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// DOSSIER — us-coalition-forces-end-military-mission-iraq
US and Coalition Forces Formally End Military Mission in Iraq, Shifting to Bilateral Security Ties
REL_TIME: 03 Oct 2026 21:12Z · LANG: EN
The United States, the United Kingdom, and the 90-partner Global Coalition have formally concluded their 12-year multinational military mission against ISIS in Iraq under Operation Inherent Resolve. Coalition personnel and equipment have vacated Iraqi bases, including their primary operational hub at Erbil Air Base, ahead of schedule. The conclusion transitions the international role from a formal multinational command to an Iraqi-led security framework supported by bilateral defense, counter-terrorism, and intelligence agreements, with the Combined Joint Task Force shifting its remaining regional headquarters to Jordan.
// Background
Following the 2003 US invasion of Iraq and subsequent 2011 drawdown, ISIS swept across northern and western Iraq in 2014, capturing key cities such as Mosul and Tikrit. In response, a 90-partner coalition launched Operation Inherent Resolve to advise, train, and support Iraqi forces and Peshmerga with airpower and intelligence. Although Iraq declared territorial liberation in December 2017, low-level counter-insurgency and capacity-building continued. In 2024, Washington and Baghdad established a phased drawdown agreement set to run through 2026, which was finalized with the removal of coalition forces from Erbil.
// Key Developments
- US and British armed forces have completely removed troops and equipment from Erbil Air Base and other locations in Iraq.
- Operation Inherent Resolve officially ended after a 12-year multinational campaign that began in 2014 to defeat ISIS.
- The Coalition assessed that the Iraqi Security Forces and Kurdish Peshmerga are now capable of independently maintaining national security.
- Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR) has moved its headquarters to Jordan to support continuing operations in Syria.
- UK forces under Operation SHADER trained over 111,000 Iraqi and 21,000 Peshmerga personnel and struck over 2,300 targets during the campaign.
// Timeline
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US and coalition forces launch the invasion of Iraq to topple Saddam Hussein.
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Initial major US troop withdrawal from Iraq concludes.
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Operation Inherent Resolve begins following ISIS territorial advances across Iraq and Syria.
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Baghdad officially declares the liberation of all Iraqi territory from ISIS control.
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Formal negotiations between the US and Iraq begin regarding the end of the coalition combat mission.
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US and Iraqi governments sign an agreement establishing a timetable to wind down the coalition military presence by 2026.
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Pentagon and Iraqi officials announce the complete withdrawal of coalition forces from Iraq and the formal end of Operation Inherent Resolve's Iraq mission.
// Perspectives
[Iraqi Central Government]
Views the withdrawal as an important milestone that consolidates Iraqi sovereignty while preserving ongoing bilateral security and intelligence partnerships based on mutual respect.
[Kurdistan Regional Government]
Expresses concern over coalition departure amid regional tensions, drone attacks, and the absence of dedicated air defense systems.
[United States and Coalition Partners]
Considers the military campaign a success that successfully neutralized ISIS as an organized territorial threat and transferred primary defense capability to local forces.
[Iran and Allied Militias (e.g., Kataib Hezbollah, IRGC)]
Celebrates the coalition exit as the defeat and expulsion of occupying forces, characterizing it as the first step toward a wider US departure from the Middle East.
// Quotes
“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.”
“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.”
“The expulsion of the occupation forces, defeated, from the land of Iraq is the beginning of full sovereignty.”
