The United States completed its military withdrawal from Iraq on September 30, 2026, when the final troops and equipment left Erbil Air Base, formally ending the U.S.-led mission there.
The departure concluded Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq, a 12-year campaign launched in 2014 to defeat the Islamic State, also known as ISIS. U.S. forces had already withdrawn from federal Iraq, leaving Erbil in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region as their last major base. The withdrawal followed a 2024 agreement between Washington and Baghdad and marks a shift from a wartime coalition mission to a bilateral security relationship.
Pentagon officials said Iraqi forces, including the Kurdish Peshmerga, now have primary responsibility for protecting the country and preventing an ISIS resurgence. Washington is expected to continue providing limited training and intelligence assistance, while the broader coalition’s headquarters has moved to Jordan and operations against ISIS continue in Syria. Iraqi leaders welcomed the move as a sign of national sovereignty, but Kurdish officials and other critics warned that the absence of U.S. air defenses and military support could create vulnerabilities.
The exit closes the latest chapter in a U.S. military involvement that began with the 2003 invasion, although the country’s political and security ties with Washington are expected to continue.