Iraq says US-led coalition headquarters will close on September 30

The director of the Iraqi commander-in-chief’s office, Lt. Gen. Abdul Amir al-Shammari, said the US-led international coalition’s headquarters in Iraq will close on September 30, with no foreign bases or combat forces remaining afterward.

Abdul Amir al-Shammari, director of the Iraqi armed forces commander-in-chief’s office, said on September 26 that the US-led international coalition’s headquarters will formally close on September 30. “On Sept. 30, the international coalition headquarters will close, and there are no foreign military bases on our territory,” he said.

Shammari said Camp Victory was now completely free of any US presence and that there was no concern about the country’s security and stability after the coalition’s departure. Future ties with coalition countries will focus on coordination and cooperation in intelligence, information-sharing and arms programs.

The coalition was formed in 2014 to fight the Islamic State group. Baghdad and Washington announced a two-phase plan in September 2024 to end its mission; the first phase ended in January 2026 when US forces left Ain al-Asad Air Base in Anbar, while coalition operations continued from Erbil in the second phase through the end of September.