The US and Iraq plan talks soon on ending the mission of the US-led military coalition in Iraq

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States and Iraq expect to begin talks soon to wind down the mission of a U.S.-led military coalition formed to fight the Islamic State group in Iraq, both governments said Thursday.

The announcement comes as U.S. forces in Iraq have been increasingly targeted by Iran-backed militias, though the U.S. says the time frame for the discussions is not related to the attacks.

Since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7, they have struck American military installations in Iraq more than 60 times and more than 90 times in Syria, with a mix of drones, rockets, mortars and ballistic missiles.

On Saturday, Kataib Hezbollah launched the militia’s most serious attack this year, firing multiple ballistic missiles at al-Asad Air Base, a large air base in western Iraq where U.S. troops have trained Iraqi security forces and now coordinate operations to counter IS. The U.S. responded Tuesday, hitting three known Iranian militia locations and killing some of those fighters, while leading to protests for U.S. forces to leave.

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