World Affairs
U.S. ends anti-ISIS coalition mission in Iraq after final Erbil departure
The departure completes a planned transition agreed by Washington and Baghdad. CENTCOM says the coalition task force remains in Jordan and will continue operations against ISIS in Syria; Reuters and AP report concerns in Iraq about militia influence and a possible security gap.
Executive summary
- Mission ended in Iraq: U.S. Central Command says U.S. forces and equipment completed their departure from Erbil Air Base on Sept. 30, ending the Operation Inherent Resolve mission in Iraq. The base had hosted most of the roughly 1,500 U.S. and coalition personnel supporting counter-ISIS operations there.[1][2]
- The regional mission continues: The coalition task force remains operational from Jordan, and U.S. forces continue counter-ISIS operations in Syria with coalition partners and the Syrian government. CENTCOM says the Iraq transition is moving toward a bilateral defense relationship, including continued targeted training and intelligence support for Iraqi partners.[1][2]
- Security questions remain: The withdrawal followed a 2024 U.S.-Iraq agreement, but it does not end the wider U.S. military presence in the region or resolve Iraq's internal security questions. Reuters and AP report concerns that armed groups outside state control could gain influence and that Islamic State remnants could try to regroup; these are risks raised by sources, not outcomes established by the withdrawal itself.[1][3][2]
U.S. Central Command said it completed the orderly departure of U.S. forces and equipment from Erbil Air Base on Sept. 30, ending the Operation Inherent Resolve mission in Iraq. The base in the Kurdistan Region had served as the operational hub for the U.S.-led coalition task force and hosted most of the approximately 1,500 American and coalition personnel supporting counter-ISIS operations there.[1]
The departure concludes a phased transition Washington and Baghdad agreed to in 2024. CENTCOM says forces began leaving federal Iraq the previous October before the operation culminated in the removal of personnel and equipment from Erbil. The official announcement describes the end of the coalition mission in Iraq; it does not say that U.S. military activity across the Middle East has ended.[1][3]
CENTCOM said the Combined Joint Task Force–Operation Inherent Resolve remains operational and is now headquartered in Jordan. U.S. forces will continue the counter-ISIS mission in Syria alongside coalition partners and the Syrian government, according to the command. The change therefore ends the task force's Iraq mission while its regional work continues elsewhere.[1]
For Iraq, the announced next step is a bilateral defense relationship rather than the coalition mission. The Pentagon said U.S. forces would continue targeted training and intelligence support for Iraqi partners. That narrower description leaves the precise future scale and location of U.S. personnel supporting Iraq unstated in the public announcement.[2][3][1]
Iraq's government presented the end of the mission as a step toward greater sovereignty. Reuters reported that Iraqis also voiced concern that Iran-aligned armed groups could gain influence or that Islamic State remnants could exploit a security gap. The report quoted Iraqi security and political figures; it did not establish that either outcome has followed from the departure.[3][2]
CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper said Iraqi and Kurdistan Region security forces have the capacity to manage threats independently. That is the U.S. commander's assessment. AP and Reuters describe a more contested outlook, including concerns over the government's limited success in disarming militias and the continued presence of Islamic State sleeper cells.[1][2][3]
The immediate change is operational: the coalition's Iraq mission has ended, its headquarters moved to Jordan, and the United States says it will retain a bilateral support relationship with Baghdad while continuing the Syria mission. Whether Iraqi forces can contain militant groups without the former coalition footprint will depend on events beyond the withdrawal announcement.[1][2][3]