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Iraq Announces Complete Withdrawal of US-Led Coalition from Federal Territory

US forces at the Taji camp, north of Baghdad. (AFP file)
US forces at the Taji camp, north of Baghdad. (AFP file)
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Iraq Announces Complete Withdrawal of US-Led Coalition from Federal Territory

US forces at the Taji camp, north of Baghdad. (AFP file)
US forces at the Taji camp, north of Baghdad. (AFP file)

Iraq said on Sunday US-led coalition forces had finished withdrawing from bases within the country's federal territory, which excludes the autonomous northern Kurdistan region.

"We announce today... the completion of the evacuation of all military bases and leadership headquarters in the official federal areas of Iraq of advisers" of the US-led coalition, the military committee tasked with overseeing the end of the coalition's mission said.

With the withdrawal, "these sites come under the full control of Iraqi security forces", it said in the statement, adding that they would transition to "the stage of bilateral security relations with the United States".

The vast majority of coalition forces had withdrawn from Iraqi bases under a 2024 deal between Baghdad and Washington outlining the end of the mission in Iraq by the end of 2025 and by September 2026 in the Kurdistan region.

US and allied troops had been deployed to Iraq and Syria since 2014 to fight the ISIS group, which had seized large swathes of both countries.

The group was territorially defeated in Iraq in 2017 and in Syria in 2019, but continues to operate sleeper cells.

The vast majority of coalition troops withdrew from Iraq over previous stages, with only advisers remaining in the country.

The military committee on Sunday said Iraqi forces were now "fully capable of preventing the reappearance of ISIS in Iraq and its infiltration across borders".

"Coordination with the international coalition will continue with regards to completely eliminating ISIS's presence in Syria," it added.

It pointed to "the coalition's role in Iraq offering cross-border logistical support for operations in Syria, through their presence at an airbase in Erbil", the capital of Iraq's Kurdistan region.

In December, two US soldiers and a civilian interpreter were killed in Syria in an attack blamed on ISIS, sparking fears of a resurgence in the country.

The statement added that anti-ISIS operations would be coordinated with the coalition through the Ain al-Assad base in Anbar province in western Iraq.

ISIS attacks in Iraq have massively declined in recent years, but the group maintains a presence in the country's mountainous areas.

A UN Security Council report in August said: "In Iraq, the group has focused on rebuilding networks along the Syrian border and restoring capacity in the Badia region."

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Arab World

Pro-Palestinian Flotilla’s New Gaza Mission to Start in Spain on April 12

The Global Sumud Flotilla's first weeks-long journey across the Mediterranean Sea to Gaza, blockaded by Israel during the war against Hamas, drew worldwide attention. (Reuters)
The Global Sumud Flotilla's first weeks-long journey across the Mediterranean Sea to Gaza, blockaded by Israel during the war against Hamas, drew worldwide attention. (Reuters)
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Pro-Palestinian Flotilla’s New Gaza Mission to Start in Spain on April 12

The Global Sumud Flotilla's first weeks-long journey across the Mediterranean Sea to Gaza, blockaded by Israel during the war against Hamas, drew worldwide attention. (Reuters)
The Global Sumud Flotilla's first weeks-long journey across the Mediterranean Sea to Gaza, blockaded by Israel during the war against Hamas, drew worldwide attention. (Reuters)

A flotilla of pro-Palestinian activists who attempted to reach Gaza last year said on Thursday they would launch a new mission to the devastated territory from Barcelona on April 12.

The Global Sumud Flotilla's first weeks-long journey across the Mediterranean Sea to Gaza, blockaded by Israel during the war against Palestinian group Hamas, drew worldwide attention.

Israel's interception of their boats and arrests of the activists as they approached Gaza, which suffered severe shortages of food, water, medicine and fuel, sparked international condemnation.

The group, which described its first attempt as a humanitarian mission, said the latest trip starting in Spain's second city would gather more than 80 boats and 1,000 international participants.

"The cost of inaction is too high to bear," it said in a statement, adding that a land-based movement would join the maritime action to create pressure in multiple countries.

"As Gaza endures intensifying blockade, violence, and deprivation, the mission is a principled, nonviolent intervention: a defense of human dignity, a call for humanitarian access, and a demand for international accountability," the group said.

Gaza is under a fragile ceasefire agreed last October, which followed two years of devastating conflict sparked by the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.

The attack resulted in the deaths of 1,221 people Israel, mostly civilians, according to official Israeli figures tallied by AFP. Palestinian fighters also abducted 251 hostages.

The retaliatory Israeli military campaign killed more than 70,000 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry whose figures the United Nations considers reliable.

Both sides have repeatedly accused each other of violating the ceasefire.

Gaza's health ministry says Israeli strikes have killed more than 700 Palestinians since the truce. Israel says five of its soldiers have been killed in the same period.

Arab World

Israel Says It Has Struck Over 3,500 Targets in Lebanon in Past Month

This picture taken from the southern Lebanese area of Tyre shows smoke rising from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the area of Naqoura on March 31, 2026. (AFP)
This picture taken from the southern Lebanese area of Tyre shows smoke rising from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the area of Naqoura on March 31, 2026. (AFP)
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Israel Says It Has Struck Over 3,500 Targets in Lebanon in Past Month

This picture taken from the southern Lebanese area of Tyre shows smoke rising from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the area of Naqoura on March 31, 2026. (AFP)
This picture taken from the southern Lebanese area of Tyre shows smoke rising from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the area of Naqoura on March 31, 2026. (AFP)

The Israeli military said Friday it had struck more than 3,500 targets across Lebanon in the month since fighting with the Hezbollah group began.

Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East war on March 2 after Iran-backed Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel to avenge the US-Israeli attack that killed Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei.

Israel has responded with massive strikes across Lebanon and a ground offensive.

The Israeli military said Friday it had killed approximately 1,000 militants in Lebanon over the past month, with strikes targeting what it described as "terrorist infrastructure, weapons storage facilities, launch positions, and command and control headquarters" belonging to Hezbollah.

Lebanon's health ministry said on Thursday that 1,345 people had been killed and 4,040 wounded since the start of the war, including 1,129 men, 91 women and 125 children.

The ministry said the toll also included 53 healthcare workers.

Hezbollah has so far not announced its losses.

On Thursday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned that Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem would pay an "extraordinarily heavy price" for escalating attacks during the ongoing Jewish holidays.

"The Hezbollah terrorist organization you now lead, and its supporters in Lebanon, will bear the full and severe consequences," Katz said.

His warning followed claims by Hezbollah that it had carried out a series of rocket attacks on northern Israel late Wednesday and early Thursday, as Israeli Jews began marking Passover.

Katz also reiterated that Israeli forces "will clear Hezbollah and its supporters from southern Lebanon, maintain Israeli security control throughout the Litani area, and dismantle Hezbollah's military capabilities across Lebanon".

Eighteen European countries on Thursday urged Israel and Hezbollah to stop fighting as their latest conflict reached one month and with fears over Israeli plans to occupy part of southern Lebanon post-war.

"Israeli military operations in Lebanon and Hezbollah's attacks must cease," the foreign ministers of the countries including Italy, Spain, Belgium, Poland and Ireland said in a joint statement.

"We urge Israel to fully respect Lebanon's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and call on all parties, both Hezbollah and Israel, to halt military action," the statement said.

The countries include Spain, Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Italy, Ireland, Latvia, Luxembourg, Moldova, Norway, Poland, San Marino, Slovenia and Sweden.

Arab World

US Warning on Iraq's Militias Deepens Tensions with Baghdad

Iraqis inspect smoke rising from an oil storage facility on the outskirts of Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s Kurdistan region, following a suspected drone strike on April 1, 2026. (AFP) 
Iraqis inspect smoke rising from an oil storage facility on the outskirts of Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s Kurdistan region, following a suspected drone strike on April 1, 2026. (AFP) 
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US Warning on Iraq's Militias Deepens Tensions with Baghdad

Iraqis inspect smoke rising from an oil storage facility on the outskirts of Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s Kurdistan region, following a suspected drone strike on April 1, 2026. (AFP) 
Iraqis inspect smoke rising from an oil storage facility on the outskirts of Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s Kurdistan region, following a suspected drone strike on April 1, 2026. (AFP) 

Relations between Baghdad and Washington have entered a more tense phase after the US embassy issued sharp security warnings and questioned Iraq’s ability to prevent attacks on American interests.

The US embassy in Baghdad said Thursday that Iran-aligned Iraqi militias could carry out attacks in central Baghdad within 24 to 48 hours, urging US citizens to leave Iraq immediately.

It said potential attacks could target Americans and US-linked interests, including companies, universities, diplomatic facilities, energy infrastructure, hotels, and airports.

The warning came a day after the State Department announced a reward of up to $3 million for information leading to the identification of those responsible for attacks on US diplomatic facilities in Iraq.

In a separate statement issued hours earlier, the embassy said the Iraqi government “has not been able to prevent terrorist attacks” taking place inside Iraq or launched from its territory, referring to repeated incidents targeting the US embassy in Baghdad, the consulate general in Erbil, and a diplomatic support center in the capital.

It further noted that certain members of armed groups may possess identification documents indicating employment with the Iraqi government, suggesting potential institutional affiliations or official cover, though no additional details were provided.

The escalation comes less than a week after Iraq’s Joint Operations Command and US officials reaffirmed their commitment to keeping Iraq out of the ongoing regional conflict. They stressed that Iraqi territory, airspace, and territorial waters should not be used to threaten Iraq or neighboring countries.

At the same time, airstrikes targeted sites belonging to armed factions in Anbar and Nineveh provinces.

Local sources in Anbar said a US strike hit the headquarters of the Tribal Popular Mobilization Forces’ 57th Brigade in Haditha, west of the province. No immediate official toll on damage or casualties was released.

In Nineveh, the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) said a site belonging to the 38th Regiment of the 58th Brigade under Nineveh Operations Command was struck in Qayyarah, south of Mosul, with no casualties reported.

The PMF said the strike occurred at 11:30 a.m., adding it came less than 24 hours after another site in the same province was targeted. Earlier Thursday, it reported a double airstrike targeting the 4th Regiment of the 14th Brigade, also without casualties.

The repeated targeting of these sites in a short period point to a widening military escalation, coinciding with US warnings of possible attacks in Baghdad and underscoring growing security risks.

Politically, the State Administration Coalition — which includes Shiite, Sunni, and Kurdish parties in government — rejected “any violation of the country’s sovereignty under any pretext” and reiterated its refusal to allow Iraqi territory to be used to launch attacks on other states, particularly neighbors.

It also condemned attacks on state institutions, diplomatic missions, and vital facilities, voicing support for government and judicial efforts to enforce the law and restore stability.

Analysts say the combination of airstrikes and US warnings could increase pressure on Baghdad to take a clearer stance on armed factions and attacks originating from Iraqi territory.

A former Iraqi government adviser, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the embassy warning “signals declining confidence in Baghdad’s ability to take decisive action against armed groups.”

He said US policy had shifted “from giving the government room to maneuver to exerting direct pressure” to adopt a clearer position, warning that continued ambiguity could lead to further political and security pressure on Iraq.