British personnel have departed Iraq as the Global Coalition ends its military mission against Daesh in the country, bringing more than a decade of operations under Operation Inherent Resolve to a close, according to the UK Government.
The transition follows an assessment that Iraqi Security Forces and the Kurdish Peshmerga are now able to take primary responsibility for Iraq’s security. Coalition forces, including UK personnel, have left as security arrangements move towards an Iraqi-led model, while Britain plans to continue defence cooperation through a bilateral relationship with Baghdad.
Operation Inherent Resolve was established in 2014 to advise, assist and enable Iraqi partner forces fighting Daesh. The mission operated under the Global Coalition Against Daesh, which brings together 90 partners. Britain’s contribution was delivered through Operation SHADER, under which UK forces provided training, air operations, surveillance and other military support.
Over the past decade, British personnel trained or assisted more than 111,000 members of the Iraqi Security Forces, including more than 21,000 members of the Kurdish Peshmerga. Training covered infantry skills, weapons maintenance, counter-IED work, medical support and engineering.
The RAF also flew thousands of sorties during the campaign, striking more than 2,300 Daesh targets and providing surveillance and reconnaissance in support of Iraqi ground operations. The Government said Iraqi forces had strengthened security across the country, allowing essential services to return and communities affected by the conflict to recover. The conclusion of the coalition mission in Iraq does not mean the end of Operation SHADER. The Government said Britain would continue its contribution to the wider effort against Daesh and remain involved in work intended to counter the group’s propaganda and reduce the spread of extremist messaging.
The Government said: “We pay tribute to the UK personnel who have played their part in the Global Coalition. Working alongside our global Coalition partners, the UK remains committed to ensuring the global defeat of Daesh and its violent ideology including thorough the continuation of Operation SHADER.”
Future UK-Iraq defence cooperation is expected to concentrate on counter-terrorism, military education, capability development and defence industrial collaboration. Britain said it would continue working with Iraqi partners to establish what it described as an enduring bilateral defence partnership.
The Government added: “Our commitment to Iraq and the wider region remains steadfast. Building on a decade of close cooperation, we look forward to developing an enduring bilateral defence partnership with Iraq.”
How long before Iran moves in and takes over?
They will clearly claim this withdrawal as a victory
There is never a vacuum out there and their militias are keeping quiet until the last coalition soldier leaves
It has a majority Shia population with links to Iran
At least it was not a messy evacuation as Biden caused in Afghanistan
That was criminally executed. People dropping off air transports. No planning, allies left in the lurch, absolute disaster for Afghanistan.
Agree totally – Despicable and the US should not alienate close allies
Now a president who knows how to make a $ but is a bully
MAGA my arse
They are hurting America’s long term interests and influence which as a friend (with relations over the pond) makes me profundly sad
That was shambolic – remind me, how long has South Korea been supported, since the cease fire? 73 years ish?
My understanding (Airborne?) is that the Afghans were doing the heavy lifting and the allies supplying support, maintaining that a la Korea would have allowed an orderly transition as Afghanistan built up capability – waste of blood and treasure and a regression into the dark ages.
Can we guess who started the process? The one and only orange buffoon.
Not mush security for the Saudi pipeline was there?
I doubt the UKSF Det have also moved out.
I suspect that they may be moving south of the border
Agreed, Jordan has long been used.
How many thousand of those UK trained militia are now or over next couple years will be in the UK I wonder.
You literally couldn’t make this stuff up.
You have literally just made that up.
He did didn’t he… I can make so much up myself you know..
US are still there bigly
Tails between their legs as the yanks couldn’t take the heat from the Iranians.
No point in us being there if the yanks aren’t.
No point being alongside the Yanks if they’re just the newest Nazis.
Hope they soon return to democracy & sanity rather than the greed & insane ambition of evil men.
Crooks & compulsive liars need not apply.
So much for Hegseth’s boast that Iran has been destroyed militarily.
One of Iran’s Strategic goals was to ‘drive’ US forces out of the region, so this is a major victory for them.
Netanyahu warned Trump that it would probably take a full year of continuous bombing to totally degrade Iran’s missile and drone capabilities.
I think very sadly for all the honourable sacrifices made by UK service personnel my personal view is it’s fair to say that the war on terror had been a complete disaster for the UK..
