The U.S. military disbanded the command overseeing American ground forces in Iraq on Monday, as the Pentagon ends major combat operations against the Islamic State in the country but looks to maintain a longer-term troop presence there to prevent the extremists from regrouping.
U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, marked the deactivation of the command in Baghdad with a ceremony, calling the event an acknowledgment of the “changing composition and responsibilities of the coalition” the United States assembled nearly four years ago to destroy the Islamic State.
The Combined Joint Forces Land Component Command oversaw troops from the U.S.-led coalition as they helped Iraqi forces roll back the Islamic State’s self-declared caliphate.
While the command’s closure marked a milestone in the fight against the militant group, U.S. officials say the battle isn’t finished.
