Iraq Announces End of Anti-ISIS Coalition Mission Amid Sovereignty Debate

Iraq has officially announced the end of the international coalition’s mission to combat the Islamic State group, marking the occasion with a ceremony in Baghdad’s Green Zone.

The announcement was accompanied by public celebrations as the country marked the close of the coalition’s mission. The occasion also brought the question of full sovereignty into focus.

The message that no weapons should remain outside the law framed the milestone alongside the wider debate over sovereignty. It placed the issue of lawful control over arms at the heart of how the transition is being presented.

While the announcement formally closes a chapter in Iraq’s fight against the Islamic State group, the debate surrounding it concerns what full sovereignty means in practice. The summary of the announcement did not detail arrangements for any future security cooperation.