A “bombshell” of dangers threatens the region.. Will Iraq extend the stay of the international coalition forces?
A “bombshell” of dangers threatens the region.. Will Iraq extend the stay of the international coalition forces?
2025-02-05 02:45
Shafaq News/ A spokesman for the Commander-in-Chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces confirmed that the timetables for the withdrawal of the international coalition forces from the country took into consideration the security forces’ need for training, equipment, logistics and technical matters, so the timetables are fixed and are proceeding according to plan.
This comes at a time when security experts confirm that the region is entering a crisis, from the activity of ISIS in the deserts of Palmyra and Deir ez-Zor, to the dangers of Israeli aircraft penetrating Iraqi airspace, in addition to the presence of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party and Turkish forces in the Kurdistan Region, and the danger of what is happening between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Turkey, and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.
The spokesman for the Commander-in-Chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces, Sabah al-Numan, told Shafaq News Agency, “The joint Iraqi-American committees, especially the Iraqi security committees, reached a timetable for the withdrawal of coalition forces after several meetings in Baghdad and Washington. These timetables took into consideration the need for Iraqi forces to train and the extent to which the Iraqi forces have reached in terms of readiness, equipment, training, and all logistical and technical matters.”
Al-Numan confirms that “the schedules that were set are fixed, and things are going according to plan. They were set after an assessment of Iraqi security capabilities and an assessment of the existing danger and the capabilities of ISIS that have vanished. All of these matters were taken into consideration when the timetables for the withdrawal of coalition forces were set.”
Regarding the security situation on the Iraqi-Syrian border, Al-Numan explains that “the Iraqi border is completely secure, as there is a concrete wall and sufficient border guard forces supported by units of the Iraqi army and the Popular Mobilization Forces. The border has also been supported with technical and logistical technologies and sensors, so there is reassurance on the Iraqi border.”
He points out that “the intelligence efforts of the security services are also present. It is true that the situation in Syria is internal, but we are monitoring developments and the extent of their impact on Iraqi national security, and the security services have a reading and knowledge of all developments.”
On September 27, 2024, the international coalition announced the official end of its mission in Iraq within 12 months, and no later than the end of September 2025, and the transition to “bilateral security partnerships that support Iraqi forces and maintain pressure on ISIS,” in a joint statement with Iraq, indicating that the announcement of the timetable for the end of the international coalition’s military mission came after the defeat of ISIS in Iraq.
The statement explained that “Iraq is a key member of the coalition, and to prevent the return of the terrorist organization ISIS from northeastern Syria, and in accordance with field conditions and consultations between Iraq, the United States, and coalition members, the coalition’s military mission operating in Syria from a specific platform in the Supreme Military Committee will continue until September 2026.”
For his part, security expert Sarmed Al-Bayati says, “The issue of the international coalition remaining in Iraq has not been officially discussed at all,” indicating that “ISIS has a presence in the deserts of Palmyra and Deir ez-Zor, but not in a way that might pose a threat to Iraq. It might pose a threat to Syria, which has limited activity in the desert, but it does not pose a threat to Iraq due to the strength of its defensive lines.”
Al-Bayati told Shafaq News Agency, “Iraq has radars to detect aircraft, and radars to detect drones will arrive as well, but there is a need for air defenses and to monitor ISIS from the sky, and these are available to the Iraqi forces but to a limited extent, and what the coalition forces have in terms of satellites, drones and reconnaissance aircraft are much more advanced than what Iraq has.”
He explains that “ISIS’s dangers are only on the ground and not in Iraqi airspace, which Israel may penetrate at a time when there are no Iraqi air defenses that can shoot down Israeli aircraft. In addition, the Workers’ Party and the Turkish forces in the Kurdistan Region and what is happening between the Syrian Democratic Forces, Turkey and Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham represent the danger of a crisis igniting in the region.”
The Inherent Resolve coalition was established in 2014 by 87 partners, including 82 governments and five member organizations, to help partner forces ensure the defeat of ISIS and establish lasting security cooperation.
There are about 2,500 American soldiers in Iraq, as part of the international coalition led by Washington since September 2014. The soldiers are distributed across three main sites in Iraq: Ain al-Assad base in Anbar, Harir base in Erbil, and Camp Victoria adjacent to Baghdad International Airport. In addition to the American forces, there are French, Australian, and British forces operating within the coalition forces, and others within NATO in Iraq.
In turn, the former candidate for prime minister, Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi, classifies “the American military presence in Iraq into three categories: First: technicians and engineers for maintenance and operation of military vehicles, especially F16 aircraft . Their presence is necessary because these aircraft are guided by satellites and require constant and continuous maintenance and equipment.”
Regarding the second category, Allawi told Shafaq News Agency, “They are trainers for the military forces, and the ones who decide on this matter are the military leaders. In my opinion, the training of the military forces has become high-level and they have a lot of experience, and in this case we do not need trainers.”
As for the third category, according to Allawi, they are “fighters, and the presence of these people in any country is considered a violation of sovereignty, and this cannot be accepted. We are a sovereign country and we do not accept the military presence of any country on Iraqi soil.”
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