The United States military has completed the total withdrawal of its armed forces from Iraq, bringing an official close to the twelve-year counter-ISIS mission known as Operation Inherent Resolve.
U.S. Central Command confirmed that the final American service members and military hardware completed an orderly departure from Erbil Air Base in northern Iraq. The drawdown concludes an exit roadmap established under a bilateral agreement previously negotiated between Washington and Baghdad. Operation Inherent Resolve began in 2014 after the Islamic State captured vast territory across Iraq and Syria, threatening regional stability and drawing a multinational coalition into the conflict.
Over the course of the campaign, allied forces stripped the militant network of its territorial control and gradually transitioned from direct combat to training and advising Iraqi personnel. Pentagon officials emphasized that while the wartime coalition framework has concluded, the United States intends to maintain targeted intelligence sharing and advisory cooperation with Baghdad. Iraqi leaders welcomed the finalized pullout as a milestone for national sovereignty and a demonstration of their security forces' operational independence.
However, regional observers and Kurdish officials have voiced concern that the vacuum left by departing coalition forces could complicate defense efforts against insurgent sleeper cells and regional militia activity. Going forward, the primary responsibility for suppressing remaining extremist pockets and securing the country's borders rests entirely with the Iraqi armed forces.