Iraq Says Announcement on Date for End to US-Led Coalition Mission Postponed

 Iraqi fishermen prepare to get on a boat in the Shatt al-Arab river, formed at the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, in Iraq's southern city of Basra, on August 12, 2024. (AFP)
Iraqi fishermen prepare to get on a boat in the Shatt al-Arab river, formed at the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, in Iraq's southern city of Basra, on August 12, 2024. (AFP)
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Iraq Says Announcement on Date for End to US-Led Coalition Mission Postponed

 Iraqi fishermen prepare to get on a boat in the Shatt al-Arab river, formed at the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, in Iraq's southern city of Basra, on August 12, 2024. (AFP)
Iraqi fishermen prepare to get on a boat in the Shatt al-Arab river, formed at the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, in Iraq's southern city of Basra, on August 12, 2024. (AFP)

Iraq's foreign ministry said on Thursday that an announcement on an end date for the US-led coalition's mission has been postponed due to the "latest developments." It did not identify the developments.

The US-Iraq Higher Military Commission, comprising officials from both countries, discussed details of withdrawing advisers from military sites, the foreign ministry said in a statement said.

It said the only remaining issues before reaching a deal on ending the coalition's presence in Iraq were agreement on an announcement date, logical aspects and other details.

A rare ally of both the US and Iran, Iraq hosts 2,500 US troops and has Iran-backed militias linked to its security forces. It has witnessed escalating tit-for-tat attacks since the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza erupted in October.

On Aug. 5, at least five US personnel were injured in an attack against a military base in Iraq.

Iraq wants troops from the US-led military coalition to begin withdrawing in September and to formally end the coalition's work by September 2025, Iraqi sources have said, with some US forces likely to remain in a newly negotiated advisory capacity.



Iranian Military Adviser Dies Following Injuries in Syria

Iranian and Syrian flags flutter on a truck carrying humanitarian aid in Deir Ezzor, Syria Sept. 20, 2017. (Reuters)
Iranian and Syrian flags flutter on a truck carrying humanitarian aid in Deir Ezzor, Syria Sept. 20, 2017. (Reuters)
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Iranian Military Adviser Dies Following Injuries in Syria

Iranian and Syrian flags flutter on a truck carrying humanitarian aid in Deir Ezzor, Syria Sept. 20, 2017. (Reuters)
Iranian and Syrian flags flutter on a truck carrying humanitarian aid in Deir Ezzor, Syria Sept. 20, 2017. (Reuters)

A military adviser from Iran's Revolutionary Guard's Aerospace Force has died following injuries sustained in Syria over recent weeks, the semi-official Fars news agency reported on Thursday.

"Colonel Ahmadreza Afshari was martyred due to injuries sustained from aerial bombardment from the coalition violating Syria," top Revolutionary Guard Commander Hossein Salami said.

Iranian media did not give a precise date for the strike but said Afshari sustained his injuries between late July and early August.

The US and Israel have both carried out strikes in Syria against Iran-aligned factions, where Tehran's influence has grown since it began supporting President Bashar al-Assad in a civil war that started in 2011.

In April, Iran launched explosive drones and fired missiles in its first direct attack on Israeli territory, a retaliatory strike for what it called an Israeli strike on its Damascus diplomatic compound on April 1 that killed seven officers of the Revolutionary Guard.