More than two decades after the United States invaded Iraq, American forces have completed their withdrawal from the country, marking the end of the Operation Inherent Resolve mission in Iraq.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced Wednesday that American forces and equipment had completed an “orderly departure” from Erbil Air Base in northern Iraq, formally ending the U.S. military mission there.
The withdrawal is part of a planned transition toward a bilateral U.S.-Iraq defense relationship. While American forces are no longer stationed in Iraq as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR) remains operational and is now headquartered in Jordan.
Operation Inherent Resolve was established in 2014 after ISIS seized large swaths of Iraq and Syria, with U.S. and coalition forces working to defeat the terrorist organization.
U.S. forces will continue the counter-ISIS mission in Syria alongside coalition partners and the Syrian government.
“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 departure represents the latest chapter in a U.S. military presence that began with the American-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 and stretched across years of insurgency, sectarian violence, counterterrorism operations and the fight against ISIS.
More than 4,400 U.S. service members died in Iraq during the war and its aftermath.
American forces initially withdrew from Iraq in 2011, but the rise of ISIS led the United States to return in 2014. Roughly 5,000 U.S. troops returned over the next several years to help combat the terrorist organization and train, advise, and assist Iraqi forces.
At the height of the Iraq War in 2007, the number of U.S. troops in Iraq reached roughly 170,000.
Before the latest drawdown, approximately 2,500 American troops remained in Iraq.
The latest withdrawal follows a 2024 agreement that began winding down the U.S.-led military mission. Most U.S. forces began departing from federal Iraq in October 2025, while a smaller
American presence remained in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region in northern Iraq.
Erbil Air Base served as the primary operational hub for CJTF-OIR and hosted most of the approximately 1,500 American and Coalition forces supporting counter-ISIS operations.
CENTCOM said the drawdown from federal Iraq ultimately culminated in the removal of personnel and equipment from Erbil Air Base this month.
The end of the military mission was announced earlier this year during Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s meeting with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office.
“On the 30th of September, the U.S. forces will be out of Iraq while these [U.S.] companies will be inside Iraq,” al-Zaidi said through an interpreter at the time. “The social relations is about the economy, not about military relations.”
Trump welcomed the shift, saying the United States no longer believed a significant military presence in Iraq was necessary.
“We don’t think we need the military there anymore,” Trump said. “We’re there to help them. We’re there to protect them if need be. But we don’t think that’s going to be necessary.”
Instead, the administration has emphasized expanding economic ties between the two countries, particularly in Iraq’s oil sector.
“Iraq has tremendous potential because of their oil and because of other things, but because of their oil, and we’re going to be doing a lot of deals,” Trump said. “We’re going to create a lot of jobs for both countries, and we’re going to be taking out a lot of oil. A lot of oil is coming out.”
The transition also comes as Iraq continues to grapple with the influence of powerful Iran-backed militias.
Earlier this year, al-Zaidi pledged to disarm militia groups operating outside Iraqi state control. In a June 15 joint statement with U.S. Special Envoy for Iraq Tom Barrack, the two outlined plans for the “complete disarmament and disbandment of all armed groups and formations operating outside the authority and control of the Iraqi state,” with a deadline at the end of September.
The issue remains politically sensitive, particularly as some powerful Iraqi factions maintain close ties to Tehran.
The U.S. withdrawal was celebrated by Iran-backed groups.
“The expulsion of the occupation forces, defeated, from the land of Iraq is the beginning of full sovereignty,” Abu Mujahid al-Assaf, a security official with the Iran-backed Kataib Hezbollah militia, said in a statement, according to CBS.
The withdrawal has also raised concerns among some Iraqis, particularly in the Kurdish region, as Kurdish forces have played a strategic role in fighting terror alongside American troops for decades.
Despite the end of the U.S. military mission in Iraq, CENTCOM said American and Coalition forces stationed elsewhere in the region will remain prepared to respond to threats from ISIS.
“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 said.
“Maintaining our vigilance and readiness is essential to protecting the U.S. homeland and strengthening regional security.”
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