On Wednesday, the U.S. military announced the conclusion of Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq, stating that all U.S.-led coalition forces and equipment had been pulled from Erbil Air Base in northern Iraq as part of an earlier arrangement with the Iraqi government.
A spokesman for the Department of Defense, Sean Parnell, issued a statement in which he said “The orderly departure of Coalition forces and equipment from Erbil Air Base marks the successful conclusion of the military mission that defeated ISIS in Iraq.”.
Parnell added this: “This milestone reflects the success of a 12-year campaign that defeated ISIS as an organized military threat in Iraq and across the region. It also marks a transition from a wartime coalition mission to an Iraqi-led security effort supported by a more normal bilateral security relationship.”
The End of Inherent Resolve
The U.S.-led operation known as Operation Inherent Resolve started in 2014, aimed at ISIS, the terror group that emerged from the remains of al-Qaeda in Iraq and took control of large parts of Iraq and nearby Syria.
Roughly 2,000 Americans were present in Iraq as of February, according to officials at the time. More than 160,000 U.S. service members were in Iraq during the late 2000s “surge” under Operation Iraqi Freedom.
American forces have seen service in both Iraq and Syria. A total of about 1,500 troops were stationed in Syria for several years before withdrawing earlier this year.
Several years ago, the United States and Iraq reached an agreement on the mission’s conclusion, spelling out a plan for a shift toward a closer bilateral relationship between the two nations.
Iraq and the United States jointly declared the conclusion of the multi-country coalition against ISIS through a shared announcement on 2024, with the coalition’s stated termination set for 2025, and the expected close of the Inherent Resolve mission scheduled for the end of 2026.
“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.”
The Cost Since 2025
The U.S. military’s Central Command reports that in December 2025, an ISIS attack killed two American soldiers and a translator. In response, the United States launched airstrikes.
In recent years, Iranian-backed militias operating inside Iraq have targeted American forces, and that danger has become more evident since the U.S. and Israel began their joint war against Iran.
The Pentagon says that during February through April 2026, militias tied to Iran carried out over 600 assaults on American personnel and bases.
At a July meeting at the Pentagon with Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth spoke about the attacks, according to a Pentagon readout.
The readout says they talked about moving from the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS to a bilateral arrangement, with Hegseth committing to shutting down Inherent Resolve by Sept. 30.
The Iraqi Side
The New York Times reported this week that Al-Zaidi has vowed to strip weapons from the Iran-backed militias in Iraq. He said the groups will be dissolved by June 2027, though he had previously set a September 2026 deadline for the move.
Wednesday’s statement from Parnell said the Iraqi Security Forces, along with the Peshmerga (Kurdish forces) and other security forces in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region, will be leading the ongoing work to secure Iraq and keep ISIS remnants under control.
The military official said the U.S. armed forces would “continue to provide targeted training and intelligence support to our Iraqi partners.”.
“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.” is what Parnell said.
He concluded: “The United States remains committed to counterterrorism and will continue to work with Iraq and our partners to ensure ISIS can never reconstitute from Iraqi territory.”
The Numbers on the Ground
| Operation | Peak U.S. Troops | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Operation Iraqi Freedom (2000s surge) | More than 160,000 | Ended |
| Operation Inherent Resolve (2014-present) | Roughly 2,000 as of Feb. | Ending |
| Operation Inherent Resolve in Syria | Roughly 1,500 | Withdrew earlier this year |
The Path Ahead
Iraq’s own security forces will now be the ones handling the fight against the remnants of ISIS and the militias, with the U.S. military’s stated position is that Iraq’ taking on a supporting role by offering training and intelligence. The actual fighting, however, falls to Iraq.
The setup that lasted over a decade has changed. The coalition mission was built to take down ISIS as a fighting force, and that objective has been achieved. What remains is the ongoing danger from ISIS remnants and the militias, with the U.S. stating that Iraq’s government now bears the main duty for managing both.
Iraq continues to receive American support in its fight against terrorism, and the U.S. has stated that it intends to keep cooperating with Iraq and its partners to stop ISIS from regaining control.
The position has shifted. With the coalition mission concluded, the relationship is now headed toward a form of bilateral cooperation that resembles a more typical partnership between two countries.
What Comes Next
The schedule set out in the 2024 deal is falling into place. The coalition against ISIS ended its work by 2025, and the Inherent Resolve operation has officially come to an end.
The militias continue to pose a danger, with more than 600 attacks recorded since February 2026. That number demonstrates the threat has not diminished. Al-Zaidi has promised to disarm the militias by June 2027, which was the stated plan, even though he failed to meet the September 2026 deadline.
Sept. 30 is the deadline for the end of Inherent Resolve, a commitment made by the United States, and the evacuation of Erbil Air Base now wraps up the military component of that undertaking.
The U.S. military’s statement stresses a shift toward Iraqi-led security. It is the Iraqi Security Forces, alongside the Peshmerga, who will take charge of securing Iraq and keeping ISIS remnants under control.
The United States will keep up targeted training and intelligence aid for its Iraqi partners, though the scale is far smaller than the 160,000-strong surge of a decade past. It is also less than the roughly 2,000 Americans present as of February.
ISIS no longer controls any significant territory, but the group has not ceased to exist. The United States says it will keep working with Iraq and its partners to make sure ISIS can never regroup from Iraqi ground.
The Paper’s View
The 2024 agreement between the U.S. and Iraq set a path to end the coalition mission by 2026, with Iraq promising to disarm the militias by June 2027. That plan is now complete.
The United States military has pulled out of Erbil Air Base, bringing the mission to an end. What remains now is for the Government of Iraq to handle the security challenges on its own.
While the United States still backs counterterrorism, the battle against ISIS as a structured military danger has reached its end. The shift toward a standard two-country security partnership has become formalized.
See the video the story is built around at CBS News.
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