1) 70 billion in treasure that was needed for the defence of the UK and Europe
2) 600+ lives lost and many 1000s of casualties
3) essentially completely taking our eyes off Russia and allowing Russia to use the war on terror as a tool to gain traction in Africa
4) the destabilisation of nations allowing the rise of Islamist proto states
5) displaced 38 or so million people creating the sea of refugees that is destabilising Europe and being used as a political tool by Russia to attack western democracy
And after all the US just essentially fucks off and tells Europe to sort its own issues out..
The sea of refugees point that lecturing MAGAtards like JD Vance conveniently ignore their responsibility for, all the while admonishing Europe on immigration. And after all this, to be accused of doing nothing for the USA while it “pays” for NATO is an outrage.
At least the MAGA bunch realise that the waves of refugees are actually part of the war on terror. Deliberate waves of immigration to weaken the west while our institutions are destroyed from within by woke left wing ideologies. The leftists are doing the work of our enemies.
Europe (and the UK) HAS been far too reliant on the US for defence for a long time and thankfully that is changing.
Trump v2.0 has been a massive disappointment though.
You do realise that the wave of migrants is because the war an terror essentially utterly destabilised and destroyed the infrastructure of entire countries… that’s the core reason.. you cannot help destroy countries and not expect to have a refugee crisis… it’s just the US did not give a shit because it’s isolated from the problem..
The truth is that the ‘special relationship’ was a fantasy the Americans never shared. Half of them think of us as vassals and the other half think we’re from Mars.
Not true. But something a Russian bot would like us to believe.
The special relationship is very real. Leftists hate its existence. Our enemies hate its existence. But it endures, regardless of the governments on each side and how well they get on. It goes much deeper than seasonal politics.
No it’s something someone who’s spent plenty of time there over decades would think.
Calling everyone you disagree with a bot, ‘leftist’ or enemy, isn’t a great look.
It does seem coincidental that Russia’s grey zone activities increased whilst the West focused on the war on terror. Politicians in general don’t think long term, only what’s in front of them or a need to fight fires. I don’t believe anyone could have fully predicted the attack on the Two Towers, nor the appreciated the terror attacks that followed, whose perpetrators were emboldened because of how successful the attack on the Two Towers was.
The war on terror was entirely driven by the US. The 7/7 attacks in London, were perpetrated by Islamist citizens from with the UK. Who may or may not have had outside help and influence.
Following the 9/11 attacks, the US called for the activation of NATO’s Article 5. The only time in NATO’s history that thus has been done. The UK voted in favor of the activation, and was therefore obligated to support it.
Was it warranted, yes I believe it was, but the Government at the time were overly optimistic on the results, naively so. Towards the end we were making real progress. But to make that progress stick, we would have needed to be in country for at least another 5 years, probably 10. As this amount of time was needed to establish the new normal. Otherwise as shown with the fecked up withdrawal. It would quickly revert to tribalism and the Taliban would take over again.
In the end the article five was very much about the air defence of the US..
The US lead invasion of The initial U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in October 2001 (Operation Enduring Freedom) was conducted by the United States and willing allies, not as part of the NATO article 5 response.. its was only 2 years later NATO took over running the Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan in 2003 under a UN mandate to help stabilize the country after the US and friends totally destabilised it..
What is really sad is after the initial bombings the Taliban made it clear they would give up binladen and associates to an agreed third country.. they were essentially getting desperate not to be invaded.. but the US went in and Tried to destroy them.. a decade later and untold dead they just fucked off home and left the problem.. as for Iraq they simply wanted to remove saddam and turn Iraq into a puppet controlled state.. in trying they destabilising the whole Middle East and have fucked Europe over with a massive migration problem..
Sadly in hindsight supporting the US in this was against our long term national interests. BUT hindsight is easy and we did not realise the US would essentially turn against Europe in such a way so supporting them at the time seemed correct.
In February this year, one of the reasons Trump gave for attacking Iran was to prevent Iranian influence on their proxies throughout the middle east. Well this will simply hand a propaganda victory to Iran and embolden their proxies, the Houthies are advancing and we can expect much of the same from the Shia militias in Iraq and Syria. Trump always chickens out. The worst and most incompetent president ever.
What again!