The United States and its coalition partners formally ended their military mission against the Islamic State group in Iraq on Wednesday, the Pentagon announced, completing a withdrawal agreed with Baghdad in 2024.
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said the departure of coalition troops and equipment from Erbil Air Base, in Iraq’s northern Kurdish region, concluded Operation Inherent Resolve in the country. He described the move as a transition to an Iraqi-led security effort supported by bilateral cooperation with Washington.
The coalition began operations in Iraq and Syria in 2014 after ISIS seized large areas of both countries. The group lost its territorial control in Iraq in 2017 and in Syria in 2019, but international forces remained to support operations against its surviving cells.
Coalition forces began leaving federal Iraq in October 2025, with the withdrawal culminating in their departure from Erbil this month, according to U.S. Central Command. The regional counter-ISIS task force remains operational from headquarters in Jordan, supporting continued operations in Syria alongside coalition partners and the Syrian government.
Iraqi security forces will now lead efforts to contain ISIS remnants. Washington said it would continue providing targeted training and intelligence support to Iraqi partners to prevent the group from rebuilding its capabilities.
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi attended the handover ceremony and welcomed the withdrawal as the beginning of a new phase centered on national sovereignty and stronger institutions. U.S. President Donald Trump also praised the departure, describing it as a victory for both countries, the Associated Press reported.
The withdrawal has nevertheless raised concerns in Iraq’s Kurdish region, particularly over the removal of U.S. air defense systems and the risk of renewed attacks. Baghdad also faces unresolved negotiations over disarming powerful Iran-backed militias, with the deadline for that process postponed to June 2027.
