BAGHDAD, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqi military on Monday said the withdrawal of the U.S.-led international coalition forces from Iraq is "one of the achievements of the government."

Sabah al-Numan, spokesperson for the commander-in-chief of the Iraqi forces, told the official Iraqi News Agency (INA) that "the withdrawal of the international coalition forces from Iraq is one of the achievements of the government and an indicator of Iraq's ability to confront terrorism and maintain security and stability without the need for assistance from others."

Al-Numan's comments came as media reports indicate that U.S. forces have begun withdrawing some of their troops from the Ayn al-Asad airbase in Iraq's western Anbar province.

On Sunday, Hussein Allawi, the security advisor to the Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani, told the INA the mission of the U.S.-led international coalition in Baghdad and at the Ayn al-Asad base will end in September.

The United States has approximately 2,500 troops in Iraq as part of the coalition formed in 2014 to combat the Islamic State as it rampaged through the country. Enditem