The US military has completed the withdrawal of American forces and equipment from Erbil Air Base in Iraq, US Central Command announced Wednesday. This final departure ends the Operation Inherent Resolve mission in the country, a U.S.-led campaign launched against ISIS in 2014. The move shifts primary security responsibility for Iraq to Iraqi forces, while the broader counter-ISIS campaign continues elsewhere in the region.
Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of US Central Command, stated that ISIS no longer poses a systemic threat to Iraq's national security. He credited the "grit, sacrifice and professionalism" of tens of thousands of American service members, diplomats, and civilian personnel for this outcome. Cooper noted that Iraqi security forces, including the Peshmerga and other Iraqi Kurdistan Region security forces, now possess the capacity and operational independence to manage threats to their homeland unilaterally.
Erbil Air Base served as the main operational hub for Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve. According to CENTCOM, the base hosted most of the roughly 1,500 American and Coalition forces supporting counter-ISIS operations. The withdrawal process began in October as Washington and Baghdad moved toward a bilateral defense relationship, with the final removal of personnel and equipment completing the transition on Sept. 30.
Despite the departure from Iraq, Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve remains active. The task force has relocated its headquarters to Jordan, and U.S. forces continue counter-ISIS operations in Syria alongside Coalition partners and the Syrian government. Cooper emphasized that U.S. and Coalition forces stationed across the region will remain ready to respond to any new ISIS threats.
Cooper explained that as the United States transfers full primary security responsibility to the Government of Iraq and its people, regional U.S. and Coalition forces will stay prepared to counter any emerging ISIS threats. He added that maintaining vigilance and readiness is essential to protecting the U.S. homeland and strengthening regional security.
The withdrawal concludes a U.S. military presence in Iraq that was reestablished in 2014 after Iraqi authorities sought international assistance following ISIS's capture of large areas of the country. US troops had previously left Iraq in 2011 after the 2003 invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.
Reactions to the withdrawal within Iraq have been divided. Iran-aligned groups celebrated the US departure, while officials in the Kurdish region raised concerns about losing American air-defense capabilities amid ongoing drone and missile threats. The exit arrives while Baghdad attempts to assert control over arms held by non-state actors, a goal complicated by resistance from influential Iran-backed militias who refuse to disarm.