Last UK and US troops leave Iraq as anti-Islamic State mission ends

The last British and American troops have left Iraq after a military presence of more than a decade in the country. The exit of the remaining UK military personnel - around 100 - from Irbil, in the northern Kurdistan region, was co-ordinated over recent weeks with US forces, who also departed on Wednesday. It follows an agreement between the US and the Iraqi government, signed two years ago, to withdraw foreign troops by the end of this month. British and US forces have been present in Iraq since 2014, as part of the international coalition to help defeat the extremist Islamic State (IS) group. Their departure brings the mission, known as Operation Inherent Resolve, to an end.