⚡️🇮🇹🇮🇶 — Italy has concluded its military presence in Iraq following the repatriation of the final personnel tasked with logistical recovery and equipment transfer, Defense Minister Guido Crosetto announced. In alignment with agreements established with Baghdad, Italian forces—alongside other Coalition and NATO contingents—have completed their drawdown ahead of the September 30 deadline. While internal operations cease, Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) and NATO Mission Iraq (NMI) will persist remotely. Specifically, NMI has relocated its operational footprint to a temporary headquarters at NATO Joint Force Command (JFC) Naples in Lago Patria, Italy.

Minister Crosetto clarified that the transition represents a coordinated phase agreed upon with Iraqi authorities and international partners, rather than a unilateral Italian decision. This shift marks the conclusion of a 12-year counter-Daesh campaign focused on stabilizing the region and training both the Iraqi Armed Forces and the Kurdistan Region security forces. Moving forward, Italy’s engagement will pivot from an active ground presence to bilateral cooperation, focusing on training, strategic expertise exchange, and capability development.

➡️ The redeployment was largely finalized by March 2026, leaving only a technical logistics element on the ground for material recovery. Future bilateral defense cooperation was recently formalized during talks between Italian Chief of Defence Gen. Luciano Portolano and Iraqi Chief of Defence Gen. Abdul Amir Yarallah. Under the updated framework, Italy's active footprint inside Iraq is restricted to two Carabinieri personnel operating under the EU Advisory Mission (EUAM Iraq), explicitly authorized by the Iraqi government.

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