ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Iraqi security forces have taken full control of Ain al-Asad Air Base after the departure of the remaining advisers from the US-led Global Coalition, Iraqi authorities said Sunday, marking the end of the coalition’s military presence in federal areas of the country.

In a statement, the Higher Military Committee said the last coalition advisers left Ain al-Asad and the Joint Operations Command headquarters, placing both sites “under the full administration of the Iraqi security forces.”

“We announce today, with great pride and honor, the completion of the evacuation of all military bases and command headquarters in Iraq’s federal areas from advisers of the Global Coalition,” the committee said.

The withdrawal follows a timetable set by the Iraqi government in September 2024 and an agreement reached in November 2025 between Baghdad and Washington on the future of their security relationship.

Iraqi officials said the move reflects confidence in the country’s security forces after years of joint operations and training with coalition partners.

The US-led coalition was formed in order to battle the Islamic State (ISIS), a self-declared caliphate spanning parts of Syria and Iraq and widely designated as a terrorist organization, which rose in 2014 and was subsequently teritorially defeated in Iraq in 2017.

“Our armed forces, across all branches and formations, now possess the full will and capability to extend security throughout the country,” the statement said, adding that “ISIS no longer constitutes a strategic threat in Iraq.”

The committee said Iraq has transitioned from a coalition-led mission to a bilateral security relationship with the United States, focused on military cooperation, training, equipment, joint exercises and operations.

“This relationship will focus on developing the capabilities of our armed forces… to ensure sustained readiness and the continued fight against ISIS,” it said.

Foreign military presence in Iraq has time and again been used as pretense by several non-state Iran-backed Iraqi armed groups, as justification for their presence in the country. Many of the groups have been accused of targeting American interests in the region, and have been designated by Washington as terrorist organizations.

The statement also said the coalition has entered a second phase of operations in Syria, with continued coordination aimed at preventing Islamic State militants from threatening Iraq’s national security.

It added that coalition forces in Iraq will provide logistical support for operations in Syria through a base in Erbil, and that joint Iraqi-US counter-ISIS operations could be launched from Ain al-Asad when necessary.

“Iraq’s military strength is the fundamental guarantee of regional stability,” the statement said, stressing Baghdad’s commitment to protecting its sovereignty while maintaining balanced security partnerships.

The committee closed the statement by honoring Iraqi soldiers and those killed in past battles, saying they are “writing a new chapter in Iraq’s sovereign history.”