Iraq confirms postponement of US-led coalition's withdrawal

Iraq announced Thursday that the planned withdrawal of a US-led anti-jihadist coalition would be "delayed", citing "latest developments" amid heightened regional tensions.

Baghdad and Washington have been engaged in months of talks over the presence of the coalition forces in Iraq, but no timeline for their gradual withdrawal has been made public.

The United States has some 2,500 troops in Iraq and 900 in Syria as part of the international coalition against the Islamic State group.

Coalition forces have been targeted dozens of times with drones and rocket fire in both Iraq and Syria, as violence related to the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza since early October has drawn in Iran-backed armed groups across the Middle East.

Iraq's foreign ministry reiterated in a statement the goal of "putting an end to the presence on Iraqi territory of the international coalition advisers of all nationalities" in its talks with Washington.

The sides had discussed "the details, date of announcement and some logistical issues" and "had been very close to announcing the agreement, but due to the latest developments, the announcement of an end to the military mission of the international coalition in Iraq has been delayed," the foreign ministry said.

The statement did not say when the announcement might come.

Last winter, the Islamic Resistance of Iraq, a loose alliance of Iran-backed groups, had claimed some 175 rocket and drone attacks against US troops in Iraq and Syria.

US forces have carried out multiple retaliatory strikes against these militant factions in both countries.

Last week, a rocket attack on a base in Iraq used by the anti-jihadist coalition wounded seven US personnel.

The region has been on edge as Iran and its regional allies have threatened to attack Israel in response to high-profile killings in Tehran and in Beirut late last month.