Iraqi government asks the United Nations to wind down its political mission in the country

BY ABDULRAHMAN ZEYAD
Associated Press

BAGHDAD (AP) — The Iraqi government has requested the United Nations end a mission set up to promote governance and human rights reforms in the country by the end of 2025, the latest in a series of international bodies operating in the country that Iraq has sought to wind down.  Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said Iraq’s government has “been able to achieve a number of important steps” in areas that fall under the body’s mandate, rendering it redundant. Earlier this year, Iraq initiated discussions to phase out the mission of a U.S.-led military coalition formed to fight the Islamic State group.