Baghdad resumes anti-IS operations with US coalition – military

Iraq’s military has said it is resuming operations with the US-led coalition against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS), Reuters reported. They had been halted following the killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani by US forces and Iran’s retaliatory attacks on bases hosting those forces.

The coalition battling IS in Iraq and Syria suspended most of its operations on January 5 to focus on protecting its forces and bases, as tensions with Iran grew.

Iraq’s parliament also passed a resolution telling the government to end the presence of foreign troops in the country and ensure they do not use its territory for any reason.

“In order to exploit the time that remains for the international coalition before the new relationship is set up… it was decided to carry out joint actions,” an Iraqi military statement said on Thursday. The joint operations include aerial backing for the Iraqi forces depending on their needs, according to the military.