WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The United States and its coalition partners have officially concluded Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq on Wednesday, by completing the final withdrawal of coalition forces and equipment from Erbil Air Base.
The withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq is part of a planned transition to a U.S.-Iraq bilateral defense relationship, consistent with a joint statement that the two countries signed in September 2024.
Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR) remains operational and is now headquartered in Jordan as U.S. forces continue the counter-ISIS mission in Syria alongside Coalition partners and the Syrian government, the U.S. Central Command said.
Operation Inherent Resolve is the United States' military's operational name for the international war against the Islamic State, launched in 2014.
It has advised, assisted, and enabled partner forces in the fight against ISIS in Iraq and Syria since CENTCOM established the unit.
American and allied airstrikes killed tens of thousands of Islamic State fighters in Iraq and Syria in the 12-year-long military air strikes, including its top leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. During this period, American military lost the lives of 118 troops.
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.
'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', Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement. The Department of War will continue to provide targeted training and intelligence support to our Iraqi partners, he added.
American and Coalition forces began departing Iraq last October as part of a transition that culminated into the removal of personnel and equipment from Erbil Air Base in September.
Located in northern Iraq, Erbil Air Base served as the main operational hub for CJTF-OIR and hosted most of the 1,500 American and Coalition forces supporting counter-ISIS operations.
'Job well done to the tens of thousands of American service members, diplomats, and civilian personnel who answered the call in Iraq,' Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander, said in a statement. '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 top U.S. military commander in the Middle East promised that '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'. Cooper added, 'Maintaining our vigilance and readiness is essential to protecting the U.S. homeland and strengthening regional security.'
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