Iraq, US conclude talks, formally ending combat mission

Iraq’s national security advisor has tweeted that the last round of technical talks with the U.S.-led coalition has ended, signaling a new phase in U.S. involvement in the fight against the extremist Islamic State group

IRBIL, Iraq -- Iraq and the U.S.-led coalition concluded a final round of technical talks to formally transition from a combat mission tasked with rooting out the extremist Islamic State group to an advisory mission to assist Iraqi forces, security officials announced Thursday.

The talks — which centered on the transition — formally end the coalition's combat mission, tweeted Qassim al-Araji, Iraq’s national security advisor. He said the coalition would continue providing assistance, advice and training for Iraqi forces.

The announcement reaffirms a July decision by the Biden administration to end the U.S. combat mission in Iraq by Dec. 31. There are roughly 2,500 U.S. troops remaining in Iraq. It is unclear how many will remain in the next phase of coalition assistance.

The coalition said Thursday it was prepared to end the combat mission before the set deadline, said Iraqi Kurdish peshmerga Big. Gen. Hazhar Ismail, who attended the meeting in Baghdad.