessment estimated that the group retains several hundred fighters in Iraq, capable mainly of carrying out relatively unsophisticated attacks.
In Syria, the threat is larger, with the UN estimating that Islamic State has as many as 3,000 fighters. This means the end of the Iraq mission does not represent the complete disappearance of the group from the region.
Security analysts will be watching for signs of renewed insurgent activity, particularly in areas where government control is weaker. Intelligence sharing, border security and local counter-terrorism operations are likely to remain central to containing the threat.
Iran-backed militias create a second challenge
Baghdad also faces pressure from powerful militias aligned with Iran. Prime Minister Zaidi has pledged to disarm these groups and ensure that all weapons come under state control. However, several factions have resisted the policy and may seek greater influence following the departure of US forces.
The remaining foreign troops had faced repeated attacks from drones and missiles launched by Iran-aligned groups. During heightened tensions between the US and Iran, the Irbil base was reportedly targeted as many as 28 times in a single day. British air defence personnel destroyed more than 100 drones during the first six weeks of the conflict.
A history of repeated withdrawals
This is the third time US and UK forces have withdrawn from Iraq. Western troops first entered the region after Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait in 1991. They returned in 2003 during the US-led invasion that removed Hussein from power.
American and British forces left in 2011, but returned three years later after Islamic State seized large areas of Iraq and threatened to overrun the country. The latest withdrawal therefore closes one chapter while raising questions about whether Iraq can preserve security without a substantial foreign military presence.
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What happens next for Iraq?
The immediate priority for Iraq will be to demonstrate that its national forces can manage Islamic State remnants while preventing militia groups from undermining state authority. Continued intelligence support from international partners may help, but political unity and effective civilian institutions will be equally important.
The withdrawal also changes the regional balance. Coalition forces will continue working from Jordan and operating in Syria, but Iraq’s internal security decisions will increasingly be made by its own government. The success of this transition will depend on whether Baghdad can maintain cooperation between federal forces, Kurdish units and local communities.
Conclusion
The completion of the US and UK withdrawal is a significant milestone in Iraq’s modern history. Although the Islamic State has lost its territorial control, its remnants and Iran-backed militias continue to pose risks. The central takeaway from this Ireland breaking news world report is that Iraq has gained greater sovereignty, but must now prove it can protect national stability without the large-scale foreign military presence that has shaped its security for more than a decade.
