US Military Completes Iraq Troop Withdrawal After 12 Years

The U.S. military has finished removing American troops and equipment from Iraq’s Erbil Air Base, formally bringing the U.S. chapter of Operation Inherent Resolve to an end, U.S. Central Command said Wednesday.

The withdrawal concludes the Iraq-based phase of the U.S.-led campaign launched in 2014 to defeat ISIS and places Iraqi forces in the lead for the country’s security. The wider fight against ISIS will continue, however. The coalition’s headquarters is moving to Jordan, while counterterrorism operations remain active in Syria.

“Job well done to the tens of thousands of American service members, diplomats, and civilian personnel who answered the call in Iraq,” CENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooper said.

Cooper credited the personnel who served in Iraq with helping reduce ISIS to a level that no longer represents a systemic threat to the country. He said Iraqi security forces, including the Peshmerga and other forces in Iraq’s Kurdistan region, now have the leadership, capabilities and independence needed to address threats on their own.

Pentagon chief spokesman Sean Parnell described the move as the official end of Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq. He said the mission was shifting “from a wartime coalition mission to an Iraqi-led security effort supported by a more normal bilateral security relationship.”

Although the combat mission has ended, the Pentagon said the United States will continue offering Iraqi forces limited training and intelligence assistance. Iraqi troops and the Peshmerga will assume primary responsibility for containing remaining ISIS elements.

Located in northern Iraq, Erbil Air Base served as the principal hub for Combined Joint Task Force — Operation Inherent Resolve. CENTCOM said the facility housed most of the approximately 1,500 American and coalition personnel involved in counter-ISIS operations.

The United States and its coalition partners began pulling out of federal Iraq last October as Washington and Baghdad worked toward a bilateral defense partnership. The final personnel and equipment left Erbil on Sept. 30, completing the transition. The move stems from an agreement reached by the two governments under the Biden administration in 2024 and continued under the Trump administration.

CENTCOM said Combined Joint Task Force — Operation Inherent Resolve remains operational and will now be based in Jordan. American forces are also continuing counter-ISIS missions in Syria in cooperation with coalition members and the Syrian government.

About 4,000 U.S. troops are stationed in Jordan, where they will continue tracking the ISIS threat. Muwaffaq Salti Air Base houses American combat aircraft and has also come under attack during the broader conflict with Iran. An Iranian strike on the base in July killed three U.S. service members.

“As we step back and hand full primary responsibility for Iraq’s security to the Government of Iraq and the brave people of Iraq, U.S. and coalition forces stationed across the region will remain ready to respond to any ISIS threats that arise,” Cooper said.

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“Maintaining our vigilance and readiness is essential to protecting the U.S. homeland and strengthening regional security,” he added. 

The exit marks the end of the U.S. military presence reestablished in Iraq in 2014, after Iraqi authorities appealed for international help when ISIS seized large portions of the country. American troops had previously withdrawn in 2011, following the 2003 invasion that removed Saddam Hussein from power.

For much of the past several years, Iraq hosted about 2,500 U.S. troops. Most left last year, while several hundred remained in the Kurdish-controlled north until the final evacuation from Erbil.

The U.S. withdrawal comes as Iraq confronts another major security concern: powerful militias aligned with Iran. Baghdad has tried to place weapons controlled by non-state groups under government authority, but some of the country’s most influential militias have rejected calls to disarm.

The Pentagon specifically listed those militias among the challenges Iraqi authorities will now be responsible for handling.

“The primary responsibility for addressing Iraq’s remaining security challenges, including ISIS remnants and Iran-aligned militias that undermine Iraqi sovereignty and regional stability, now rests with the Government of Iraq,” Parnell said.

The withdrawal also reduces the number of U.S. military targets inside Iraq after American forces there faced repeated attacks by Iran-aligned groups following Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel. During this year’s war with Iran, seven of the 18 U.S. service members killed in Iranian attacks were killed in Iraq, according to Fox News reporting.

The withdrawal has drawn sharply different reactions inside Iraq. Iran-aligned groups celebrated the U.S. departure, while officials in the country’s Kurdish region have raised concerns about the loss of American air-defense capabilities amid drone and missile threats.

Kurdish officials say their region has faced more than 1,000 Iranian drone and ballistic missile attacks since the war with Iran began Feb. 28, adding to concerns over the removal of U.S. forces and air-defense capabilities.

Thousands of ISIS fighters also remain in Iraq and Syria despite the collapse of the terror group’s organized military threat. The Iraqi government has said its forces will continue operations against ISIS, while the Pentagon said the U.S. remains committed to preventing the group from reconstituting from Iraqi territory.

CENTCOM said U.S. and coalition forces elsewhere in the region will remain prepared to respond if ISIS again poses a threat.

“The United States supports a strong sovereign Iraq that secures its borders, protects its people, and serves as the foundation for deeper commercial, diplomatic, and security cooperation between our two countries,” Parnell said.