Updated

The last US and UK troops left Iraq as the anti-Islamic State coalition mission formally ended, fulfilling a long-standing demand of the Iraqi government under a deal agreed two years earlier. As Baghdad seeks to assert control over powerful paramilitary groups amid the withdrawal, Human Rights Watch warned that thousands of men and boys transferred from Syria to Iraq over alleged Islamic State links face the risk of execution under Iraq's counterterrorism law, with many countries stalling repatriation of their nationals. The developments mark a significant shift in Iraq's security landscape and raise human rights concerns about the prosecution of alleged IS-linked detainees.