Washington/Baghdad, Sep 30: The United States and its allies have officially ended ‘Operation Inherent Resolve’ against the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq, the Pentagon said on Wednesday.

The Iraqi Security Forces, including the Peshmerga and other security forces in the Iraqi Kurdistan region, will “lead the continuing effort to secure Iraq and keep IS remnants suppressed,” the Pentagon’s chief spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement.

The primary responsibility for addressing Iraq’s remaining security challenges now rests with the Iraqi government, the statement said, adding that the United States will continue to provide “targeted training and intelligence support” to its Iraqi partners.

On the same day, Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi also announced the conclusion of the international coalition’s mission to combat the IS in Iraq, Xinhua news agency reported. In 2014, the United States and its allies launched their campaign and deployed forces to fight the IS militants in Iraq and neighbouring Syria.

In 2024, Washington and Baghdad agreed on a gradual pullout of US troops from Iraq, seven years after the Iraqi government declared the country’s full liberation from the IS militants at the end of 2017.

Last week, the Iraqi government said that it is in direct dialogue with the United States to secure sanctions exemptions for certain Iraqi airports to resume flights with Iran on humanitarian grounds.

The media office of Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi said on Saturday that the requested waivers aim to allow flights for medical treatment, education, religious visits, and civilian interests following recent US Department of the Treasury measures against Iranian airlines operating in the region.

The statement stressed that Iraq is actively working to de-escalate regional tensions, warned that prolonged crisis further complicate the situation, and called on all parties to resolve conflicts through dialogue.

The Iraqi government on Thursday officially signed an agreement to take over the US Embassy’s diplomatic support centre at Baghdad International Airport, according to an Iraqi Foreign Ministry statement.

The agreement was signed at the ministry headquarters by Iraqi Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammed Hussein Bahr Al-Uloom and charge d’affaires at the US Embassy in Iraq Steven Fagin.

The handover was part of the Iraqi government’s efforts to finalise procedures regarding the conclusion of the US-led international coalition and the foreign military presence in Iraq, in accordance with the timeline set for September 30 this year, it said.

In August, al-Zaidi said that September 30 remained the firm deadline for ending the US-led coalition’s military mission in Iraq and completing its troop withdrawal.

New York, Sep 29: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar says that the US’s lack of sensitivity to India’s concerns about terrorism emanating from Pakistan is a problem for Washington-New Delhi relations.

He did name Pakistan, but made it amply clear he was referring to it by ascribing the terrorism to “a neighbour” that uses it as a policy, and it was criticism directed at President Donald Trump for developing close relations with Pakistan, ignoring its role as a purveyor of terror.

“Perhaps there are very few countries which have been subjected to the kind of terrorism that we have from a neighbour as part of a deliberate conscious policy over many, many decades”, he said on Monday.

Therefore, the terrorism issue is “particularly important” for India, he said.

“Now, if something which matters so deeply to us, there isn’t enough understanding or appreciation or empathy of that, I think that creates a problem”, He said.

If “one of my primary concerns is not fully appreciated by my partner, then clearly there is a impact on that on the relationship”, he said.

He made these comments during an event in New York when he was asked about factors hindering better U.S. relations.

He said that besides trade, this insensitivity to terrorism was a factor.

Trump has entirely walked away from the issue of terrorism when it comes to Pakistan, in a change from the policies of the previous administrations.

Previously, the US recognised Islamabad’s role in backing global terrorism, which reached its height with the 2001 attacks by al-Qaida on the World Trade Centre in New York and the Pentagon outside Washington.

Pakistan’s role as an accessory to the attacks was exposed when al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden was found to be living under Pakistan’s protection.

Kathmandu, Sep 29: At least 27 people have been killed and seven injured across Nepal in natural disasters, including floods, landslides, inundation, strong winds and lightning triggered by incessant rainfall across Nepal since September 24 till Monday evening, Nepal’s Prime Minister’s Office said.

In a statement, the Prime Minister’s Secretariat said four people were also reported missing during the period, while 1,065 families were affected by 513 monsoon-related incidents, citing the latest government figures.

The disasters completely damaged 225 houses and partially damaged 137 others. Twenty-seven cattle sheds and 114 livestock were also affected.

The government said it has intensified rescue, relief and rehabilitation efforts while mobilising its agencies to repair damaged infrastructure and restore normal life.

Floods and landslides damaged 147 locations along highways and major roads across the country. Of these, 125 locations have already been repaired and reopened, according to government statistics.

Traffic has also been disrupted along the Kaligandaki Corridor in western Nepal due to landslides, road subsidence and damage to bridge approaches in parts of Beni-Jomsom, Palpa, Baglung and Nawalparasi districts. Authorities estimate that it could take more than three days to fully restore the road.

Electricity supply has also been affected by the floods. A total of 1,013.2 megawatts of electricity supply through the national transmission system was disrupted in the Kaligandaki, Marsyangdi and Seti-Madi river corridors.

About a dozen hydropower projects along the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli river corridors were also badly damaged following the deadly flooding on August 26, which claimed more than 1,400 lives and left around 5,000 people missing, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority.

The Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), the state-owned power utility, said it plans to import more than 1,100 MW of electricity from India during the upcoming winter season, when domestic generation is expected to decline by around 70 percent as run-of-the-river hydropower projects generate less electricity.

Domestic electricity generation after January is expected to remain around 1,218 MW against projected demand of 2,293 MW, the NEA said.

“That’s why we have planned to import 1,155 MW of electricity from India during the upcoming dry season to manage the power supply,” Dirghayu Kumar Shrestha, managing director of the NEA, said on Monday.