Iraq warns of ISIS risk from Syria after US troop exit

Iraq prepares its border forces

Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said Thursday that Baghdad was closely tracking ISIS activity in Syria and preparing its forces for possible movement toward Iraq’s border. His warning came one day after the final US forces assigned to Operation Inherent Resolve left Iraq, formally ending the American counter-ISIS mission there.

Hussein said fighters who succeeded in entering Iraq could again threaten the country’s security. He also expressed confidence that Iraqi forces could fight the group without the large US-led coalition presence that helped end ISIS’s territorial control.

The warning followed an operation by Syrian authorities four days earlier against an ISIS cell active in four provinces. Syrian security forces said they arrested four cell leaders and seized explosives prepared for attacks. They also linked the cell to kidnappings, assassinations and explosive devices.

US operations continue in Syria

President Donald Trump described the Iraq withdrawal as a victory for both countries and said the mission’s purpose had been to fight the ISIS caliphate, which no longer exists. The Pentagon has said Iraqi forces can suppress the remaining ISIS threat.

US officials assess that ISIS has been severely weakened and does not pose a broad threat to Iraq, but scattered cells remain in Iraq and Syria. American forces are continuing counter-ISIS operations in Syria intended to prevent the organization from rebuilding.

A mission lasting more than two decades

The departure ended a US military role in Iraq that changed over more than 20 years. The United States invaded Iraq in 2003 and removed Saddam Hussein from power, followed by years of insurgency and sectarian violence. The latest transition places responsibility for security inside Iraq with Iraqi forces while ISIS activity across the Syrian border remains under scrutiny.