Italy ends its military presence in international missions in Iraq after twelve years. With the return of the last men involved in the recovery and transfer of materials, the Italian Armed Forces left the country on the eve of the September 30th deadline agreed between Baghdad and the countries of the international coalition.
“From tomorrow our military presence in Iraq will cease”, announced Defense Minister Guido Crosetto, specifying that the withdrawal does not derive from a unilateral Italian decision, but from the transition to a new phase agreed with the Iraqi government and the allies. The objective is to leave Baghdad’s security forces with an ever greater responsibility in defending the territory.
Twelve years of Italian soldiers in Iraq
The Italian commitment began in 2014, after the rise of the Islamic State. Thousands of soldiers have taken part over the years in Operation Inherent Resolve, the international coalition created to fight Daesh, and in the training and assistance activities of the Iraqi armed forces and the Kurdistan peshmerga.
The withdrawal had already been largely completed last March. In recent weeks, only the nuclei necessary to recover men, vehicles and materials had remained in the area.
NATO had also already withdrawn all its NATO Mission Iraq personnel from Baghdad in March, transferring them to the Allied Joint Force Command Naples in Lago Patria, in the province of Naples. The mission, which mainly deals with advising and strengthening Iraqi security institutions, therefore continues to operate from Italy. The relationship between Rome and Baghdad, however, the Defense underlines, is not interrupted. Italy and Iraq intend to continue cooperation through training programs, exchange of expertise and capacity building of the Iraqi security forces.
Two ships from Djibouti also return
Separately, Crosetto also ordered the return of the ships Rimini and Crotone, the two Navy minehunters deployed in Djibouti as part of the European operation Aspides.
The units were also positioned in the area to be able to intervene quickly in the event of mine clearance operations in the Strait of Hormuz. Their return to Italy, the Ministry of Defense specified, is due to maintenance activities and crew rotation and does not entail a reduction in the Italian commitment: Rimini and Crotone will be replaced by two other minehunters already kept on standby in Italy.