U.S. and allied forces left their last remaining base in Iraq on Wednesday, completing a mission that began with the fight against ISIS. They leave behind a country navigating a wider regional conflict between the United States and Iran and the continued presence of Iran-backed armed groups on its home soil.
The U.S. Defense Department said Wednesday that the coalition had formally concluded Operation Inherent Resolve’s (OIR) mission in Iraq. The task force, now headquartered in Jordan, will continue operations against ISIS in Syria. Washington will also continue to provide training and intelligence support to its Iraqi partners.
“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,” said Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander. “Maintaining our vigilance and readiness is essential to protecting the U.S. homeland and strengthening regional security.”
Iraq, meanwhile, marked what it called “Sovereignty Day” to commemorate the end of the international coalition’s mission and its withdrawal from the country. The ceremony was attended by Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, the coalition commander and commanders from various Iraqi military and security forces.
In remarks delivered at the ceremony, Zaidi said: “Today, Iraq is reaping the fruits of immense sacrifices and heroic efforts that stretched over years, until our security agencies, across all branches, established control over the security and military landscape throughout Iraq.”
The United States invaded Iraq in 2003 and spent years fighting supporters of Saddam’s regime, followed by armed groups opposed to the new government and al-Qaida.
After officially ending the Iraq War in 2011, the U.S. and its allies returned less than three years later, launching OIR in 2014 to defeat ISIS, an organization designated as a terrorist group by the United States. Over 12 years, tens of thousands of U.S. and allied troops trained and advised 250,000 local security forces, including regular Iraqi military units and Kurdish Peshmerga forces.
The departure of U.S. troops and coalition equipment from Erbil Air Base, which housed most of the remaining 1,500 U.S. personnel until their departure, marks the conclusion of a military mission that dismantled ISIS and its “caliphate,” but at great cost. Over the course of the campaign, 123 U.S. troops were killed, 499 wounded, tens of thousands of civilians died in ISIS attacks and coalition airstrikes, and more than 1 million Iraqis and Syrians displaced.
The U.S. withdrawal was approved in 2024 under the Biden administration and completed by President Donald Trump.
The Pentagon said Iraqi security forces would lead ongoing efforts to secure the country and contain remnants of ISIS. But they will have to do so with fewer resources. Prior to the withdrawal, U.S. forces had provided Iraqi security services with critical intelligence on ISIS movements, as well as aerial surveillance and reconnaissance.
The loss will be felt sharply in the Kurdistan Region, where Iran and allied militias have carried out more than 1,000 drone and missile attacks since the war began in February, according to the Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs.
“We are losing air defenses, and radars,” a senior security official in the Kurdistan Regional Government told MBN, speaking on condition of anonymity. “When you lose air defense systems, it’s not easy. When you lose ISR capabilities, it’s not easy.”
The Kurdistan Region has no air defense system of its own, he said. The Peshmerga ministry said this week that responsibility for defending the region’s airspace now rests with Baghdad.
The official said the coalition’s move to Jordan kept its aircraft within reach. “They are in Jordan, the Gulf states, the Red Sea. Their aircraft can reach Erbil in 10 to 15 minutes,” he said.
Baghdad is seeking air defense systems abroad, and the official said Erbil was trying to obtain American systems “as part of the deal” on future security cooperation.
Iran, which is at war with the United States, views the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq as a victory for what is known as the “Axis of Resistance,” a network of Iran-aligned armed groups and factions in Iraq and across the region.
“Iran and Iran’s militias… think this is a kind of victory for them,” the Kurdish security official said.
Iraq has struggled for years with armed factions operating outside state control. Since taking office in May, Zaidi has sought to place their weapons under government control, setting Sept. 30 as a deadline for doing so.
But efforts to complete the disarmament by that date have stalled. According to MBN sources, the Iraqi government and Iran-aligned armed factions have reached an agreement under which the groups would surrender their strategic weapons by June 2027.
The Kurdish official described Zaidi as sincere but constrained. “He’s serious and he’s really different from other prime ministers, but he doesn’t have this power,” he said.
The disarmament timetable is now tied to the security arrangements meant to replace the coalition. A draft bilateral defense agreement with Washington exists, the official said, “but the U.S. will not sign until they see real action against these militias.” Britain, Germany and Italy are negotiating agreements of their own, he said. France has agreed to continue bilateral cooperation with Iraq.
The U.S. withdrawal has raised concerns about a growing role for Iran-backed factions, as well as the possibility that ISIS could seek to regroup. The Kurdish official said there had been some ISIS activity around Kirkuk and that the group retained sleeper cells, but he said he saw no sign of coordination between the militias and ISIS.
“It’s not impossible, but it doesn’t make sense,” he said.
Adapted and translated from the original Arabic.
