US Central Command Removes Forces From Iraq, Ending Operation Inherent Resolve Mission

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) has removed U.S. forces and equipment from Erbil Air Base in Iraq, in a move that concludes the Operation Inherent Resolve mission in the country.

The U.S. launched Operation Inherent Resolve in 2014 to defeat the terrorist group ISIS in Iraq and Syria. Some 2,000 Americans went to the country to participate in the mission, officials said at the time.

The U.S. and its allies dismantled a brutal ISIS “caliphate” by training and advising over 250,000 local security forces, shifting the region from active conflict to stabilization while permanently anchoring Iraqi independence and regional security.

In a 2024 joint agreement, Iraq and the United States, under former President Joe Biden, said they would wind down the mission by the end of 2026. U.S. forces and partners began their withdrawal from Iraq last October.

Iraq Handed ‘Full’ Security Responsibilities

On Wednesday, CENTCOM said it removed the troops from Erbil Air Base, which served as the main operational hub for Combined Joint Task Force—Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR).

The site hosted most of the 1,500 American and coalition forces supporting counter-ISIS operations.

“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,” Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander, said in a statement. “Maintaining our vigilance and readiness is essential to protecting the U.S. homeland and strengthening regional security.

The planned transition to a U.S.-Iraq bilateral defense relationship formally ends the mission.

“This milestone reflects the success of a 12-year campaign that defeated ISIS as an organized military threat in Iraq and across the region,” Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement. “It also marks a transition from a wartime coalition mission to an Iraqi-led security effort supported by a more normal bilateral security relationship.”

CENTCOM said that CJTFOIR remains operational and is now headquartered in Jordan to help the U.S. and its partners continue its operations against ISIS in Syria.

“We expect the Iraqi Security Forces, including the Peshmerga and other security forces in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region, to lead the continuing effort to secure Iraq and keep ISIS remnants suppressed,” Parnell added, adding that the Pentagon “will continue to provide targeted training and intelligence support to our Iraqi partners.”

Cooper called it a “job well done,” praising the tens of thousands of American service members, diplomats and civilian personnel “who answered the call in Iraq.”

“Because of your grit, sacrifice and professionalism, ISIS no longer poses a systemic threat to Iraq’s national security and Iraqi security forces, including the Peshmerga and other Iraqi Kurdistan Region security forces, now possess the capacity, leadership, and operational independence to unilaterally manage threats to their homeland,” Cooper said.