Pentagon says Iraq mission being scaled back

The Pentagon recommitted itself in a statement on Tuesday to scaling back its military mission in Iraq, a process that a US official said will see Baghdad command efforts to combat remnants of ISIS inside its own country.

Under the plan, the US and its coalition allies would instead focus on combating ISIS remnants in Syria and shift most of their personnel to Iraq's Kurdistan region to carry out that mission, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The US had approximately 2,500 troops in Iraq at the start of 2025 and more than 900 in neighbouring Syria as part of the coalition formed in 2014 to combat ISIS as it rampaged through the two countries.

Once the transitions are completed, the total number of US forces in Iraq will number fewer than 2,000, and the majority of them will be in Erbil, the official said. A final number has yet to be determined, the official added, without offering a timeline.

US troops remaining in Baghdad will focus on normal bilateral security co-operation issues, not the counter-ISIS fight.

“ISIS is no longer posing a sustained threat to the government of Iraq or to the US homeland from Iraqi territory. This is a major achievement that enables us to transition more responsibly to Iraq leading efforts for security in their own country,” a senior defence official said.

The agreement is a boost for the government in Baghdad, which has long worried that US troops can be a magnet for instability, frequently targeted by Iran-aligned groups.

The US agreed last year with Iraq to depart the Ain Al Asad airbase in western Anbar province and hand it over to Iraq. The US official said that transition was still “in progress,” and declined to offer further information.

Although the Trump administration has outlined plans for a drawdown in Syria as well, the official said that was conditions-based and “we remain in kind of a status quo situation” at the moment.

The US is concerned about the persistent presence of ISIS fighters in Syria, and the risk that thousands being held in prisons could be freed.

Syria's President Ahmad Al Shara, a former Al Qaeda leader, led rebel forces that overthrew Bashar Al Assad's government last year. US President Donald Trump met him in Riyadh in May.

Middle East leaders and their Western allies have been warning that ISIS could exploit the political instability in Syria to stage a comeback there.

yallacompare profile

Date of launch: 2014

Founder: Jon Richards, founder and chief executive; Samer Chebab, co-founder and chief operating officer, and Jonathan Rawlings, co-founder and chief financial officer

Based: Media City, Dubai

Sector: Financial services

Size: 120 employees

Investors: 2014: $500,000 in a seed round led by Mulverhill Associates; 2015: $3m in Series A funding led by STC Ventures (managed by Iris Capital), Wamda and Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority; 2019: $8m in Series B funding with the same investors as Series A along with Precinct Partners, Saned and Argo Ventures (the VC arm of multinational insurer Argo Group)

Last-16 Europa League fixtures

Wednesday (Kick-offs UAE)

FC Copenhagen (0) v Istanbul Basaksehir (1) 8.55pm

Shakhtar Donetsk (2) v Wolfsburg (1) 8.55pm

Inter Milan v Getafe (one leg only) 11pm

Manchester United (5) v LASK (0) 11pm

Thursday

Bayer Leverkusen (3) v Rangers (1) 8.55pm

Sevilla v Roma (one leg only) 8.55pm

FC Basel (3) v Eintracht Frankfurt (0) 11pm

Wolves (1) Olympiakos (1) 11pm

The stats

Ship name: MSC Bellissima

Ship class: Meraviglia Class

Delivery date: February 27, 2019

Gross tonnage: 171,598 GT

Passenger capacity: 5,686

Crew members: 1,536

Number of cabins: 2,217

Length: 315.3 metres

Maximum speed: 22.7 knots (42kph)

Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026

1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years

If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.

2. E-invoicing in the UAE

Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.

3. More tax audits

Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.

4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime

Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.

5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit

There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.

6. Further transfer pricing enforcement

Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.

7. Limited time periods for audits

Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.

8. Pillar 2 implementation

Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.

9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services

Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.

10. Substance and CbC reporting focus

Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.

Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer