CENTCOM: US withdraws forces from Iraq marking an end to Operation Inherent Resolve

The United States has ended its Operation Inherent Resolve mission in Iraq, completing the departure of troops and equipment from Erbil Air Base on September 30, US Central Command announced.

The move closes the Iraqi chapter of a campaign launched in 2014 to combat ISIS and shifts the US military relationship with Baghdad toward bilateral defense cooperation.

The wider campaign against ISIS will continue, CENTCOM says.

The Combined Joint Task Force–Operation Inherent Resolve is now headquartered in Jordan, overseeing continued US counter-ISIS operations in Syria alongside coalition partners and the Syrian government.

CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper said Iraqi forces are now capable of taking primary responsibility for the country’s security, including responding independently to threats.

“ISIS no longer poses a systemic threat to Iraq’s national security,” Cooper said, crediting American military personnel, diplomats and civilian staff for helping build the capabilities of Iraqi forces, including the Kurdish Peshmerga.

The departure from Erbil concludes a phased transition that began last October, when American and coalition forces started leaving federal Iraq. Erbil, in the country’s north, had served as the task force’s main operational hub, hosting most of the 1,500 American and coalition personnel supporting the counter-ISIS campaign.

Although the mission in Iraq has ended, Cooper said forces stationed elsewhere in the region would remain ready to respond if ISIS threats emerge.

“Maintaining our vigilance and readiness is essential to protecting the US homeland and strengthening regional security,” he said.