US-led joint forces deactivate land command in Iraq

By Sorwar Alam

ANKARA

The U.S.-led joint forces command in Baghdad declared the end of major combat operation against Daesh terrorist organization in Iraq, shutting down its land command headquarters, according to an official statement from the Combined Joint Task Force’s Operation - Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR) on Monday.

The statement said the deactivation of the Combined Joint Forces Land Component Command (CJFLCC) headquarters in Baghdad signified “the end of major combat operations against ISIS [Daesh] in Iraq and acknowledging the changing composition and responsibilities of the Coalition”.

“Thanks to our partnered success, we are able to continue our support to the Government of Iraq under the unified command of CJTF-OIR,” the statement cited CJFLCC former Commanding General Walter Piatt as saying at the deactivation ceremony.

CJFLCC was responsible for Coalition land force operations in support of the Iraqi Security Force (ISF) during the anti-Daesh campaign, said the statement, noting the joint forces command had liberated more than 4.5 million Iraqis subject to Daesh’s brutal control.

ISF spokesman Gen. Yahya Rasool Abdullah said “Iraq is immensely grateful” for “sacrifice and dedication” of “all men and women from all the Coalition nations” whose commitment and professionalism “has been of the highest order”.

“We look forward to taking the partnership forward with the Combined Joint Task Force, and a friendship that will endure for years to come,” Abdullah added according to the statement.